BOROUGH OF POOLE

LOCAL AUTHORITY (LA) GOVERNOR APPOINTMENT PANEL

MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 8th JUNE 2011

The Meeting commenced at 10.00am and concluded at 11.05am

Present:

Councillor Brooke, Miss Carpenter, Mrs Evans, Mrs Moore and Mrs Walton

John Pay- (Independent Governor, Co-Opted Member)

Also Present:

David Alderson – (Governance Adviser, Children & Young People’s Strategy, Quality & Improvement Service)

Jackie Storey- (Business Support Officer, SQI Governor Services)

Lisa Gardner – (Clerk, Legal & Democratic Services)

Members of the Public Present: 0

  1. ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN

RESOLVED that Councillor Miss Carpenter be elected Chairman of the LA Governor Appointment Panel for the ensuing Municipal Year.

  1. ELECTION OF VICE CHAIRMAN

RESOLVED that Councillor Mrs Moore be elected Vice-Chairman of the LA Governor Appointment Panel for the ensuing Municipal Year.

  1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

There were no Apologies for Absence.

  1. MINUTES

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the Meeting held on 9th March 2011, be confirmed and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

MATTERS ARISING

(Minute 6(c) 9.3.11- Corfe Hills School Academy Status)

David Alderson advised that Corfe Hills School had recently transferred to Academy Status and it would consider the potential appointment of a LA Governor to its Governing Body in November when the Governing Body was reconstituted.

  1. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Minute 9 (e) - Councillor Brooke, Miss Carpenter, Mrs Evans, Mrs Moore, Mrs Walton and John Pay declared personal interests that they knewthe Applicant;

Minute 9(g) - Councillor Brooke, Miss Carpenter, Mrs Evans, Mrs Moore, Mrs Walton and John Pay declared personal interests that they knew Penny Rogers;

Minute 9(g)- Councillor Mrs Evans declared a personal interest that she knew Teresa Brown;

Minute 9(h)- Councillors Brooke, Mrs Moore and Mrs Walton declared personal interests that they knew Pam Henderson;

Minute 9(m)- Councillor Brooke, Miss Carpenter, Mrs Evans, Mrs Moore, Mrs Walton and John Pay declared personal interests that they knew Applicant (i).

  1. REVIEW OF TERMS OF REFERENCE

David Alderson invited the LA Governor Appointment Panel to considerrevised Terms of Reference, copies of which had been previously circulated. The following key points were highlighted:

  • There may be changes in the size of Governing Bodies resulting from a change in the Age of Transfer in 2013 and the LA Governor Appointment Panel might be involved in appointing more Governors, if Governing Bodies increased in size, or possibly “redistributing” LA Governors, if Governing Bodies opted to decrease in size;
  • Regulations and guidance on the establishment of new and combined Schools gave the Local Authority a lead role in the founding of their Temporary (Shadow) and substantive Governing Bodies;
  • So far in Poole, Schools changing to Academies had requested that the Council’s Director of Children’s Services (Mrs Ann Newton) appointed a Local Authority Governor to its Governing Body and to date the Director had felt it more appropriate that the Local Authority Governor Appointments’ Panel makes these appointments.

The Chairman proposed that the revised Terms of Reference, as previously circulated, be approved and it was -

RESOLVED-

That the Terms of Reference for the LA Governor Appointment Panel, as circulated, be approved.

UNANIMOUS.

  1. INTRODUCTION SESSION

David Alderson provided an introductory sessionon the role of the LA Governor Appointment Panel for the Councillors who had recently joined the Panel, in particular highlighting the criteria used by the Panel Members to assess whether or not LA Governor candidates were suitable for the role.

  1. EXCLUSION OF THE PUBLIC AND PRESS

RESOLVED that under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public and press be excluded from the Meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 1 and 2 of Part I of Schedule 12A of the said Act, as the public interest in withholding the information outweighs the public interest in disclosing it.

  1. APPOINTMENTS TO VACANCIES ON SCHOOL GOVERNING BODIES

(a)Ashdown School

There was one vacancy for LA Governor and Governor Services was actively seeking to fill this position.

(b)Bearwood Primary School

There was one vacancy for LA Governor and Governor Services was actively seeking to fill this position.

(c)Hamworthy First School

There was one vacancy for LA Governor and Governor Services was actively seeking to fill this position.

(d)Haymoor Middle School

There was one vacancy for LA Governor and Governor Services was actively seeking to fill this position.

(e)Hillbourne School and Nursery

David Alderson advised that the Applicant had expressed an interest in serving as LA Governor for Hillbourne School & Nursery and Governor Services would follow up his application with a view to proposing his appointment at the next meeting.

(f)Longfleet Combined School

There was one vacancy for LA Governor and Governor Services was actively seeking to fill this position.

(g)Merley First School

RESOLVED that Teresa Brown be appointed LA Governor to Merley FirstSchool.

UNANIMOUS.

RESOLVED that Penny Rogers be appointed LA Governor to Merley FirstSchool.

UNANIMOUS.

There was one remaining vacancy for LA Governor and Governor Services was actively seeking to fill this position.

(h)Montacute School

RESOLVED that Pam Henderson be re-appointed LA Governor to Montacute School.

UNANIMOUS.

(i)St Mary’s Combined School

There was one vacancy for LA Governor and Governor Services was actively seeking to fill this position.

(j)Stanley Green First School

David Alderson advised that Governor Services would contact the LA Governor to follow up their prospective re-appointment to the Governing Body of Stanley Green First School.

There was one remaining vacancy for LA Governor and Governor Services was actively seeking to fill this position.

(k) Talbot Combined School

There was one vacancy for LA Governor and Governor Services was actively seeking to fill this position.

(l ) Turlin Moor Community School

There was one vacancy for LA Governor and Governor Services was actively seeking to fill this position.

(m) Appointments in Principle

David Alderson advised that Applicants (i), (ii) and (iii)had expressed an interest in serving as LA Governors and potential positions had been identified for them, but were yet to be finalised. It was proposed that their appointments be approved in principle subject to satisfactory application forms.

RESOLVED that Applicants (i), (ii) & (iii)be appointed LA Governors in principle, subject to satisfactoryapplication forms.

UNANIMOUS.

  1. ANY OTHER BUSINESS

Draft Guidelines for Councillors as Local Authority Governors

David Alderson circulated draft guidelines for new Councillors who werealso considering becoming LA Governors and it was felt that the guidelines could be particularly helpful(Minute 7. 09.03.11 refers).

The LA Governor Appointment Panel agreed that the draft guidelines should also be referred to the Democratic Services Manager for consideration.

AGREEDthat-

(i)The draft Guidelines for new Councillors on their roles as LA Governors be referred tothe Democratic Services Manager for consideration; and

(ii) The Guidelines be considered for approval at the next meeting of the LA Governor Appointment Panel in November.

Poole Governors’ Forum Meeting (23rd June 2011)

John Pay reported that the next meeting of the Poole Governors’ Forum would take place on Thursday, 23rd June 2011, 7.00pm–9.00pm at Poole High School and all Members would be welcome to attend.

The meeting would include a presentation by David Marriott (former Deputy Head and recent Head of Governor Services at Wiltshire Council) on the `pros’ and `cons’ of Academy Status and it was expected to be an interesting and informative evening.

Langside Special School Partnership Day (8th July 2011)

John Pay advised that Langside Special School would be holding a Partnership Day in Poole Park on 8th July 2011, from 10.00am- 2.00pm, to show the relationships between children with and without disabilities and to help break down any barriers. All members would be welcome to attend and it was anticipated to be a very positive event.

  1. DATE & TIME OF NEXT MEETING

Wednesday, 9th November 2011 at 10.00am in Room 134, Civic Centre.

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