For all Kent and Medway Governors, Trustees, Clerks and School Leaders
Welcome to our March Monthly Bulletin
Please ensure this bulletin, also published on GovernorHub and The Education People website, is a standing agenda item for both your Full Governing Board, Trustee and Committee meetings.
Dear Governors, Trustees, Governance Professionals and Clerks
Wishing all our governors and clerks a very relaxing Easter break; it doesn’t seem possible that when we return, we only have two more terms of this academic year!
Training opportunities go right through to the end of term 6, so please take a look on GovernorHub to book.
The last Countywide Governor Briefing of this academic year will take place on 11 May.
If you would like to contribute to our Governor magazine, your school may have something you would like to showcase, then please do not hesitate in contacting me.
Thank you for all you do in supporting staff and pupils in our schools and wishing you all a peaceful and happy Easter.
Head of Governor Services
Headteacher Performance Management Training for Governors
Thursday 13 July 2023 6pm - 8pm
It is recommended that all governors undertaking the appraisal of their headteacher should have received appropriate training.
Whether you are a new to the performance management panel or just feel you would benefit from a refresher session this training is for you!
This live webinar will take a step-by-step approach so that you know how to effectively conduct your headteacher’s performance management review and target setting meeting.
The tutor will be Jenny Jones, Improvement Adviser, South Kent
To mark the Coronation of Their Majesties, The Coronation Champions Awards, with the support of Her Majesty The Queen Consort, will celebrate and recognise inspiring volunteers who have made an exceptional difference in their communities.
If you know an outstanding volunteer who makes extraordinary contributions to support their local communities, why not nominate them for the Coronation Champions Awards and help them get the wider recognition they deserve?
The deadline to put nominations forward is 23:59 on Sunday, 2 April.
Find out more about the Coronation Champions Awards and how you can get involved in the Coronation Weekend
Questions and Challenge - Thursday 20 April 2023
Focusing on the second core function of governance - holding executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the organisation and its pupils. The efficient and effective performance management of staff.
Monitoring the Curriculum - ‘How Governors can be truly effective and evidence the impact they make’Monday 24 April 2023
Whether you are new to the role or an experienced governor this interactive course will dispel any myths about the governors role and provide a framework for successful support. With a real focus on raising standards and curriculum the two hour session will equip governors with the tools they need to collaboratively hold their individual schools to account.
Primary PE and Sports Premium for Governors: Sustainability and the Ofsted Framework - Wednesday 26 April 2023
The session will explore how, in a time of budget shortages, the PE Premium can be used to support curriculum development priorities in relation to the three Is (Intent, Implementation and Impact).
Introduction to Chairing Skills - Thursday 27 April 2023 at Ashford International Hotel
The session gives helpful information to support governors to understand the role of chair within the governing body. It is suitable new and aspiring chairs, vice chairs, committee chairs and any governor interested in learning more about the expectations of the role and how good chairing supports effective governance.
Governor Induction - Friday 28 April 2023 at Aldington Eco Centre, Ashford
Pupil Premium - Tuesday 2 May 2023
Pupil premium funding comes accountability and there is an increasing focus on the impact schools' spending plans have on outcomes for all children. This course will support governors to understand their role in pupil premium and other targeted funding.
Promoting Equality Race Diversity in our School - Wednesday 3 May 2023
A course for governors in which they will be reminded of the Equality Act and in particular Good Quality Race Diversity practice in schools. The session is a hands on session with activities, reflection and short clips.
Governor Briefings
Medway Specific Governor Briefing - Wednesday 10 May 2023
Countywide Governor Briefing - Thursday 11 May 2023
Be Prepared and Knowledgeable for Ofsted - Tuesday 16 May 2023
This session will enable governors from both academy trusts and maintained schools to understand how Ofsted inspections are undertaken and how the governing board’s effectiveness will be measured to enable governors to be prepared for inspections.
The Role of the Training and Development Governor - Wednesday 17 May 2023
This role will assist with how the Governing Body will evidence for Ofsted the effectiveness of Governors in discharging their core statutory functions and how committed they are to their own development as governors in order to improve their performance.
Complaints: The Clerks' Role in Leading the Process - Friday 19 May 2023
This course will go through the governance and regulatory advice role of the clerk required throughout the complaint process. Including organising the panel meeting, preparing and distributing the panel pack, managing the panel meeting, documenting and circulating the minutes.
Monitoring Visits - Tuesday 23 May 2023
This course will enable governors to understand why monitoring is important, monitoring for different structures, how visits should be undertaken and the importance of recording evidence and impact.
The Governing Body Role in Safeguarding - Wednesday 24 May 2023
This session will equip governors with the knowledge to provide strategic challenge to test and assure themselves that the safeguarding policies and procedures in place in their school are effective and will enable them to support the delivery of a robust whole school approach to safeguarding
The Clerks' Role in Managing a Panel Hearing - Thursday 25 May 2023
The aim of this session is to provide clerks with an understanding of the Clerks' role in preparing and managing governing body panel hearings such as exclusion, disciplinary, complaints panels etc. and to support the development of competence and confidence in managing the process.
Governor Services
Maintained Schools – Local Authority Governor nominations
The nomination pack for LA Governors has new look; it can be found on GovernorHub under the resources tab, clerk and governor resources.
Please not the closing dates for nomination submissions
First day of each calendar month - with the exception of January, August and September (1 Feb, 1 Mar, 1 Apr, 1 May, 1 Jun, 1 Jul, 1 Oct, 1 Nov, 1 Dec)
Please note that Governor Services do not contact existing LA governors regarding reappointment it is the responsibility of the governor, governance professional (clerk) and the chair, together with the Governing Body, to pay close attention to governor vacancies and terms of office.
Headteacher Absence
LA maintained school Governing Bodies are reminded that should their headteacher be absent for more than a week, the chair of governors should liaise with the school’s senior improvement advisor to ensure for example: Deputies stepping up are supported to ensure they are taking all the right steps in their headteacher’s absence.
Headteachers are supported if they know they’re going to be absent, eg, they’re having an operation and will need to take time off to recover.
Co-ordination of leadership support from another school in the absence of the substantive headteacher.
Senior Improvement Advisors:
North Kent (Dartford, Gravesham, Sevenoaks) Matt Dickson Matt.dickson@theeducationpeople.org
South Kent (Dover, Folkestone and Hythe, Ashford) Mary Priestley Mary.Priestley@theeducationpeople.org
East Kent (Swale, Canterbury, Thanet) Kate Wilson Catherine.Wilson@theeducationpeople.org
West Kent (Maidstone, Tonbridge and Malling, Tunbridge Wells) Polly Sharman
Polly.Sharman@theeducationpeople.org
Department for Education
All Schools and Academies Finance - View my Financial Insights (VMFI)
This VMFI guidance supports the DfE online tool helps schools view and improve their financial performance. It compares the financial performance of each school in an academy trust or local authority against the 30 most statistically similar schools across a range of cost categories.
It enables academy trusts and local authorities to see all their schools in one place and provides users with an automated assessment of their data based on similar schools. The assessment identifies areas with the greatest variance, providing users with a helpful starting to point to investigate, potentially leading to improved resource management.
GovernorHub also provide a DfE guest blog: View My Financial Insights (VMFI)
KS1 and KS2 - How to Keep Test Materials Secure
Further to our item last month - 2023 key stage 2: assessment and reporting arrangements (ARA)
You may also like to refer to How to keep test materials secure
Please be aware that the date test results will be returned to schools has moved by one week to Tuesday 11 July, (see p5/2/1 and section 3.3 for the updated KS2 test timetable for 2023).
School Uniform Guidance
In November 2021, the DfE published statutory guidance for schools to ensure the cost of school uniforms is reasonable and secures the best value for money.
Governing boards should now be compliant with much of the guidance – and fully compliant by Summer 2023
Here are some key actions schools should already have taken:
Reviewed their uniform policy against the expectations in the statutory guidance
Engaged with parents and pupils when developing/reviewing their policy
Published their uniform policy on the school website
Ensured second hand uniforms are available
Considered any procurement needed to comply with the contract and uniform supplier requirements within the guidance so that school uniforms are ready by summer 2023.
All schools should be fully complaint with the guidance by summer 2023.