Welcome Agenda Welcome Julia Durcan, AGO West Kent Guest - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Tunbridge Wells

District Governor Briefing

Summer 2016

Welcome

Agenda

• Welcome – Julia Durcan, AGO West Kent
• Guest Speaker – Cathy Edwards- Attendance
• The Kent Governor Association updates – Deborah Bruce & David Hill
• Effective Recording – an external perspective – Julia Durcan
• In The News – Governor Discussion Points and Networking – KGA Reps

and Julia Durcan

• Close

Polite Reminders !

• Housekeeping
• Paper free !
• Have you signed the register?
• List two actions that you will complete following this

discussion.

• Please complete the online evaluations

(direct to you via email)

School Attendance: Information for Governors

Cathy Edwards Area Inclusion and Attendance Lead – West Kent 16 May 2016

• PRU, Inclusion and Attendance Service

School Attendance

• 2014/15 attendance in Kent was below the

national average

• For all absences the most common reason

recorded (67%) is illness - family holidays in term- time represent only 5.9%

• Ofsted quintiles

Early Help and Preventative Services

• PRU, Inclusion and Attendance Service is part of

Early Help and Preventative Services

• In many cases the root causes of poor attendance

are family and social issues

• Prosecutions, Penalty Notices and school support
• Every school has a named School Liaison

Officer

PRU, Inclusion & Attendance Service

Head of Service Ming Zhang North

(Dartford, Gravesham & Sevenoaks)

Area Inclusion and Attendance Lead David Boyd Inclusion & Attendance Advisers School Liaison Officers

South

(Ashford, Shepway & Dover)

Area Inclusion and Attendance Lead Heidi McGee Inclusion & Attendance Advisers School Liaison Officers

East

(Thanet, Canterbury & Swale)

Area Inclusion and Attendance Lead Melanie Higgins Inclusion & Attendance Advisers School Liaison Officers

West

(Maidstone, Tonbridge & Malling, Tunbridge Wells)

Area Inclusion and Attendance Lead Cathy Edwards Inclusion & Attendance Advisers School Liaison Officers

Central Enforcement

Senior Inclusion and Attendance Lead GRT/ME Outreach Officers Attendance Enforcement Team Leader

Senior Attendance Enforcement Officers

Child Employment Officers

PUPIL REFERRAL UNITS

School Liaison Officers

• Advice, support and training on procedures,

strategies and projects

• Attendance Officer Network Meetings
• Register Audits
• Casework and preparation of prosecution cases
• Multi-agency working

Legal Responsibility of Parents

• The Education Act 1996 states: ‘If any child of

compulsory school age, who is a registered pupil at a school, fails to attend regularly at the school, his parent is guilty of an offence.’

• The responsibility to ensure regular school attendance

rests solely with the parent(s). Failure to ensure regular school attendance is a criminal offence.

Legal responsibilities of Schools

• The Education (Pupil Registration) (England)

Regulations 2006

• Marking of registers
• Reporting to LA
• Removal from roll
• Section 434(6) Education Act 1996

Promoting good attendance

• Whole School Ethos
• School Attendance Policy
• Home/School Agreement
• Activities in school
• Individualised support

Persistent Absence

00/00/2013 Your Name

• The government now classes any pupil with

attendance below 90% as a ‘persistent absentee’

• Schools report their PA Rate to the DfE
• Systems in place to track PA pupils and strategies

to prevent pupils becoming PA

• 90% - perception of parents

Tackling Poor Attendance

• Close monitoring – cohorts and individuals
• School Action
• Referral for Early Help support
• Referral to PIAS for prosecution - key referral

criterion - below 90% attendance with a minimum

• f 10 days’ unauthorised absence

Referral Criteria – School Action

• Contact with parents
• Offer of appropriate support to both parents and

pupil including Early Help Notification

• Known medical issues investigated and advice

sought - eg School Nursing Service.

• Parents must be made aware that absence is not

authorised - the decision to authorise absence rests solely with the Headteacher.

Penalty Notices

• Schools can use PNs if this is included in the

Attendance Policy and has been widely and regularly publicised

• New Code of Conduct Jan 2016
• A PN can be issued instead of prosecuting the parent

in the Magistrates’ Court.

• A PN can be issued for poor attendance (including

persistent late arrival), holidays in term-time or exclusion

Children Missing Education

• A child of compulsory school age who is not a

registered pupil at a school, and is not receiving suitable education otherwise

• Children who move into the area
• An outside agency identifies a child who does not

have a school place

Children Missing Education – a school’s duty to report

• The whereabouts of the child are unknown and it

has not been possible to locate him/her

• A child has moved out of the area but the

Common Transfer File has not been requested by another school

• Regulations regarding removal from roll

Questions to ask

• Is the School Attendance Policy up to date and in

line with latest DfE guidance and KCC Code of Conduct?

• Is there effective communication with parents?
• How is good attendance promoted and poor

attendance addressed?

• Are sufficient time/resources given to attendance?

Sources of Information

• KELSI
• Attendance Officer Network Meetings
• Named School Liaison Officer
• Cathy Edwards – 03000 411958

catherine.edwards@kent.gov.uk

Kent Governors Association

Deborah Bruce David Hill

Effective Recording

• An External Perspective

JULIA DURCAN Area Governance Officer West Kent

Summer 2016

Activity

PLEASE DO NOT WRITE ON THE HANDOUTS

• Each table group/pair/ individual choose a number between 1 & 9
• Review the numbered example
• Discuss the following:

– What does the minute actually mean to you ? – Do you understand the discussion, what has happened, actions required? – How could the notation have been improved? – Is there sufficient evidence of challenge, support and impact ? – Are there any concerns / observations / questions you would need to clarify with the GB concerned?

• Be prepared to feedback to whole meeting

Things to Consider …

• Replicating this activity with your neighbouring GB / within your

collaboration – using each other’s minutes

• How could your clerk help you to be "sharper"?
• The language of impact:

– It means that … – It has enabled ,,, – This has ensured … – This has improved / resulted in / increased / decreased – This has provided strong evidence to suggest/support … – Comparisons to similar … / comparisons in time/place – The children/staff/parents/local residents said /have told us….” (record, listen to and respond to the people that matter ) – Statistics / data to show success/progress against criteria (including things like confidence, skills, knowledge, awareness, understanding, as well as hard data) and the difference it has made

In the News, Governor’s Discussion Points and Networking - 1

Any feedback from Governors who have undergone recent Ofsted / HMI visits ?

• Ofsted (current) main areas of focus:

– Closing the gap for disadvantaged pupils; what is being done that is ‘extra’ for the disadvantaged pupils; proof that the school is “Going the Extra Mile” – Impact of Safeguarding policies & procedures on pupils’ understanding & awareness e.g. British Values, Radicalisation, through school council, assemblies, ethos – Quality of Governance; quality of Middle Leadership – Section 8 – “what constitutes ‘good evidence’ at the start of a Section 8 inspection to avoid it going to Section 5?”

• It is individual to each school, in that what is required will depend on your school’s data,

school plan, areas of strength & areas of improvement

• Do YOU & do your Governors know what these are – if you do, you will ‘automatically’ have

provided evidence to show you are addressing the issues

• A prescriptive list is not felt to be appropriate - it would seem prudent to ensure you have these

documents available - Data / SEF, Safeguarding, SIP, Middle Leader Action Plans, Governor Minutes, GB Self-Evaluation & Action Plans, Pupil Progress Meetings

In the News, Governor’s Discussion Points and Networking - 2

• Links to Ofsted inspection clips:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=676mZrDrY9o – Questions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6vySUUIPhs – During inspection https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txehqOy-2TU _ Feedback meeting https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk - use as a benchmark in place of Ofsted dashboard

Ofsted Feedback from local school

• Areas of focus for Governance:
• Pupil Premium spend and impact
• PE Premium spend and impact
• Appraisal and pay progression
• Progress and attainment data.
• Strengths and weaknesses of the school and an understanding of

what is being done to address these along with any impact.

• Safeguarding including Prevent training.
• SMSC and British Values
• EYFS Baseline assessment
• Governing Body self review

In the News, Governor’s Discussion Points and Networking - 3

• Governor & Clerk CPD – ensure feedback to GB from CPD activities

via verbal/written report to GB – Supports Governors’ appointment reviews/skills audits and 1 to 1 chats – Clerk’s annual appraisal – NGA Clerks' Pay and Employment Survey : https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ClerksPay

• Check CPD online is correct

In the News, Governor’s Discussion Points and Networking - 4

• DfE academy conversion guide and process
• https://www.gov.uk/guidance/convert-to-an-academy-

information-for-schools

• Church schools and academies: memoranda of understanding

– Formal agreements between the Department for Education (DfE) and the Church of England and the Catholic Church https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/church-schools- and-academies-memoranda-of-understanding

• Educational Excellence Everywhere - White Paper Briefings 4

sessions planned across the county - 17 to 26 May

• http://www.kelsi.org.uk/news-and-events/patrick-leesons-

update/10-may-2016-weekly-update

In the News, Governor’s Discussion Points and Networking - 5

• Archiving docs when moving to academy – KCC retention

schedule http://www.kelsi.org.uk/school-management/data- and-reporting/access-to-information/records-management

• LA maintained – All Governors are required to have DBS

checks by 01 September 2016 (Enhanced CRB check)

– All new Governors after 1 April 2016 – REQUIRED NOW

• NGA and TES Annual Survey of governors and trustees 2016

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/NGATES-2016

• Termly Briefing - sent to all on 6th May – have you received it?

Evaluations

• Please be sure that you have signed the

attendance register

• Evaluations will be available via email / online
• Remember to download your attendance

certificate and pass to Training & Development Governor Central Office contact – leadershipgovernancecentral@kent.gov.uk 03000 417979

Date of next meeting 21st September 2016 Venue Oakley School

Thank you for coming Are we MAD? Julia.durcan@kent.gov.uk 03000 410298