NORFOLK GOVERNORS' NETWORK

at the Priory Hotel Mildenhall Road Bury St Edmunds IP32 6EH

Minutes

Members Present:

NGA Briefing documents circulated to attendees:

School Report card, Education White Paper, Workforce reform for a 21st century school, NGA Update. Honours briefing paper circulated with minutes.

Copies of the new NGA guides were on display.

1. Apologies for absence were received from

 Lionel Pryor and Pam Dewey (Southend ), Martin Pounce (Chair Regional COGS),

 Sam Gallagher TDA, Mike Scandrett (Herts), Peter Brooks (Herts) Sally

 Weald (Peterborough)

2. The Minutes of the previous meeting were read. Greta Taylor proposed that they should be accepted. Barbara Howard seconded the proposal,

 which was passed nem con.

3. Matters arising :- the article from Southend had not yet arrived.

4. The Chairman took members through the NGA Update,

a) Governors are encouraged to vote for the three Director vacancies details on www.nga.org.uk

b) Niki Lamont and Amanda Sumner offered to join the NGA reading panel.

c) In the benefits of membership, it was suggested that association members might circulate their Newsletters to other Associations.

d) In a recent report the TDA said that 87% of schools are now in the

Extended category. All schools have to achieve this by September 2010. The discussion then moved to discuss the challenges of funding going to clusters of schools. Work on this is being undertaken in Norfolk.

f) There was a discussion on the benefits of membership and what the attendees would like from NGA:

•  NGA needs a stronger national voice
•  NGA needs to be stronger and make themselves known to Headteachers.
•  Headteachers need more information about how to work with governors.
•  NGA should work more closely with suppliers of governor training and target Governor development coordinators
•  NGA should promote what governors do raising the profile and importance of the role

5 GO-East

GO– East are willing to fund a conference next year. Their suggestion is that it should be held in Trumpington in Cambridge. Currently the topics suggested are :- sustainability, violent extremism, 10 -10 (cutting emissions by 10% in 2010), Children’s Trusts, working with the community

Suggested timing 10am to 3pm on a Saturday. There would be no charge for governors and this Conference will include the NGA Spring Regional meeting.

6 Update from NCPTA: Alison Allen the NCPTA Regional Advisor Eastern

 Alison gave a review of NCPTA’s current work. A handout was distributed. The points raised:

•  more contact is being made through emails.
• The advice Line (01732 375460) is also available.
• Alison emphasised that governors need to check that their PTA is conforming to the latest guide-lines.
• For details of NCPTA events in the East see www.ncpta.org.uk Eastern Area,  Governors are welcome to attend.
• Stephen Adamson suggested that there might be a possibility of NGA and NCPTA working together, perhaps on joint membership.

7 Local and regional issues:-

• Suffolk is changing from 3-tier to 2-tier schools, but slowly. There seems to be a falling roll in years 9,10 and 11 and many schools will have to set a deficit budget. Suffolk is going to run training for experienced chairs.
• Southend:- The Governors’ Association is reviving and they are cautiously optimistic.
• Essex, due to falling rolls and a shortage of Headteachers in the Primary sector, some schools are combining or having one Headteacher for two schools.
• Norfolk had successful Spring Conferences arranged jointly with Norfolk Governor Services, more are planned in 2010. Also doing joint meetings for Chairs Schools are collaborating through partnerships and federation. Norfolk Governors’ Network are working with the LA to produce guidance on ‘Headteacher Support and Wellbeing’. There is a lack of any documentation defining the competencies a person needs to be an effective Chair.
• Hertfordshire, local forums run once a term one evening one Saturday morning. There will be budget cuts. Following national publicity about safeguarding there has been a 100% increase in referrals.There has been an unexpected increase in primary pupil numbers.

 8. How different LAs are organised to provide Children’s Centres, Extended Schools and Children and Young People Strategic Partnerships.

 It was agreed that there was no consistent approach and there is a huge drive to Commissioning.

9. Examples of Governor Association documents.

 All the Associations present have a Memorandum of Understanding and were willing to share documents.

10. Clerking the meeting

The attendees would like the meeting to have a clerk. Costs were discussed and Suffolk representatives offered to find a school which could be used and to approach one of their clerks in order that the cost of the meeting should not increase. Action J Chilvers and B Howard.

11. Date and time of next meetings:-

Spring meeting part of joint conferences with Go East. Wyboston Lakes Saturday 30th January and Duxford Air Museum on 20th February. The conferences will have the same Agenda. GO-East wanted two venues to reach more governors.

 Autumn meeting Wednesday, 13th October 2010 Venue (tba)