The requester sought governing body minutes for all secondary and selected primary schools for the 2018-19 and 2019-20 academic years. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture provided some information but withheld parts of the response due to exemptions.
Key Facts
The request covered minutes for all secondary schools and selected primary schools for two academic years.
The response included excerpts from Andreas School minutes discussing a specific child's assessment and attendance.
Governors expressed concern that retaining a specific child on the register unfairly disadvantaged attendance and attainment figures.
The School Improvement Plan for 2018/19 focused on Special Education Needs, Maths Mastery, and Growth Mindset.
Governors noted that the Department did not provide sufficient advance notice for training sessions.
Data Disclosed
2018-19
2019-20
2021-03-22
2021-04-16
259
3
July 2018
August 2018
2019/20
5.00 pm
19th November 2018
4th February 2019
3.45 pm
Original Request
I seek copies of the minutes of the meetings of the Governing Bodies for each of the Island's Secondary Schools together with selected primary schools. The minutes requested are for all meetings held in the academic years 2018-19 and 2019-20.
Data Tables (40)
School but by remaining on our register he will be on our data. The letter did say that we
could inform two different sets of data - one taking the pupil out but any published data
would have to include the pupil.
is disappointed that we are not much further
forward an
d
felt it was unfair on the staff.
has worked her hardest for
the pupil.
The governors discussed replying to the Department’s letter.
advised them to
wait for
t
o share her thoughts on the situation in the Autumn term but members
felt the Governing Body should express how dissatisfied they are with the answer,
considering how in this particular case, the pupil had very limited time and input from the
school. They want it on record that they are frustrated with the length of time it has taken to
have the pupil assessed and to come up with a plan.
3. Update on Validatio
The validators sought evidence to back up the school’s judgements in the self review
process - speaking to parents, staff and pupils, holding lesson observations, going on a
learning walk and looking at books and data. They concurred with the leadership, progress
and T4L, finding them ‘very effective’ for the vast majority. The Headline is “we know our
school very well” - this will remain confidential until 17/7/19.
believes she is
leaving the school in a good place from which the new Headteacher can move forward. A
letter will go out to advise the parents and Governors, and the Department will issue a press
release for all the schools validated at the same time. The full report will be available to any
parent and will provide a summary to go with the Department’s press release.
4. SIP Updat
explained that there are only some parts in the Summer term section that still
need to be done, everything else has been achieved. The paperwork for SEN has been
changed by
but it still needs tweaking before roll out to all children in
September. It is likely Maths Mastery will continue to be a focus next year. Staff have
requested more training. It has been a good year and the school has achieved a lot.
5. DFM SEN
explained that although the SEN moderation is up and running the DFM is still
a work in progress. Schools will shortly be advised of the amount of SEN funding based on
a formula linked to the numbers of SEN - this will differ yearly due to changing numbers of
pupil SEN levels. SEN percentage - Andreas School has been 14 - 18%. Some children
may be eligible for extra “Top up” funding and we will have to prove we have put
interventions in place to support them before we can apply for additional funding for a
pupil.
We have not yet been advised of staffing/core funding. At present
is the only
SEN member of SEN staff at the school at 0.6 (Level 2).
There was some concern expressed around ensuring there is funding for children starting in
September who may have SEN. If they have been to the PreSchool Assessment Centre they
will have been assessed but not all children with SEN attend.
6. Pay Review Sub-Committee.
will be the Link Adviser for Andreas School in 2019/20.
agreed to be on the Pay Review Sub-Committee for
. The Secretary will
check that also agrees to be on the sub-committee before advising .
ACTION
1.0
Minutes:
1.1 The minutes of the meeting held on 13 June 2018 were read,
approved and duly signed.
(2.1) is no longer acting Head of School Meals
Provision (secondment), his replacement is
(permanent). has already been in to school and spoken to
both kitchen staff members, is being trained up by
(2.10) School Kitchen – an invite to parents to sample the school
meals was contained within the October Newsletter but there
were not takers. Suggestion made to invite each class at a time
(contribution required)
(2.15) Security concern raised as a member of staff had been
opening up due to the lack of Caretaker. As from Monday this
week a member of the kitchen staff is now opening up. Agreed
that the Governors would write a letter regarding the missing
Caretaking hours – we are receiving a monthly Doctors Note for
the current Caretaker with no provision of a full time
replacement. to liaise with regarding dates etc. to send
a letter to (cc Head of Corporate Services).
There has been no progress with regard to who took the
photographs as the staff member is still off so sick so we have to
wait, no information on return to work date.
(4.9 (q)) There has been no further information from
regarding the Developer as far as the school is
concerned and the church hasn’t heard anything either with
regard to the cemetery. It is thought that the surrounding land
(field behind the school, part of the cemetery, the car park and
road leading to the Manx Telecom base) is to be developed, there
is a possibility that they will re-develop the whole area including
the school. If the developers proposals go to Eastern Plan then it
automatically become implemental and the Dept. will have no say
or choice in the matter. It is important that the situation is
resolved prior to reaching this stage – agreed for as Education
Council Governor, to speak to the DESC requesting that the
Governors are kept up to date with the proposals/proceedings.
(9.1.2) Touched on difficulties regarding Governors meeting
parents – parents evenings are all at different times and on
different days so wouldn’t work very well for Governors. We’ve
tried an open afternoon in the past but no one attended.
(9.1.3) Governors are invited to lunch with the children,
advised possible date later in the meeting (see point 12.0)
(9.1.7) Workshop dates will be set later in the year to allow the
Governors to contribute to the reforming of the school vision.
2.0
School Kitchen
2.1 Our new dinner lady is now in place and is very good,
there is a marked improvement to the quality and variety of food.
The children have been very positive about the change.
2.2 There has been a handful of pupils change from packed lunch to
school meals but this could also be attributed to the change in
season (Summer to Autumn).
2.3 One child took up the Headteachers suggestion (Newsletter Sept)
to try the new school meals and he has since switched back to
school meals from packed lunch.
2.4 The new dinner lady is also encouraging children on packed
lunches to try the school dinner options so hopefully the
numbers will continue to improve.
2.5 Parent Governor commented that some children have advised
that they are not having enough time to eat their packed lunches
when they are on the last sitting. All children whether on packed
lunches or school meals go in together at their allocated 20min
sitting, which is adequate enough time to eat and finish their
lunch.
3.0
Matters arising:
3.1 As above
4.0
Proposals for new Governors:
4.1 Board of Governors should contain between 6-10 members of
which there should be 1x Education Council Governor, 1x Parent
Governor, 1x Teacher Governor 3x Principle Governors (not
relevant for a Primary School) and 3x Co-opted Governors (which
could be an ESO), all are to be approved by the Board.
4.2 Co-opted Governors: suggested however she
is located in an out of school catchment area. advised that
The Articles of Governance state that a Co-opted Governor can
reside outside of the School Catchment area if approved by the
DESC. Agreed to draw up a list of potential candidates (re-look at
Braddan Commissioners) for the board to approve, it would be a
good idea to let look over the list first to ensure
there are no conflicts of interest. It was agreed that
would probably not be approved due to her husband being a
council member. Up to 3 Co-opted Governors are allowed.
Post meeting note: All nominations to be forwarded to who
will then email the board for comments, after this & will
consult and invite any potential candidates to the next meeting.
4.3 Parent Governor: Historically past parent governors have
naturally moved over to become a co-opted governor once their
child leaves the school. However this is no longer possible as a
2year minimum gap is required between standing down and re-
applying, this also includes transferring to another school. Our
current Parent Governor will be stepping down at the end of
August when his daughter moves up to high school.
4.4 New guidelines for appointing Governors were due to be issued
in September so are now imminent. The guidelines have already
been looked at by the legal team and are now being drawn up.
Governing bodies were spoken to prior to drafting up the
Consultation.
4.5 Should Governors have a DBS check? – DBS checks are only
necessary for adults that are left alone with the children.
Governors are always in the presence of other members of the
staff when in contact with the children and as such do not need a
DBS check.
ALL then
5.0
GDPR
5.1 The school is GDPR compliant; we have recently produced a new
Parental Consents & Data Permissions form, which will be sent
out to all parents for each child this week. Information can also
be found on the school website. DESC meetings for the Heads
have been running for around 18months and have proved to be
very useful.
5.2 An issue was raised regarding class lists being given to parents
for events outside of school such as birthday parties. As long as
only first names are given out then this is within GDPR
guidelines.
6.0
Headteacher’s Report:
The report was read out to the Board with additional
information/discussion:
6.1 (a) Attendance of Pupils: There are a number of other schools on
the Island with small intakes for Reception so it is an island wide
situation rather than a school one. However we may lose staff
for the next academic year as result of this.
With regard to the children transferred from
School, the situation surrounding their circumstances was
reported in the press today so it is now in the public arena. The
offender received unconditional bail from court and is due to re-
appear in approximately two weeks. It is hoped that the children
are not affected by this but all staff are aware and are being
particularly vigilant during this time. kindly
offered his assistance in this matter should it be helpful to the
family. The school are certainly appreciative of this and will be
in touch if this is required. In these circumstances is it possible
for the school to request an exclusion order? Headteacher to
look into although it is noted that the Police will respond rapidly
should the offender come to the school.
6.2 (b) Suspension and Expulsion of Pupils: All children have had a
really good, settled start to the new academic year.
6.3 (d) Repair and Maintenance of the Fabric of the School; Works:
Works to the stock cupboard floor are still outstanding.
The Headteacher’s Office is due to be finished tomorrow.
With regard to the outside maintenance required, is to speak
to the temporary Caretaker about clearing out the guttering. The
maintenance of the school is suffering greatly due to the absence
of a permanent full time caretaker. Parents, staff and partners of
staff have been undertaking some of the minor elements of the
role (clearing rubbish out of the car park, playground etc.). to
include this in her letter to . There is a wall in the
reception outside play area that needs attention and Works Dept.
has already been out to assess what’s required. Agreed for the
Governors to undertake a Health & Safety Walk around the
school.
6.4 (g) Health & Safety: Fire drill practice is due to be undertaken
this week or next.
6.5 (h) Management of the School: is currently going
through a phased return to work so is working afternoons for
now gradually increasing to full time just before half term.
The two new teachers (Y3&Y4) have settled in and are doing very
well. The new Y4 teacher is on a limited term contract as she
was appointed to cover the current Y4 teacher who is on long-
term leave at present. The current teacher has however applied
for retirement through ill health, which Occupational Health
supports and we are waiting to hear the outcome.
The school crossing patrol will become vacant again as of Friday
this week as he is transferring to another school, which suits his
location better.
is working 5 mornings/wk, the afternoons being
covered by an ESO.
Governors expressed their sadness regarding
decision to resign her post but understand the exciting new
chapter opening up to her and wish her well.
6.6 (j) Standards & Pupil Achievements: Disseminated to members of
the board at this meeting. Attainment for KS1 was ‘Not Yet
Effective’ good progress is made in KS1 but not reaching
Attainment levels. Lots of time is being spent on non-educational
issues by the teachers throughout these early years
6.7 (k) School Improvement: Maths has had a change to the
curriculum – move to Maths Mastery
6.8 (m) Looked After Children: All doing well.
6.9 (n) Behaviour/Bullying: Parent behaviour – to go on website,
code of conduct, re sign at Parents Evening.
6.10 (o) Other Matters from the Dept.: Policies to review and re-
look at (children & staff).
6.11 (p) was held in good regard by the parents. It
was noted that whilst the board members appreciated that the
DESC has policies to which they have to abide by, it may have
been a better idea to evaluate this situation on its own merit. It
was felt that there had been a great opportunity missed in this
situation with regard to professional development of their staff,
enhancement of staff training and the reputation of the
department. In light of the work that is due to
undertake on her new venture it was thought that the Dept.
should have shown a little more flexibility in this case.
held a meeting with after the parent complaint
letters as he felt that too much had been said to the parents
however nothing had been disclosed that was detrimental to the
Dept. The Governors felt that the Headteacher had handled the
situation correctly in directing and containing parents
complaints rather than it hitting social media and becoming out
of the schools and Departments control.
6.12 (q) Miscellaneous: ‘Meet the Teacher’ went well, there was a
mixed take up (some classes high some classes low) but all in all
they went well and will be retained in the school plan going
forward.
7.0
Attendances:
The forms were discussed and contents noted.
7.1 The June Statistics were incorrect as the report was run from June
2017 – June 2018 in error. A new report for June 2018 only will
be issued with these minutes
8.0
Monthly Budget Summaries:
The forms were discussed and contents noted.
9.0
Newsletters:
The newsletters were discussed and contents noted. The mini
October Newsletter was distributed at the meeting.
10.0
Risk R egister:
Agreed to move the discussion of Emergency and fire risk registers to
the next meeting, as it will coincide with the H&S walk.
11.0
Any o ther business:
11.1 Church Firework Display for All Saints Day on 1 November –
permission granted for this to be advertised in school.
11.2 We have a themed WW1 week (w/c 5Nov18) across the school
for which we would like to be involved. The
school will be attending church on the Friday and would like to
lay painted poppy pebbles as an installation around the tree
outside the church - agreed to discuss further.
11.3 Agreed to re-think the Governors award, which worked for the
first one last time but wasn’t as successful, the second time
round. The children did engage in working towards a class goal
so it was agreed to keep this scenario in place. The reward was
a cash amount and the winning class chose which charity was to
receive the gift payment. All Governors were in agreement and
were happy to provide the reward fund.
11.4 said that she would clear out the guttering before she leaves,
this was flagged last time but has not been dealt with – previous
walk notes to be checked.
12.0
Date o f Next Meeting: 07Nov18
12.1 List of future dates handed out by proposed dates are based
on the first Wednesday of each half term.
12.1.1 07Nov18: 3pm Walk around the school
12.1.2 21Nov18: 10.30am Meet the class and then lunch with
the children
12.1.3 09Jan19: 15.45
Meeting closed at 5.45 pm
ACTION
1.0
Minutes:
1.1 The minutes of the meeting held on 03 October 2018 were read,
approved and duly signed.
1.1 (2.15) A letter was drafted by to the Head of Corporate
Services regarding security concerns, needs to update it and
then it can be sent.
1.1 (4.9q) is waiting to hear from the DESC regarding the
development issue of the surrounding land, nothing from
– to continue to chase.
4.1 agreed to stand as Teacher Governor, replacing
4.3 The rules referred to in the minutes of 03Oct18 are not
applicable at the moment; the rules will not be changing until the
new Education Act comes in to force.
11.3 Governors Award – not discussed as yet
12.1.2 Agreed to invite new Governors on 21Nov at 9.30am for a
quick meet prior to the current Governors meeting the children
in class at 10.30am.
1.2 A copy of the minutes of the meeting held on 13 June 2018 to be
forwarded to
ALL
2.0
Matters Arising:
2.1 As above plus the following:
2.2 & walk was carried out by & prior to this meeting, to
type up and email to to liaise with the new caretaker
to action what she can. Some of the cost for
repairs/making good will be covered by the DESC and some will
come out of the school budget (see Service Level Agreement)
&
3.0
School Kitchen:
3.1 Great improvement. Only issue so far is that (new dinner
lady) is on her own and although she is coping she doesn’t have
any time to develop the meals or do any baking which is what she
is wanting to do (her line manage is aware of this and is happy
for her to be creative in the kitchen!). The lunchtime ancillary
who staffs the dining hall is helping out as and when needed
but this is taking her attention away from helping the children.
KS1 teaching staff are also in the dining hall so are helping out
too.
3.2 The second member of kitchen staff is due back in tomorrow,
she’s been off due to illness. There is generally no cover when
one of them is off sick.
3.3 Agreed for to speak to to discuss the long term plans for
the kitchen and it’s staff.
4.0
Proposals for new Governors:
4.1 has agreed to replace as the new Teacher Governor
4.2 Proposed new Governors: from Braddan Commissioners,
who is involved with Braddan Church and Rainer
Chatel. may have another potential Governor as someone has
been trying to contact her as a parent of Braddan School. This
could be either or has been a
School Governor before.
4.3 Agreed to invite the above proposed Governors to an informal
meeting with the other Governing Body members on 21
November at 9.30am. to write the letters.
4.4 A re-election for Parent Governor is to be held ready for the new
academic year, elections invites to be sent out in June to enable
the new Governor to start in September. to step down in July
when his daughter leaves at the end of Y6. could become a
co-opted Governor as the new Education Act is not in place as yet
and the new rules aren’t affective until that time. to confirm
around Easter time whether he will stand as a Co-opted Governor
or not.
/
June
5.0
GDPR
5.1 Nothing to report. Agreed to remove this from future agenda’s
and to report on GDPR as and when needed.
5.2 Protocol is on the school website, the DESC check securities are
in place
6.0
Headteacher’s Report:
The report was read out to the Board with additional
information/discussion:
6.1 (g) H&S: Banking of money is currently done by the School
Administrators for each school, it was queried whether G4S (for
example) should be collecting from schools as a safer option.
6.2 (h) The school caretaker is currently on long-term sick leave and
has been for a number of months now. We had temporary cover
for her but she has been moved elsewhere. As from Monday of
this week a new long term cover Caretaker started who is very
good and we are hopeful that she will stay at Braddan.
6.3 (i) has been appointed as the new Deputy Head and
will start in January 2019. There were 7 applicants for the
position of Deputy Head which were shortlisted to 2
7.0
Attendances:
The forms were discussed and contents noted. The October statistics
were handed out at the meeting.
7.1 Following meeting with the threshold for referring
absentees to the DESC is changing from below 80% to below
90%. These will be referred with explanation.
8.0
Monthly Budget Summaries:
The forms were discussed and contents noted.
9.0
Newsletters:
The newsletters were discussed and contents noted.
10.0
Risk R egister:
Agreed to discuss at the next meeting
11.0
Any o ther business:
11.1 Braddan School Christmas Fair will be held on Friday 7
December, 2-4pm
11.2 The Braddan School Pantomime will be showing at 2-3.30pm on
Tuesday 11 & Wednesday 12 December and there will be an
evening showing at 7.30-9pm on Wednesday 12 December only.
11.3 Governors are more than welcome to attend both events!
12.0
Date o f Next Meeting: 07Nov18
12.1 21Nov18: 10.30am Meet the class and then lunch with the
children
Post Meeting Note: cannot make the 21 November after
10am but will be there for meeting of the new Governors.
12.2 09Jan19: 15.45 Governors Meeting
12.3 is off island 8 – 15 Dec.
Meeting closed at 5.45 pm
ACTION
1.0
Minutes:
1.1 The minutes of the meeting held on 09 January 2019 were read,
approved and duly signed, with the following notes:
1.1 (Caretaker): was hoping to resolve
situation with early retirement however this was not
approved by his department. The role has not been advertised
as the position is not classed as vacant ( contract is
still in place).
, the temporary caretaker covering role
was hoping to apply for the position. However she was
involved in a road traffic accident on the last of day of last half
term where she was hit by a car whilst crossing the road to the
school. She has a number of broken bones but is recovering
well in Liverpool, we are hoping that she will return to the IoM
hospital this week. Some of her duties are being covered by
from the kitchen and also the cleaner but this is far
from ideal.
2.2 (Parent working party): The caretaker managed to deal with
lots of items on the Governors H&S walk list prior to her
accident.
initially spoke to about the planters etc and he
was happy to do this, is now liaising with
2.3 (Mud kitchen): Staff members managed to lift it back into place
and carry out a temporary fix but it still needs attention. The
marble top and ceramic sink are both cracked, a replacement
stainless steel sink would be ideal. Agreed for to approach
about getting this fixed properly (
originally fitted it). Suggestions to look on freecycle pages for
s/s sink and also to speak to Manx Workshop for the Disabled
– has an email address to pass on to
3.6 (Governors visits): We have a meeting for new reception
children (2019/20 cohort) scheduled for 17 June at 4pm which
will attend on behalf of the Chair (Chair away). Other visits
could be 23 May for Sports Day or any day to be arranged to
read/play games with the KS1 children. to produce a list of
dates of other potential visits. Best of Braddan may be done
this year but the date is TBC. It was also suggested that if we
are contacting the Forrestry (see section 5.4) it might be an
idea to have a trip to the saw mill so the children can see the
process from tree to product.
/
/
/
4.5 (i) This is now resolved with
being granted early retirement due to ill health.
5.2 Attendances: The Dept have advised that we only need to
report absences using headings: ‘No. of Students’, ‘Possible’,
‘Authorised Abs R/C Mark’ and ‘Unauthorised Abs R/C Mark’.
They only want numbers not percentages.
9.1 Letter to DOI drafted and circulated to board – agreed to add
the incident regarding the lollipop man’s near miss with a car a
couple of weeks prior to the caretakers accident ( has the
details).
Braddan Commissioners were contacted with regard to the
possibility of a crossing and also about the leaves on the
pavement causing a hazard. Braddan Commissioners advised
that they have already been in touch with the MHKs and
is meeting with the outside the school
to look at the road on 11 March at 2.30pm and discuss the
options of having a crossing. With regard to the leaves,
Braddan Commissions now have the contract to clear the
leaves and this has now been done. The Board of Governors
agreed that it would be a good idea for parents to contact the
MHK’s too, to add the next Newsletter with copy to It
was mentioned that the bus company had trialed looping the
bus collecting the children but this didn’t work due to
difficulties with the mini roundabouts at both ends of the road.
/
2.0
Matters Arising:
2.1 As above plus the following:
2.2 The new Deputy Head, was introduced to the Board.
The board offered their help and assistance in any way if
needs it. Very complimentary feedback from the children
was given by the Parent Governor.
2.3 Governors agreed to organise a separate collection and card for
the caretaker. to take up to the hospital on their behalf.
/
3.0
Planned Development of car park and surrounding area:
3.1 sent her apologies as unable to attend todays meeting so
nothing new reported. No one else has heard anything. Agreed
to carry over to the next meeting.
(agenda)
4.0
Governors Descriptors:
4.1 Agreed to carry forward to next meeting when everyone is in
attendance.
(agenda)
5.0
Headteacher’s Report:
The report was read out to the Board with additional
information/discussion:
5.1 (a) Attendance: We now have 145 pupils, another student started
this week, transferring from Scoill yn Jubilee. The student that
has joined us from is in an unusual situation in that he is
We also feel
that he has undiagnosed Special Needs and believe that his father
is aware but has not had any assessments done. We will monitor
his situation and report back to the Dept as necessary. The
mother of the
, was off island for some time last half term and there was
a concern over who took on the role of ‘Parent Responsibility’.
The children were being looked after by
. There were no concerns with
regard to the children.
5.2 (b) Suspension and expulsion of pupils: The Revised DEC
suspension policy has since been revised again since the
Headteachers Report was written. Agreed to carry this forward
to the next meeting when hopefully it has been resolved.
5.3 (d) Repair & maintenance: The carpet and linoleum for Reception
class looks great, we are very pleased with it. The carpet to the
corridor is being laid outside the classrooms as well, this will be
carried out during the Easter holidays so we are to try and get
the skirting painted prior to that.
The roof in the Hub started leaking a couple of days ago and
someone is due to come and have a look at it on Thurs 28 Feb.
5.4 (f) Finance: The Dept have placed a £500 limit on all orders so
where an order total exceeds this limit we have to provide 3
alternative costs for the items. We are able to carry forward
some of the budget from 2018-19 to next financial year if it’s for a
particular project. is to put forward a proposal for developing
the outside area, obtaining quotes from the Forrestry.
5.5 (g) Health & Safety: husband was here recently to carry out
a Fire Inspection and was very impressed with the Caretaker.
5.6 (i) Teaching & other school staff: No need to advertise
role as it was only very recently advertised.
The advert for the Crossing Patrol Office vacancy stated the hours
as 30mins which is not long enough. has already spoken to
about it.
The 2 lunchtime ancillary posts are still yet to be filled.
Y6 class won the reading challenge by obtaining
100%
5.7 (n) Behaviour/Bullying: Suggestion to hold an Internet Safety
week.
5.8 (o) Other matters from the Dept: Staffing levels will be reduced
by one teacher for Sept 2019, is to speak to members of staff
to see if anyone would like to leave or is planning to retire. If not
then it normally works on a last in first out basis which would be
the person with the least amount of continual service.
(agenda)
/
6.0
Attendances:
The forms were discussed and contents noted.
6.1 There is a new directive for absentees – anyone having less than
90% attendance will be flagged by and concerns will be
referred to the Dept.
7.0
Monthly Budget Summaries:
The forms were discussed and contents noted.
8.0
Newsletters:
The newsletters were discussed and contents noted.
9.0
Risk Register:
Agreed to discuss at the next meeting
10.0
Any o ther business:
10.1 Governors Award: Agreed to award the new ‘Reading Challenge’
that has been rolled out across all year groups. The winning year
group get to have a Pyjama Day. Agreed £20 from each governor
( paid £20 at the meeting).
ALL
/
10.2 advised that the church is running an exciting
artistic/creative programme to run during the same week in July
as the Flower Festival (M-F). The church is approaching schools
to see if they are interested in joining the programme (there is
space for 5 schools). The focus is on recycled items and each
school would have a designated area of the church to decorate.
There would need to be a nominated member of school staff to
help co-ordinate the programme and also to supervise the child
on the day of decoration. offered to do this as the KS1 theme
for this half terms curriculum is reusing junk items/materials so
it suits perfectly.
11.0
Dates of Next Meetings:
24Apr19
12Jun19
Meeting closed at 5.45 pm
ACTION
1.0
Minutes:
1.1 The minutes of the meeting held on 07 November 2018 were read,
approved and duly signed, with the following notes:
1.1 (6.2h) Caretaker: to chase up the situation with regard to
the caretakers long-term sick leave. There has been nothing
further with regard to security issues and we have an interim
caretaker covering her duties.
2.0
Matters Arising:
2.1 As above plus the following:
2.2 One of our parents, has been in contact with the Chair
and has expressed an interest in helping the school, this could be
in the way of fund raising or helping with the upkeep of the school
and its grounds. It was agreed that he could organise a working
party to try and resolve some of the issues raised from the
Governors & walk. Might be a good idea to have any skirting
boards painted prior to the new carpet and new flooring being laid.
/ to speak to about organising a parent working
party for the school. to put a wish list together for to discuss
with (planters/garden, painting etc) – Lloyds Bank may
be able to help in relation to a garden (Douglas in Bloom). We have
tried to engage parents in helping with the upkeep and
maintenance of the school but historically there has been very little
take up (we only had 2 parent volunteers for the Christmas Fair).
2.3 The mud kitchen in the outdoor play reception area has fallen
down and needs re-fixing, to add to working party
list of jobs.
2.4 A children’s outdoor play area was discussed (other schools have
raised money for these installations) however it was felt that this
would be a little difficult as the field area needs tractor access to
cut the grass and also there needs to be a clear fire route for the
mobile unit.
2.5 spoke to the Dept again with regard to the development issue
of the surrounding land, Mr has this in hand, we are
concerned how the development would encroach on the school
and would access over the carpark be allowed – agreed to keep this
matter on the agenda.
/
(agenda)
3.0
Governors roles at Braddan School:
3.1 spoke to and emailed at Braddan Commissioners with
regard to the role of Governor at Braddan School, it was agreed
that if a further vacancy arises we will get in touch.
3.2 is to advise the Board of Governors by Easter as to whether
he is going to remain on the Board but as a Co-opted Governor.
3.3 Proposed and seconded for the current Chair to remain, current
Chair accepted.
3.4 Chair briefly ran through the role of Braddan School Governor for
the benefit of our newly appointed Co-opted School Governor,
. The Board meets once every half term and if anyone
cannot attend they should inform the Clerk asap. Governors are
nominated to take part in interviews, HT Review, classroom
observations, safety checks etc as required. Governors are also
welcome to attend all school events if they wish.. All governor
visits are co-ordinated in advance through the Governors
meetings or the Headteacher.
3.5 is enrolled on all three Governors courses that CPD is
offering.
3.6 Governors were thanked for coming to look around the school and
to have lunch with the children, Reception class really enjoyed
their visit. Agreed to plan more dates for Governors to visit the
school, particularly enjoyed the SEN area – very interesting.
4.0
Headteacher’s Report:
The report was read out to the Board with additional
information/discussion:
4.1 (a) Attendance: We are 30 children down on this time last year,
due to lots of movement of families and also a low intake
4.2 (d) Repair & Maintenance: came round the school
following the repair and maintenance required as a result of the
Governors H&S walk. is to do some of the works and
will organise the rest. Everything on the list is in hand if
not already done. It was agreed that they would pay for the new
flooring from the corridor from the playground up to Y6
classroom and the school will pay for the carpet in Reception
class.
4.3 (h) Management: The new caretaker, is a really good role
model for the new cleaner and the new cleaner has commented
that she feels much better motivated in her role.
4.4 (f) Finance: An NQT salary covered by the school (1xday/wk)
needs to be taken off the budget as this has not been done to date
(from September 2018).
4.5 (i) Teaching: We will not need to advertise
vacancy as we already have someone doing the role and we are
within the 12month limit. No further information regarding
(caretaker) – to chase up with The vacant lunch
time ancillary post is being re-advertised
4.6 (j) Standards & Pupil Achievement: Handed out at meeting.
4.7 (k) School Improvement Plan: Handed out at meeting, to take
away and look over.
4.8 (o) Other Matters: 17 New pupils predicted for Sept 2019 intake.
Post Meeting Note: We now have 21
ALL
4.9 (q) Miscellaneous: SSRE – every school does a Self Evaluation
supported by the DESC, there is an external validator every 2-
3yrs. A Link advisor comes in and looks at different sections with
the Headteacher and the advisor judges where we are in relation
to their descriptors. We have moved from being ‘Good’ a few
years ago to ‘Not Yet Effective’. We’ve had an intense run of
visits over the last few months, lots of areas have been moved
down. Not all descriptors received ‘NYE’, some were ‘Good’ but
the balance has brought it down to ‘NYE’, it seems very hard to
get into Effective. A few years ago some things were graded as
Good but now they’re graded as NYE. A wider discussion is taking
place in other schools as they feel it’s not working, it’s not very
effective or helpful and they are feeling that they are judged as
NYE when being compared to other schools unfairly. We feel that
we’re better than NYE and it’s creating lots of work in order to
prove this, recording and providing examples and evidence of
what we’re doing. The borderline is only 2% between Good and
NYE. Used to be creative curriculum and data is being analysed
over the whole cohort so if there are a number of Special Needs
then the figures will go down. Agreed to look at Governance
Descriptors at the next meeting.
(agenda)
5.0
Attendances:
The forms were discussed and contents noted. The December
statistics were handed out at the meeting.
5.1 We always know where absent children are and the reason for
their absence, if there is a query behind any absences this is always
chased and followed up.
5.2 The December attendance stats show a 100% for ‘Present R/C:
Students’ but it also shows ‘Unauth. Absent R/C: Marks’ as 0.78%
and 33 ‘Unauth. Absent R/C: Marks’ which contradict the 100%
present statistics. Might be an Arbor glitch – to speak to
and check.
6.0
Monthly Budget Summaries:
The forms were discussed and contents noted.
6.1 Budgets look very healthy
7.0
Newsletters:
The newsletters were discussed and contents noted.
7.1 The Panto was a great success, parents really enjoyed the
performance and there was a very positive atmosphere.
8.0
Risk Register:
Agreed to discuss at the next meeting
9.0
Any other business:
9.1 It was agreed that the busy road in front of the school would
benefit from either a zebra crossing or a pelican crossing
(preferably a pelican crossing). This would still have to be
manned by a crossing patrol officer as the road is far too busy for
children to cross unsupervised. We’ve been told in the past that
this is not possible due to the road being the main route to the
hospital. to speak to Braddan Commissioners to see if this is
possible, also to write to DOI on behalf of the Governors.
9.2 The build up of leaves on the pavement around the school is
dangerous for pedestrians, wheel chair and mobility scooter
users. has spoken to Douglas Borough Council but
they are only contracted to clean the gutters not clear the
pavements of leaves. to ring Braddan Commissioners to ask
if they can add leaf clearing to their contract with Douglas
Borough Council. This will enable the safe journey of children
being encouraged to walk to school, as it is at the moment it is far
too wet and dangerous for children to walk to school.
9.3 Governors Award: It was thought that medical appointments
may cause problems if we rolled out a Governors Award for
attendance so it was agreed to run a Governors Award for
reading at home, £20.00 from each Governor per term. to put
a plan together
10.0
Dates of Next Meetings:
27Feb19
24Apr19
12Jun19
Meeting closed at 5.45 pm
ACTION
1.0
Minutes:
1.1 The minutes of the meeting held on 27 February 2019 were read,
approved and duly signed, with the following notes:
1.1 (9.1) Crossing: met with and has seen the
plans for a proposed crossing outside the school,
is to speak with the DOI to apply pressure with the hope that
the plans will come to fruition.
5.1 (a) Attendance: The student that joined us from may
go back after TT, however he is very settled here. There are no
issues with the two children, although Mum is away a
lot, Parental Responsibility has not been given to
.
10.1 AOB: Governors Award – reading challenge is going well,
however it’s the same children that continue to read at home
and the same children that don’t so we are keeping a focus on
that.
2.0
Matters Arising:
2.1 As above
3.0
Planned Development of car park and surrounding area:
3.1 has been speaking to the DOI but nothing seems to happen,
nothing has been agreed as yet. Registry should know who owns
the land. Parking is still an issue at drop off and pick up times. The
carpark has been extended over time and it is thought the
extended plot is sublet, did this originally belong to the school?
4.0
Governors Descriptors (SSRE):
4.1 Handed out at the meeting by ‘Inspirational’ and ‘Very
Effective’ targets are very difficult to achieve based upon the
Governors role. advised that as a governor for another Primary
school, they carried out a walk round with the descriptors in mind,
they concentrated on ‘leadership’ and found this to be very
beneficial both in class and with the children who were very open.
This enabled the Governors to look at ‘leadership’ in every class
and it proved to be very effective. Agreed to adopt this method,
to look at the next visit with and to feed into that. Book
into the second half of the Summer term.
5.0
Headteacher’s Report:
The report was read out to the Board with additional
information/discussion:
5.1 Revised DEC suspension policy: The policy has now been
changed and they have reverted to the original text.
5.2 (a) Attendance: We are flagging poor attendance figures with the
relevant parents and will refer pupils to the Welfare Office if need
be for unknown absences.
5.3 (f) Finance: A Business Fund Proposal was put forward for
carrying £6k into the new financial year. This was made up of
£2k for resources to help with PHE curriculum called ‘Jigsaw’ and
£4k to develop the outdoor learning area ‘Forrest School’. to
circulate the plan to the Governors.
5.4 (i) Teaching & other school staff: is up and about and
having physio, she has a long recovery journey ahead of her but
she is hoping to come back in July. to pass on Governors
thanks to regarding her help with the Caretaking duties.
It was noted that the positive attitude of the kitchen staff has
made a huge improvement to school meals, it was suggested that
we may be able to involve the children with kitchen
duties/experiences. We may be able to potentially keep both
NQT’s as we have one member of staff who may be leaving, is
very supportive and will make sure things are in place either way
5.5 (k) School Improvements: looking at the data against other
primary schools we are doing well and where we should be. (
Metacognition = thinking about how we learn and think).
5.6 (o) Other matters from the Dept: As well as the Equality Bill, all
staff also have to undertake the Financial Regulations training
even though it is not relevant to some staff, it does however give
staff an awareness of the financial regulations. This training is to
be done in their own time so there is cost implication to the
school.
6.0
Attendances:
The forms were discussed and contents noted.
7.0
Monthly Budget Summaries:
The forms were discussed and contents noted.
7.1 We have been allowed to carry forward into the new financial year
£6k which is to be spent by the end September 2019
8.0
Newsletters:
The newsletters were discussed and contents noted.
8.1 Latest one (No.9 May19) handed out at the meeting
9.0
Risk Register:
9.1 This is an electronic document identifying possible hazards
highlighted using a traffic light system. We write what we do to
negate the risk. Emergency plan is highlighted as Red as it is
under review by the DESC. Our Sept 18 document (emailed to
at the meeting) names the church as an evacuation point. to
check that the church is listed under the DESC as an evacuation
point only and nothing more. In the longer term is not suitable to
run a school from the church premises, the DESC would need to
provide a solution for this.
10.0
Any o ther business:
10.1 will need to step down as Parent Governor at the end of this
academic year as he will no longer have a child at Braddan
Primary School. We would however like to remain on the
board as a Co-opted Governor subject to his acceptance. We
would then need to find a new Parent Governor. becoming a
Co-opted Governor would enable him to help the new Parent
Governor settle in to their role. However once the new act comes
in to force then all current Governors who have been in a
Governors role for 6 or more years would need to step down and
would not be allowed to return for a minimum of 2yrs. The Bill is
going to Tynwald in the Autumn Session and will become
applicable in the new year (2020).
10.2 New DBS applications are being rolled out across the board for
DESC employees, we are on with ours and have a deadline to
submit all in June.
10.3 How long has been a Governor? to check and advise.
11.0
Dates of Next Meetings:
12Jun19 at 15.45
Meeting closed at 5.45 pm
ACTION
1.0
Minutes:
1.1 The minutes of the meeting held on 08 May 2019 were read,
approved and duly signed, with the following notes:
(4.1 Governors Descriptors (SSRE)): to bring the descriptors to
the next meeting and talk through them with the board.
2.0
Matters Arising:
2.1 As above
3.0
Planned Development of car park and surrounding area:
3.1 emailed but has had no response as yet. to drop
in to see him.
4.0
Membership of Governing Body and Election of Parent Governor:
4.1 spoke to and also to regarding
the forthcoming Act and the potential loss of board members once
this Act is in operation. Both are happy for us to continue as we
are. The Act was rejected and is currently being re-drafted for
presentation to Tynwald at the end of Autumn.
4.2 to step down as Parent Governor and to become a Co-opted
Governor from the next academic year, to decide/advise how
long he will be a Co-opted Governor for.
4.3 to continue as Chair but will step down once the new Act has
been passed, a phased transition will be required.
4.4 will also step down as Education Governor.
4.5 For now, it was agreed that everyone remain until the new Act
comes in, at which point we will look at the terms and assess the
situation again.
4.6 A new Parent Governor will be required once steps down, in
the past no one else has applied so it might be an idea to encourage
some of the new parents ( has some possible candidates in
mind). A recruitment drive will be needed. Template of Parent
Governor post vacancy letter to be sent to for her to edit as
needed, also agreed to add the amended letter to the website
).
5.0
Headteacher’s Report:
The report was read out to the Board with additional
information/discussion:
5.1 (i) Teaching & other school staff: One parent raised concerns
about the merging of Y1 and Y2 classes, explained the
situation and the reasons behind this merge and the parent was
satisfied. All Y1 and Y2 parents have been invited to a meeting
being held in September to run through the details and answer
any questions or concerns that they may have. A letter has also
been sent out to all parents of Y1 & 2 pupils and all seem happy.
to send a copy of the letter to the Governors.
5.2 (j) Standards and Pupil Achievements: the End of Year pupil data
has been submitted, data is looking good, details to be given to
the Governors at the next meeting in Sept.
5.3 (k) School Improvements: the school improvement plan was
looked at last night (09Jul19) and all successful.
5.4 (l) Special Educational Needs: Increase in our Special Needs
support staff, budget holder has been transferred to school from
the Dept. An ESO (Level2) is being sought from the re-
deployment register, interviews next week.
5.5 (n) Behaviour/Bullying: a more robust implementation of
current systems and expectations was rolled out and has been
very effective so far. Lots of reminders to the children regarding
lining up quietly, correct uniform etc.
5.6 (p): Complaints/Concerns: The overview from the parent
questionnaire was very positive, to send the overview to the
Governors. There were also lots of very nice comments from
parents on the returned pupil reports.
5.7 The past few years have been challenging for the staff and the
school but it is all feeling very positive now, staff are happier
with communications and the work undertaken in the
background over the past few years is now coming to fruition.
6.0
Attendances: May 2019 (June 2019 handed out at the meeting)
The forms were discussed and contents noted.
7.0
Monthly Budget Summaries:
The forms were discussed and contents noted.
7.1 Special Needs budget and ABPF budget to add to future reports
( )
8.0
Newsletters: June (emailed), July newsletter handed out at the
meeting.
The newsletters were discussed and contents noted.
9.0
Any other business:
10.1 All staff DBS forms have now been submitted to the Vetting
Bureau. On receipt of their certificate each member of staff
needs to register for the Update Service within 2weeks from the
date of receipt. However we expect certificates to arrive during
the school holidays at which point some staff members may be
off island so could miss the 2 week deadline. to check with
the Bureau what will happen if this is the case.
10.2 DBS forms were handed out to the Governors for completion
and return
10.3 advised that is constantly speaking to
about the need for a crossing outside the school and it’s
looking hopeful that one will be granted.
10.4 commented that the whole school trip to Ramsey was
excellent and that everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
One child in particular stood out responding really well to the
responsibility of looking after the younger children.
10.0
Date o f Next Meeting:
11 Sept 2019 at 15.45
Meeting closed at 5.30 pm
Action
1.
Welcome to new Members
Mrs , Education Council
Member and , Parent
Governor were welcomed as serving
members on Kewaigue Governing Body.
, retiring Co-opted member,
was thanked for his hard work, enthusiasm,
support and the professional manner in
which he has carried out his role over the
past six years. He will be missed by
everyone at Kewaigue.
2.
Confirmation of the Minutes
The minutes of the meeting held on the 11th
July 2018 were confirmed and signed.
i) School Improvement Plan – The School
improvement priorities for 2018-19 are
Inclusion and Diversity, ICT and Maths Mastery.
Strategic action plans are being developed by 3
teams of staff to include research tasks to
inform actions and approaches.
ii) Additional Needs – The SENCO attended the
meeting to give an update.
iii) Year 6 Residential Trip – Governors gave their
approval for the Year 6 Residential Trip to
Maughold Venture Centre in May 2019.
iv) Teacher Governor – Members wished to place
on record their appreciation of the hard work of
during her term of office. A small
presentation took place to .
4.
Headteacher’s Pay Review
Members were pleased to learn that the Headteacher
had successfully passed his appraisal. Governors were
extremely pleased with his leadership of the school, the
progress of the pupils and the ethos of the school. They
commended the very good team behind him.
5.
Financial Report
The September 2018 Financial report was noted.
6.
Date of next meeting
The next meeting is scheduled to take place on
Wednesday, 30th January 2018 at 1.30 pm
Action
Appointment of Chairman
Mrs was nominated for the post of Chairman,
seconded and was duly elected to the role.
Miss was welcomed as the newly elected
Teacher Governor.
1.
Confirmation of the Minutes
The minutes of the meeting held on the 14th November
2018 were confirmed and signed.
2.
Matters arising from the minutes
There were no matters arising from the minutes.
3.
Headteacher’s Report
i) Attendance The attendance figures for
November and December 2018 were noted. The
Headteacher advised members that the 80%
attendance threshold was to be changed to 90%
in the hope that earlier intervention would help
improve attendance.
ii) Pupil Suspension nil
iii) Anti-bullying Nothing to report.
Diversity and ICT. Strategic plans have been
updated following review by 3 teams of staff.
4.
Financial Statement - The December 2018 Report was
noted.
5.
Date of next meeting
The next meeting is scheduled to take place at 1.30 pm on
20th March 2019.
climbing was discussed.
offered her support for the new initiatives and was pleased tree
climbing was been introduced.
Finance
It was confirmed that schools’ budgets are still set annually from April - March, not for the
academic year.
Management
Attempting to tackle the school’s falling roll number, it is hoped that Bright Beginnings Nursery
will be running a breakfast club soon in one of our mobiles. Letters went out to families on Friday.
However, it was acknowledged that parents will have already made provision for their
children from this September. We will monitor its success and consider an after school club
too. thinks bus times will not change for the foreseeable future.
Staffing
There have been 12 applicants for the two 0.2 posts - the shortlisting will be on Friday, 4th
October 2019.
School Improvement Plan
explained the revamped provisional School Improvement Plan, an updated
version will be forwarded on to the Governors.
The Secretary will forward an updated list of acronyms to the Governors.
3. Any other Business
Andreas School now has its own Facebook page which some of the Governors have viewed. It was
felt that it was an ideal forum to advertise the school - noting that families moving to
the Island will look to see what a school has to offer and it was felt the breakfast club was a
positive move for the school.
The Governors were invited to our Harvest Festival on Tuesday, 8th October at 2pm, at Kirk
Andreas Church.
The meeting ended at 4.30 pm. The date for the next meeting is Monday, 11th November 2019 at
2.45pm when the internal fabric of the school building will be reviewed.
BUSINESS
ACTION
2020/01/01
Apologies for Absence
There were no apologies.
2020/01/02
Election of New Chair
was nominated by and this was seconded by
was duly elected as Chair. thanked
for holding the position of Chair over the previous
years.
2020/01/03
Minutes of meeting held on 14th October 2019
Minutes were circulated and signed by the Chair.
2020/01/04
Matters Arising from the Minutes
There were no other matters arising from the
minutes.
2020/01/05
Headteacher’s Report
The Headteacher’s Report was circulated and
discussed. A copy is attached and forms part of the
minutes.
to remind
governors of
Safeguarding
Training nearer
the time.
2020/01/06
Finance Report
The budget summary for December 2019 was
circulated and discussed. A copy is attached and
forms part of these minutes.
2020/01/07
Signing of Bank Mandates re New Signatories
confirmed that the bank mandates had been
completed and sent off to the bank. Copies are
attached and form part of these minutes. stated
that following from the technical difficulties with the
bank, they had transferred £100 into the school fund
account as a goodwill gesture.
2020/01/08
Induction and Child Protection Policies.
A copy of the policies was circulated. A copy is
attached and forms part of the minutes. asked
if the policies were produced by the school or by
the DESC. confirmed that they were produced
by the school.
2020/01/09
Meeting on 9th January 2020
This was discussed in Point 5.
2020/01/10
Role and Responsibilities of Governors
handed out paperwork she had gathered
regarding the roles and responsibilities of Governors.
asked if he had heard anything further
regarding the roles of Governors changing as he had
mentioned previously. responded the roles were
not changing as far as he was aware.
As per the roles, the Governors agreed to the
modified timetable of the seriously ill student.
asked if it was possible for Governors to hold less
formal meetings/communicate informally from time
to time to discuss some matters.
2020/01/11
Update on NAHT Industrial Action
This was discussed in Point 5.
2020/01/12
Update of Repairs following Walk Round
confirmed that a list of repairs needed following
the walk round was sent to the DOI. So far, the only
repair had been the taps in the children’s’ toilets
being replaced.
stated that she had received a schedule from the
DOI regarding the repairs with a timeframe grading
system of when repairs would like place.
responded back that some of the items were
unacceptably long and the DOI were going to look
into it.
2020/01/13
Any other business not on the agenda
asked if in light of the outbreak of the
Coronavirus, if there could be communication sent
out to parents regarding the coronavirus and the
need to keep children who are ill off school.
agreed that a letter would be sent out to parents
regarding this subject.
There being no further business the meeting was
closed at 2.30pm.
Letter to parents
2020/01/14
Date of next meeting
It was agreed that the next meeting be held on
Monday 27th April 2020 at 1.30pm.
ACTION
1.0
Minutes:
1.1 The minutes of the meeting held on 10 July 2019 were read,
approved and duly signed, with the following notes:
(4.1 Membership of Governing Body and Election of Parent
Governor): re-iterated that with regard to members and the
new Act, the message from the DESC was as long as we have plans
in place for the long term then we can organise as we see fit in the
short term.
(4.6 Membership of Governing Body): Template of Parent
Governor post vacancy letter handed to at the meeting, agreed
to scan and email this to
(5.1 (i) Teaching & other school staff): The parents meeting went
ahead regarding the merging of Years 1&2 and all went well, with
the parents being satisfied and happy with the outcome.
2.0
Matters Arising:
2.1 As above
2.2 was voted in as Co-opted Governor and the
motion carried, there is now a vacancy for a new Parent Governor.
2.3 did not bring the descriptors in today as it will take a while to
go through them all, agreed for this to be carried forward to the
next meeting.
(agenda)
3.0
Planned Development of car park and surrounding area:
3.1 dropped in to see as agreed at the last meeting,
however he wasn’t available (he was on holiday). to continue
to try and see him and will follow it up with a letter.
3.2 The intended area for development has recently been released and
local residents have given copies of their objections to the school
for information purposes. There is a meeting being held at the
Villa Marina on 18 Sept regarding the proposed development
which local residents can attend and put forward their objections.
The cemetery is included in the plans so will be there on behalf
of the cemetery, agreed it would be advantageous for a
representative of the Governing Body to be there too –
aiming to be there. to email for his views prior to
attending. The meeting commences at 9.30am however other
planning proposals may be presented on this day too.
3.3 is to try and have a meeting with the Chief Executive prior to
above meeting
4.0
Election of Parent Governor:
4.1 was approached by an interested party asking when the role of
Parent Governor would be available which is encouraging.
4.2 Agreed for Parent Governor election letters to be sent out before
the end of this term. We also need to add the vacancy to the next
Newsletter.
4.3 It was mentioned that it may be helpful if candidates were from
Year 5 or less, this would alleviate the need to hold another
election after a year. However it was agreed that we are not to
discourage anyone as they could of course become a co-opted
governor once their child has left the school.
4.4 to draft a note as to what is expected for the role, referring to
the Instruments and Articles. This is to be circulated to the
members of the board for their input.
5.0
Headteacher’s Report:
The report was read out to the Board with additional
information/discussion:
5.1 (d) Repair and maintenance of the fabric of the school; works:
Electrical sockets were also tested over the summer
5.2 (f) Finance: ABPF deadline for submitting invoices is 30 Sept
2019.
5.3 (g) Health and safety: The meeting last week regarding a crossing
outside the school was very positive but it will be a long process
to implement it. There are lots of other aspects to be considered
(drainage, lighting, emergency services, Bus Vannin etc) and
therefore other Government departments will be consulted for
their opinions and input into the proposed scheme.
5.4 (i) Teaching & other school staff: We have invited the previous
caretaker ( ) to come in and read with the children as we felt
it may help with her recovery.
5.5 (j) Standards and Pupil Achievements: Data was shared at the
meeting
5.6 (k) School Improvements: Our Vision Statement was shared at
the meeting.
6.0
Attendances: July 2019
The form was discussed and contents noted.
7.0
Monthly Budget Summaries: May, June and July 2019
The forms were discussed and contents noted.
7.1 All invoices for the Academic Business Planning Fund (ABPF) are
to be submitted to the DESC by 30 Sept at the latest.
7.2 The ABPF budget and Special Needs Books & Materials budget are
not shown on the July report. For information the ABPF budget is
£6,000 and the Special Needs budget is £500.
8.0
Newsletters: September newsletter handed out at the meeting.
The newsletter was discussed and contents noted.
9.0
Any other business:
10.1 Agreed to hold another Governors Lunch once the new Parent
Governor is in place. Date TBC
10.2 mentioned that it was not clear as to whether the Y6 children
moving to high school would be able to have a school meal on the
first day. The cards that are used to purchase food are not given
out beforehand. The cards are loaded and handed out to the
children on the first day so they can use them for lunch. It was
suggested that the primary school may want to add a note to
future Y6 parents regarding this.
10.0
Date o f Next Meeting:
06 November 2019 at 15.45
Meeting closed at 5.30 pm
ACTION
1.0
Welcome to New Patent Governor
2.0
Minutes of Last Meeting:
2.1 The minutes of the meeting held on 06 November 2019 were
read, approved and duly signed, with the following notes:
(5.0) With regard to Parental Responsibility updating of records
can only be done on receipt of a legal document to prove PR.
The question was raised in the governors training what is the
process if PR changes half way through a year, who would
officially inform the school as at present the onus is on the
parents to inform the school. There didn’t seem to be a ‘body’
that took control of this. Updating of information is the parents
responsibility not the schools, maybe add a note to the website
and make sure there is also a note on the Pupil Record form with
regard to this.
(6.0) HT Report (6.1b): Following the governors training
session, the suspension process referred to in the minutes was
confirmed as correct. During the appeal period (7days) the
matter is not to be discussed.
3.0
Matters Arising:
3.1 As above
3.2 advised that in the recent governors training session there
was an emphasis given to situations where pupils are on
amended timetables and governors were requested to examine
any instances of this in detail at meetings. advised that we
have no children on amended timetables at this time. It was
mentioned that in secondary schools it was recently agreed that
only the Chair needed to attend such meetings.
4.0
Parents Evening Statistics:
4.1 Handed out at the meeting, attendance was really good, any non-
attendees were contacted and offered alternative appointments.
5.0
Descriptors (
5.1 With regard to the governance of the school, the school is
currently classed as ‘Not Yet Effective’. There is not a great deal
between NYE and ‘Effective’ so we should be able to attain this
goal next time with progress going towards ‘Very Effective’.
5.2 The Governing Body is responsible for the control and direction
of the school but the Headteacher manages it.
5.3 In order for the school to become Effective the governors need to
know the plans for the school, it is opinion that this is not
the case. It is felt that has a very clear idea of the schools
vision but is not sure that all governors do. confirmed
that she was also very clear on the vision so perhaps it is not
being filtered through thoroughly enough.
5.4 feels that the Governing Body doesn’t know the school very
well and this is why we’re classed as NYE. is not clear on the
schools strategic direction and feels the vision needs to be more
succinct, the governors also need to know the self evaluation.
She feels that the school is always playing catch up and in order
to move to Effective there needs to be more dialogue between the
HT and the governors. These are opinions and views only.
5.5 also questioned whether the children knew the governors –
and are known due having/had children at Braddan
School and all three have been regular visitors to the school. It
was agreed that the governors need to come into school if they
want to know the school and be known
5.6 Governors don’t want to impact on teaching by being in too often,
teachers need to feel comfortable with governors in class and not
feel as though they are being assessed. Perhaps governors could
attend assemblies so the children and staff get used to seeing
them in school. is more than happy to welcome governors
into school at anytime to attend assemblies, assist in class, come
along to events etc
5.7 advised that the school is re-looking at it’s vision and used
two inset days in September looking at the school leadership
programme with Geoff Moorcroft. Working groups have been
set up over the course of the year to produce a 5yr strategic
school development plan working towards the vision developed
in September 2019.
5.8 The June inset days will have the working parties looking at the
vision so the governors are welcome to come along. The three
values are: Show Respect, Learn Together and Try Our Best.
Governors agreed that updates on the schools vision, strategic
development etc from woud be sufficient
5.9 also thought it would be a good idea for (Deputy
Head) to attend some of the governors meetings as the Deputy
would replace if for any reason couldn’t attend
5.10 feels that if the Vision is in place then this will bring us up to
Effective.
5.11 Agreed to keep this on the agenda for the next meeting
5.12 Invites/dates for governors to come in to school to be circulated.
(invite)
(agenda)
6.0
Planned Development of car park and surrounding area:
6.1 confirmed that attended the meeting and mostly
objected to the plans. We are able to have an input but this has to
be done through the Dept in writing. The planning has been
approved and the land has been zoned ready for the
development of 250 houses. The Dept objected to the Inspector’s
decision as this will put too much pressure on the school
especially as there is no budget or provision set aside for
increasing the size of the school to accommodate the influx of
pupils these plans will generate.
6.2 Planning Permission has not been submitted as yet
6.3 Agreed for the Governing Body to write to the DESC requesting to
be informed of all updates/developments in relation to this. We
need to establish whether the DESC would object to any planning
submisisons made and/or request a caviate be added whereby
the school/Dept receive funds in order to expand the school to
cope with the inevitable increase in pupil numbers.
6.4 There are old plans showing an extension to the school, perhaps
these could be relooked at. The Nursery building and land
adjoing the school belong to the DESC.
7.0
Governors Role Update:
7.1 Dealt with in point 5 above
8.0
Headteacher’s Report:
The report was read out to the Board with additional
information/discussion:
8.1 (b) Suspension and expulsion of pupils: We have had very
positive feedback on the Y student following the Y trip this
week.
8.2 (d) Repair and maintenance of the fabric of the school; works:
DOI visited this week and identified works needed to the
assembly hall ceiling and lighting, this will be carried out over the
half term holiday, the hall will also be re-painted. The Caretaker
is on with painting the dining hall at the moment
8.3 (e) Curriculum: Maths assessment is still a work in progress, is
at a Maths cluster meeting on Monday so will know more then.
Teaching and assessment of Science is going really well.
8.4 (g) Health and safety: (Caretaker) is having an
operation at the end of February which will require
approximately 3months of recovery time before returning to
work.
8.5 (h) Management of the school: We need to send our new
reception children numbers to the DESC at the end of this month,
which may or may not affect staffing levels.
8.6 (j) Standards and Pupil Achievment: The new tracking system is
much more visual – to be shared with the governors at the next
meeting
8.7 (k) School Improvement Plan: Governors wondered whether
could chat to them about what she’s been doing – at
the next governors meeting.
8.8 (n) Behaviour/Bullying: Since the HT report was written has
had to send a behaviour letter home to all Y4 parents with regard
to low level disrespectful behaviour. We have also had to deal
with a child behaving badly at the bus stop in the mornings.
(
agenda)
9.0
School Document Reviews (Behaviour & Discipline Policy):
9.1 Handed out at the meeting, to be read by the governors ready for
discussion at the next meeting. The DESC should have a
behavior policy on their website which each school uses/adapts
to suit. All schools may do it slightly different but they do share
information and best practices etc. – send link to governors.
9.2 The anti-bullying survey was undertaken at Braddan School for
which we had an individual school report but we haven’t been
issued with the results for the whole island.
ALL
10.0
Atten dances: Nov & Dec 2019
The forms were discussed and contents noted.
10.1 runs regular reports which highlight any patterns on
attendances, follows these up with the parents/carers.
11.0
Mont hly Budget Summaries: Oct, Nov & Dec 2019
The forms were discussed and contents noted.
12.0
News letters: Nov, Dec & Jan
The newsletter was discussed and contents noted.
13.0
Any o ther business:
13.1 With regard to the ongoing Union negotiations, some union
members will be ‘working to rule’ next week. A ballot showed
that they would be in favour of striking, would the school remain
open if a strike was called? The school would only close if all
unions were striking.
13.2 enquired about the possibility of setting up a school facebook
page to keep parents up to date with school information. It could
also be used to send little reminders out to parents for any
events etc taking place. A facebook page would also promote the
school to the wider community. advised that the Dept
strongly advise schools not to have a facebook page, however it
could be set up for reminders only, no photographs of children to
be posted. It would be crucial to stay on top of it, moderating
and removing inappropriate items. We would need to activate
the option to turn off comments. is happy to run and
administer a facebook page if this is given the go ahead. There
have been problems in the past as it is difficult to control what
other people can post on there. to look at and also to speak to
the Dept.
13.3 also enquired about creating a ‘Friends of the School’ group to
try and raise school funds. We had a similar friends group a few
years ago but there was always a core group of parents that did
everything and it was difficult to get others to help out. Agreed
to have a look at what’s coming up to see what we need money
for, dates to be given to Climbing frames are not viable due
the amount of ground work that would be needed.
13.4 The next governonrs training session is on Weds 12 February, 6-
8pm which links nicely with SSRE. All governors would like
attend this training date. There is a training session aimed at
new governors, however it was earlier in the school year, CPD
need to run it again in March
13.5 advised that at the last Education Council meeting, the
members raised issues with the DOI works dept having a number
of outstanding jobs at schools. There are not outstanding jobs at
Braddan at the moment so nothing to report back.
14.0
Date of Next Meeting:
Thursday 27 Feb 2020 at 15.45 ( cannot make Weds 26/2).
Meeting closed at 5.30 pm
Ballacottier Primary School
Summer term 2018/19 & 2019/20
Braddan Primary School
Summer term 2019/20
Michael Primary School
Summer term 2019/20
Scoill Vallajeelt Primary School
Spring term 2019/20
St Johns Primary School
Summer term 2019/20
Sulby Primary School
Spring term 2019/20
St Ninian’s High School
Summer term 2019/20
Full Response Text
family joined the discussion later. The Department has arranged for an independent assessor
- an Educational Psychologist from off island, to assess the child. Mrs
and Mrs
will decide on the terms of reference for the assessment. The parents have agreed to
the independent assessment.
The Governors felt it worrying that there appears to be no sense of urgency - the child will
be in Year next year! They think that the case is not getting the attention it deserves.
Also, the Governors felt that by retaining the child on the Andreas School register, the
attendance and attainment figures for the very small cohort in Year were unfairly
disadvantaged. The Governors encouraged
to write to the Department to request
the pupil be removed from our register.
agreed to correspond, see what happens
and then the Governors will decide whether to write also.
Maintenance of school buildings
A representative from an off island company will assess our astro turf, very soon.
will look into the published accounts of Groundcare to see if it is currently still trading.
Curriculum
advised that the White Rose Maths is a scheme of learning that “features smaller
learning steps and additional techniques to help embed deeper learning”. DESC are
currently advocating a mastery approach to Maths so we feel it is a good time to explore
some of the related material, e.g. White Rose. Maths mastery is being added to this year’s
SIP (school improvement plan). There is a resource implication but we will wait to see how
the school budget stands at the end of this financial year and the start of 2019/20 before
purchasing large amounts of equipment.
suggested FAnS may be able to help
purchase some resources.
Finance
Copies of the Budget Summaries for July and August 2018 were shared with the Governors.
Unfortunately, Payroll had experienced an issue with salaries on the August Summaries for
us and other schools which we are hoping will be sorted very soon.
Staffing
Mrs
is to look at our Outdoor curriculum and evaluate what we have in place.
We identify our training needs by;
Looking at the School Improvement Plan,
As directed by the Department,
Foundation Stage training is ongoing with their own CPD.
Standards
The School Attainment Data, based on teacher assessment in the summer term of
2018, was published on the school website, as directed by DESC. The Governors were
provided with more in depth summaries of all the data which compared results to the LA
(Local Authority - Isle of Man) .
gave a thorough explanation of these
summaries. Percentages do not reflect the hard work or issues undertaken by the staff and
the pupils and it was noted how just one pupil joining the school a month before the
assessments were taken affected the percentages.
It was noted that the press had published the GLD (Good Level of Development)
percentage for all schools. There was no context given around these figures.
noted that in a time where all assessment data can be accessed via websites and FOI requests
that there may need to be a change to how schools or DESC share assessment information.
It was noted that the progress for each key stage from baseline upwards was judged ‘very
effective’ - a true reflection on how the pupils were progressing. However, it was
acknowledged that the SSRE descriptors don’t mention the higher levels and this is an area
we have worked hard on as a school and that these levels are now more consistent.
SIP
Highlighted versions of the School Improvement Plan will be sent to the Governors. (If
coloured green that section has been completed). The Special Education Needs (SEN)
section is ongoing and will carry forward on to this year’s SIP. The three areas of the SIP for
2018/19 are SEN, Curriculum - Maths Mastery, and developing “Growth Mindset” with
staff and children.
Education visits
Past visits also included classes visiting the glens they were named after.
4.
Policies
The Governors were given copies of the Andreas School’s Bus Policy, the Home Learning
Policy and the Feedback and Marking Policy. These had been looked at as a staff in
September and any changes had been slight. The Governors were also asked to read at the
meeting the recently amended Andreas School Vision Statement which is now more concise
and includes a mention of the outdoor environment.
5.
Any other business
It was agreed that the Department does not give enough advance notice of Governor’s
training sessions. In the past
had requested training be provided in the north for
those Governors not being able to travel to Santon. Those sessions had received good
attendance and he will raise the possibility of doing so again.
The meeting ended at 5.00 pm. The date for the next meetings are Monday, 19th November 2018 -
when we will look at Curriculum and take a Health and Safety Walk around the school, and
Monday, 4th February 2019 to include the Headteacher’s Report. Both meetings will be held at
3.45 pm.
suggested that another letter be sent to the Department from the Governors to re-emphasise
their concern that whilst they appreciate the Department wants the child on roll at a school,
Andreas School’s attendance, attainment and progress data are being affected. A written
reply is to be requested.
felt that it not unreasonable to state in the letter that
should there not be a response within two months, the Governors would like to remove the
child from the Andreas School roll.
is to draft a letter to share with Governors.
Maintenance of school buildings
is still exploring whether to pursue a consumer claim regarding the school’s
astro turf and is seeking advice from
the Legal and Administration Manager
with the DESC. However,
offered his advice gained from other commercial
interests.
3.
Correspondence
Due to
increasing commitments, he has tendered his resignation as a Co-opted
Governor on the Governing Body of Andreas School -
read out his e-mail. She
will write back to him, and will invite him into school in connection with Beach Buddies.
4.
Headteacher’s Report
Curriculum
Staff have reconfigured resources from the far mobile, transferring the music equipment to
the near mobile. We can now take a class for music there.
Finance
Copies of the Budget Summary for December 2018 - produced by Finance, and the
Summary Reconciliation Figures - produced by the school on the ‘Information Management
Primary’ (IMP) system, were shared with the Governors. The Governors were advised that
the figures in the Budget Remaining column should correspond with the Reconciled Balance
column.
The credit balance for Nursery Supply shows that the reclaimed balance to cover the
ESO’s absence has been received before paying the actual supply ESO’s to cover her
absence.
There is approximately £1,000.00 remaining unallocated within the school budget and
is considering purchasing resources for Maths, LGBT and inclusion.
Health and Safety
Unfortunately the PAT test was postponed for January. It will go ahead this Wednesday.
Management
We are considering getting together with some other northern schools to buy some external
training for Maths Mastery. However,
advised that planning for mixed age
classes is problematic as the resources are whole class based.
The Governors were given copies of the Learning and Teaching policy.
explained the 6 Rs as being learning dispositions - skills to help children learn.
The Governors were also given copies of the draft version of Andreas School’s Healthy
Eating policy. We haven’t had discussion time with staff yet and are also considering
sending the draft out to parents. However, it was accepted that people will not always agree
as to what are ‘healthy’ foods. The pupils attending the last Pupils’ Voice session were
reinvigorated and generally ‘on board’ regarding healthy snacks. We also want to tie in the
policy with the IOM Government’s Single Use Plastics Reduction Plan. The Governors did
not object to the policy and liked the pictorial snack guidance.
Staffing
We have appreciated
expertise covering for
absence.
We expect to be advised of our staffing figures mid February, these will be linked into the
school’s budget.
The Governors were given a list of dates and topics covered at staff meetings for 2018/19.
The Governors were given an updated list of courses booked for staff for their continuing
personal development. The Governors were made aware of two courses available to them.
They can either book themselves or through the School Administrator.
Standards
explained that the Department has asked for school data for children on
Free School Meals (FSM) to inform discussion at a political level.
mentioned that the subject of school league table for the Isle of Man has
featured in the press recently. Andreas School often looks low on tables due to small cohorts
and special needs. She acknowledged that it is not an easy topic and felt that progress data
is more important.
Three years ago, Andreas School was the first school on the Island to win an award for its
Philosophy for Children (P4C), receiving its bronze award in recognition of the school’s
commitment to establishing the P4C approach to learning. We are now going to apply for the
silver award and
is putting evidence together from all our classes.
School Improvement Plan
Copies of the School Improvement Plan Sep 2018 - Sep 2019 were given to the Governors.
advised that progress is being made with the key actions.
Special Educational Needs
There are still some Education Psychological meetings to come and those children may go
up or down on our register. We will be submitting our figures to the Department in April and
it is possible that we will submit a new application for a child to become Higher Level
Needs.
Additional Information
invited the Governors to attend any of the class assemblies as listed on the Dates
flyer produced at the beginning of the academic year.
5.
Any other business
The Education Bill consultation is now live on the government’s website and the Governors
were encouraged to give feedback. The new Education Bill will affect how governing bodies
are constituted.
asked for suggestions for whom to approach to replace
.
The meeting ended at 4.55 pm. The dates for the next meetings are Monday, 1st April 2019 at
2.45pm working with pupils - maths focus, Monday, 20th May 2019 at 3.45pm to include the
Headteacher’s Report and Monday, 1st July 2019 at 2.45pm working with pupils - monitoring.
attended a meeting with
, the SEN services
manager with DESC, and
the Department’s Educational Psychologist - the
team to support the pupil. The pupil is to remain on the register at Andreas School.
is concerned that the pupil will affect next year’s Year 6 data but the team told her to
take him out of any commentary. She will seek reassurance from
the
Database manager for DESC, to ascertain if this will be possible. An Education Welfare
Officer, not Andreas School, will be the lead professional but Andreas School will be
involved in the team. The school will not be asked to provide anything other than some
resources if needed. Someone will be employed by the Department to go to the pupil’s home
a few hours per week to facilitate his gradual introduction to RGS.
The pupil’s parents have been liaising with
and seem happy with the plan for
going forward. The Governors agreed, something is finally being done for the pupil.
Maintenance of school buildings
The school’s playground is to be painted during the Summer holiday.
Curriculum
It was felt that with children maturing earlier it was appropriate to involve Year 5 pupils in
the Sex and Relationship Education that was delivered just before Easter.
Finance
Copies of the Budget Summaries for March and April 2019 were shared with the Governors.
Unfortunately, with two transactions totalling over £180.00 not being actioned by Payroll
and FSS, though we were told they would be, the school budget for the end of the 2018/19
financial year was left with the debit balance of £133.80 DR.
Further to the email from
, the Finance and Central Support Executive
with the DESC, dated 14th May ’19, “the Department is changing its policy with regards to
the end of year pay accruals. In 2019/20 there will be no accrual credits brought forward for
supply, additional hours or expenses”. Unfortunately, we had accruals totalling £842.88 that
we had been relying on for our Nursery Nurses allocation and £2,035.64 for our Supply
Teachers allocation. Although this came as a shock, “in March 2020 there will be no
accruals for supply, additional hours or mileage salary costs which will be paid in April
2020”. Which means that, “In 2019/20 you will be charged for twelve months salary costs
for supply, additional hours and mileage from March 2019 to February 2020.” (Initially, it
doesn’t look so good on our budget sheets but should work out the same as other years, just
a month earlier - as we won’t be debited for claims worked in March 2020!
Staffing
With our staffing being reduced and
on the redeployment list we will have to
cover 0.4 from September.
proposes to use supply and then the new
Headteacher can advertise it when ready.
We are also continuing to cover
0.2 with supply.
No firm decisions have been made regarding classes for the next academic year but there
will have to be split classes. Splitting the Year 5 in September will be contentious as the
class was been split before, got back together and will have to split again. A letter will go out
to parents the second week after TT week.
School Improvement Plan
shared copies of the updated SIP (School Improvement Plan) with the
Governors, advising that we are doing pretty well as the plan is predominantly green -
highlighting that actions planned for this year are happening.
Andreas School is to be validated on Thursday, 20th June.
- external
validator from the UK, will decide which three areas from the SSRE he would like to focus
on in depth. The validation team -
a School
Improvement Adviser from DESC and
will hold interviews with pupils and
parents, and they may like to include some Governors too.
Special Educational Needs
advised that the DFM (Deferred Financial Management) for SEN should be in
place for September. Initially, it will be to fund SEN staffing only but eventually the school
will get a core based budget for staffing and other services.
feels that over time
the DFM SEN budget will have a positive impact on schools - headteachers will be able to
streamline their budget for their school’s actual needs. It was noted that growth for special
needs has been getting higher and, long term, the funding will become more transparent -
how many pupils and how much each pupils gets.
3.
Any other business
Congratulations were bestowed on
for her hard work col
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