Updates, News & Resources

Consultation on the removal of the outstanding exemption

The Department for Education (DfE) are proposing to lift the exemption from routine inspection for outstanding schools with the aim of giving parents a clearer picture of the standard of schools in their area and supporting these schools to continue improving. The consultation on lifting the exemption on outstanding school inspections is now live until 24 February 2020 and the DfE are keen to hear from those on governing and trust boards. You can take part in the consultation by visiting the following LINK

Bolton Safeguarding Children Partnership

From 30 September 2019 strategic arrangements for safeguarding children in England changed and Bolton Safeguarding Children Board (BSCB) were replaced by Bolton Safeguarding Children Partnership. The ‘Children and Social Work Act 2017’ and ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children 2019’ places the responsibility for ensuring strong multi-agency safeguarding arrangements on the three statutory partners – Bolton Clinical Commissioning Group, Bolton Council and Greater Manchester Police.

Bolton Safeguarding Children Partnership is privileged to be building their new arrangements on the strengths of the safeguarding children board and the successes it has achieved in safeguarding local children.  This is an exciting opportunity for us and all our partners to further improve children’s safeguarding outcomes; creating an environment where multi-agency practice is strong and builds on the strengths of families.  The partnership want the arrangements to be inclusive and driven by the experiences and views of children, families, communities and practitioners in Bolton.

Over the past few months the partnership have been finalising the transition between the board and the new partnership, as well as progressing key priority areas, namely Domestic Abuse and Violence, Child Exploitation, Neglect and Safeguarding Processes.

To find out more about these areas and about the work of the partnership please follow this LINK

In Spring 2020 the partnership will be holding a series of awareness sessions about how the new arrangements are working in practice. Shona Green, Bolton LA Safeguarding Officer, will be providing further information for governors via the Governance Services Partnership Forum to be held at 6.30 pm on 10 February 2020 at the Bolton Science and Technology Centre.

What governing boards and school leaders should expect from each other

The popular ‘What governing boards and school leaders should expect from each other’ guidance has recently been updated.

The guidance, produced by a collaboration of leading education sector organisations including the NGA, aims to improve the effectiveness of governance by developing mutually supportive and respectful working practices between those leading and those governing schools.

A copy of the guidance may be downloaded here.

Pupil premium: effective use and accountability

The Department for Education has revised its guidance about how school leaders can manage their pupil premium funding, including reporting procedures and online statements. The guidance is also useful for governing boards who want to know the most effective ways schools can use their pupil premium.

A copy of the guidance may be gained via the www.gov.uk website using the following LINK

DfE Governance Update

On Tuesday 17 September 2019, the department launched three new web pages via the www.gov.uk website, in response to feedback from governors, trustees and clerks. The pages are designed to help those working in school governance to more easily navigate the departments governance content online. The department have created:

• a collection of all gov.uk guidance relevant to maintained school governance
• a collection of all gov.uk guidance relevant to academy trust governance

These two collections are designed to make it easier to find governance information online.

The department have also updated the existing Statutory policies for schools resource to create a new, more accessible, web page. This page contains a list of statutory policies for schools, which sets out legal or otherwise mandatory guidance for schools.

School Financial Value Standard (SFVS) 2019

Local authority maintained schools must submit the School Financial Value Standard (SFVS) annually to their local authority who will use this information to inform their programme of financial assessment and audit. Academies are not required to complete this and instead should use the school resource management self-assessment tool.

The standard has changed and now consists of a checklist and dashboard. The revised standard for 2019-20 aims to help schools and local authorities meet basic standards for good financial health and resource management.

The checklist asks questions of governing boards in 6 areas of resource management. It provides clarification for each question, examples of good practice, and details of further support available to assist schools in addressing specific issues.

The dashboard shows how a school’s data compares to thresholds on a range of statistics identified by the Department for Education (DfE) as indicators of good resource management and outcomes. It provides explanations of each of the indicators and helps schools to fill in their data and understand the results.

The revised standard can be found by visiting the www.gov.uk website by using the following LINK

School Teachers Pay and Conditions Document 2019

Following the publication of the School Teachers Pay and Conditions Document 2019 (‘STPCD’), the LA Model Pay Policy has been revised and is available to download via the Schools Extranet Service.

The STPCD no longer publishes full pay ranges, rather it sets the minimum and maximum value for each scale of teacher e.g. main scale, upper pay scale and the various leadership groups. It is then for each Local Authority, school and Trade Union to consult and agree how they will manage the local pay framework within these broad parameters. Therefore, the headline changes to the LA Pay Policy are;

• 2.75% to all points on the unqualified pay range and main pay range.
• 2.75% to all points on the upper pay range, leading practitioner pay range and all allowances.
• 2.75% to all points of the leadership pay ranges.

Additionally, the agreed model Appraisal, Performance Management Policy and Managing Teachers’ Capability Policy have been updated to ensure that they reflect the most up to date documents and model policies.

Governing Boards should be considering the pay award and model policies at the relevant autumn term meetings.

Admission to Primary and Secondary Schools 2021/22

The Local Authority Pupil and Student Services Team wrote to all Voluntary Aided Schools, Free Schools and Academies at the start of term to remind them of their duty to review their admissions policy and, as admission authorities, to consult each other before determining admission policies and arrangements for the 2021-2022 school year.

Under the School Admissions Code when changes are proposed to admission arrangements, the admission authority must consult by 31st January on their admission arrangements (including any supplementary information forms) that will apply for admission applications in the following academic year. As such schools and academies need to ensure that they, at the very least, determine their admissions policies for entry into Reception and Year 7 by 28^th February 2020 and notify the LA by 15^th March 2020.

If schools and academies wish to amend their admissions policy, they must follow the timetable for consultation. Community and Voluntary Controlled schools aren’t included in this guidance and Governing Boards should instead continue to note that LA’s admissions policy.

For further guidance, please contact Val Fogg, Pupil and Student Services Manager via email at val.fogg@bolton.gov.uk

ESFA Understanding Your Data Guidance (revised guidance)

The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) had previously published a guide for governing and trust boards on understanding data which has recently been reviewed. The guide sets out the information boards may consider whilst undertaking their core functions of setting the right strategic direction for the school or trust, holding school leaders to account for educational performance and ensuring financial probity.

The department  have:

• republished the resource in a more accessible version
• improved all sections, adding further clarity on messaging, and highlighting the importance of data relating to pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) included links to additional sources of information, including guidance on setting executive salaries and academy trust good practice guides on internal scrutiny and management letters

The guidance will help the board to understand the issues and challenge leaders to understand and contribute towards school improvement.

A copy of the guidance can be downloaded directly from the Education and Skills Funding Agency via www.gov.uk by using the following LINK

Keeping Children Safe in Education 2019

The Keeping Children Safe in Education statutory guidance sets out the legal duties that must be followed to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people under the age of 18 in schools and colleges.

This updated guidance is for head teachers, teachers, staff, governors, proprietors and management committee members and supersedes the 2018 version. A summary of the amendments and additions are contained within Annex H of the guidance.

The guidance and related materials can be downloaded directly from the www.gov.uk website using the following LINK

In light of the revised guidance, the Local Authority Model Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy has been updated. This is now available via the Bolton Schools Extranet Service.

Governance Services Update

Upon the early retirement of Annette Harris at the end of the summer term and following a rigorous recruitment process, I’m pleased to report that we have appointed Marie Ahmad to the important role of Governance Development Officer. Marie will bring a vast array of experience both from her current role within the Governance Services Team and also from her previous professional roles and role as a Chair of Governors. Marie will be developing the post further, whilst maintaining the current service offer of bespoke development, external reviews of governance and the usual briefings and events.

We have recruited to Marie’s substantive Governance Support Officer role and I am pleased to welcome Pratap Vara to the Team. Pratap, who has a background in law, will be bringing numerous skills and experience to the service, especially in terms of providing advice and support in the complex area of governance law and procedure and we know he will prove to be an asset to the team.

Towards the end of the summer term we also unfortunately said goodbye to Denise Hark as Governance Support Officer. Denise, like Annette, had worked for the Governance Services Team in Bolton for a number of years and whilst we are sad to see her go; I’m pleased to advise that Denise accepted a promotion as Head of Governance for Salford City College. Denise had always wanted to work in Further Education, and we wish her well for the future.

We have recruited to Denise’s post and it gives me pleasure to welcome Theo Williams to the team in a full-time capacity. Many will already have met Theo in his role as Casual Minute Clerk and with his existing knowledge of our systems and practices, his previous professional experience and experiences as a Chair of Governors, again we know he will too prove to be an asset to the service.

The Governance Services Team in Bolton is recognised as a quality service with high standards and we trust that our recent appointments will continue to secure the very best service for our schools and academy trusts. If you would like to discuss any staffing arrangement further or are unsure of who your designated officer is for your board, please don’t hesitate to contact Judith Pollard, Senior Governance Support Officer on 01204 338601 or via email at judith.pollard@bolton.gov.uk

John Ashworth   Governance Services Manager

Ofsted Inspections of Maintained Schools and Academies

The Education Inspection Framework came into effect from 2 September 2019. Copies of the School Inspection Handbooks for Section 5 and Section 8 Inspections can be downloaded from the directly from the www.gov.uk website using the following LINK

Further guidance for Inspecting the Curriculum and the methodology to support the framework can also be downloaded.

Academies Financial Handbook – 2019

The Academies Financial Handbook 2019 details the financial management requirements that apply to all academy trusts.

Academy trusts must comply with this handbook as a condition of their funding agreement. It provides an overarching framework for implementation of effective financial management and control. Other resources are available to help boards get the right systems in place.

The guidance can be downloaded directly from the www.gov.uk website using the following LINK

DfE Guidance on Supporting Governors and Trustees to Reduce Workloads

The Department for Education has published materials and guidance to help boards and trustees support workload reduction in their school(s) and for themselves. The materials are intended to help governing boards and trustees:

• support workload reduction in their school(s)
• review and streamline their own practice to reduce their workload
• A three-stage guide to ‘Reducing workload in your school’ explains how to use the workload reduction toolkit and related materials.

The materials can be downloaded via the DfE website using the following LINK

Leadership Development Programme – 2019

Bolton Governance Services in partnership with the National Governance Association has once again been contracted to deliver the Leadership Development Programme for Governors and Trustees. This is a great opportunity for existing, new or aspiring chairs of governors.

This Leadership Development programme is funded by the Department for Education and provides Chairs, Vice Chairs, Committee Chairs and aspiring Chairs, the opportunity for developing their leadership skills. The programme does require commitment but offers a blend of flexible learning, with three terms to complete.

Funding from the DfE is available until March 2020, making this training completely free of charge for a limited period. Boards are also now able to secure funding for two places. The usual cost would be £500 per delegate.

Further details and dates for the September 2019 cohort may be downloaded below. Prior to booking, please contact Marie Foley on 01204 332116 or via email at marie.foley@bolton.gov.uk , to register your interest or for further details about the programme.

The 2019-20 cohort is now full. Information about future cohorts will be announced in 2020.

DfE Best Practice Guidance for School Complaints – 2019

The Department for Education has published its awaited revised best practice guidance for school complaints.

All maintained schools and maintained nursery schools must have and publish procedures to deal with all complaints relating to their school and to any community facilities or services that the school provides, for which there are no separate statutory procedures. The duty to establish procedures for dealing with complaints lies with the governing body and the Department has produced the guidance to share and encourage best practice and to help schools avoid common pitfalls.

The Department has also published a model policy, in addition to the serial complaints policy, which can be tailored to the school should the board choose to adopt. The Governance Services Team will provide further guidance through the Clerking and Support Service. Copies of the best practice guidance and model policies can be downloaded via the DfE website using the following LINK

** Update **

The Primary Head Teacher Policy, Planning and Resources Group met on 1 March 2019 and noted the following recommendations:

• Members agreed that the DfE model complaints and managing serial and unreasonable complaints policies were useful in their current format and that the timeframes as included within the current LA model policy be recommended.
• It was also agreed that further right of response be offered following the outcome of stage 1, rather than just progression to stage 2. For example, the complainant may have additional queries of the Head Teacher that can be resolved at that stage. However, this should not prevent the complainant from progressing to stage 2 if they wish.
• Complainants should be given the opportunity to complete the complaints procedure in full, unless the school possess clear evidence that the complaint meets the serial and unreasonable complaint criteria.

Governance Handbook – 2019

The DfE have updated the Governance Handbook which provides guidance on the roles and duties of governing and trust boards for maintained schools, academies and multi-academy trusts. The Governance Handbook explains:

• the boards’ core roles and functions;
• summarises and provides a first point of reference on all the legal duties on boards, signposting to more detailed information, guidance and resources;
• providing information on the support available for boards to be effective;
• the main features of effective governance.
• Copies of the Governance Handbook may be downloaded directly from the DfE website via the following LINK

Governance Services Privacy Notice

Bolton Council has core data protection obligations and commitments which are set out in the council’s primary privacy notice at www.bolton.gov.uk . The Governance Services Team has a separate notice which provides additional privacy information for people accessing Governance Services and partners working with Bolton Council.

It describes how we collect, use and share personal information about our governors, trustees and leaders in relation to Governance Services and the types of personal information we need to process. The information we hold will vary dependent on the services used and relate to matters of school or academy governance only, for example, providing clerking and training services, booking on training and development sessions and applying to become a school governor.

It is important that you read this notice, together with any other privacy information we may provide on specific occasions when we are collecting or processing personal information about you, so that you are aware of how and why we are using such information.

Throughout the spring term, we will request all service users to complete an eligibility and privacy consent form. This will ensure that the information we hold is correct and up to date.

If you have any specific questions relating to the privacy notice, please contact John Ashworth, Governance Services Manager via email at john.ashworth@botlon.gov.uk or via telephone on 01204 338603.

A copy of the privacy notice may be downloaded below.

Recruiting a Head Teacher – DfE Guidance

This publication provides non-statutory guidance from the Department for Education and replaced ‘A guide to recruiting and selecting a new head teacher’ published in 2012.

The guidance aims to support the recruitment and selection of head teachers in England and should be read in combination with the head teacher recruitment toolkit.

The guidance has been produced jointly with the National Governance Association (NGA), with support from the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), Freedom and Autonomy for Schools – National Association (FASNA), the Local Government Association (LGA) and a range of other stakeholders.

The guidance and recruitment toolkit can be downloaded directly from the www.gov.uk website using the following LINK