Minutes of the KGA Assembly Meeting
2 November 2015 @ 1900 hrs
Great Danes Mercure Hotel, Ashford Road,
Hollingbourne, Maidstone ME17 1RE
Welcome and Chairman’s Report
The Chair opened the meeting and welcomed governors. The Chair highlighted the following points:
-The NGA (National Governors Association) Termly Bulletin was available to all governors whether or not they were members of the NGA and downloadable from the NGA Website.
-The Chair had attended the NGA South East Regional meeting and noted that the Government was looking to changing the Constitution arrangements again. The NGA were in conversation with the DfE as they felt that further changes would not be a great concern to governors.
-There would also be some changes to the school funding arrangements. A governor asked when that was likely to happen? No, but many schools were forecasting a deficit budget for the second and third years of the 3 Year Budget Plan 2015 – 2018. Academies were unable to set deficit budgets as the funding agreements would not allow for that.
Mr John Dennis made reference to the issue of fairer funding for schools. A letter had been written to Headteachers informing them about the petition that had been raised.
-The NGA were recommending that the Chair of Governors and the Clerk had school email addresses.
Gillian Cawley, Director for Education Quality and Standards, presented a long service certificate to Mr Gerald Philips who had been a governor for 45 years; 44 years at Ditton Primary School and but also at Clare Park in West Kent. Mr Philips briefly commented on the changes to governance he had experienced during that time. Mrs Cawley thanked Mr Philips for his dedication to governance during the period.
Data Protection Management in School
(Michelle Hunt, Information Governance Specialist, KCC)
Michelle Hunt introduced herself to governors and highlighted the following points from a presentation shown on screen:
- The Data Protection Act 1988 (The Data Protection Act 1998 - kelsi.org.uk)
-A law that protects personal privacy and upholds individual’s rights
-Anyone who handles personal information as part of their job must follow the rules set out in the Act.
-The Act ensures that data held electronically and in paper-based systems are managed properly.
- What does the Act do?
Gives rights to the people the information is about i.e. data subjects
Places obligations on organisations that process personal data i.e. Data Controllers
KCC was not responsible for Schools data protection practice
- Notification
To comply with the Act every school must register the reasons for processing personal information with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO)
•Fee of £35/£500 is payable annually
•Failure to notify is a criminal offence
- Personal Data
-Recorded information about an identifiable living individual
-Does not cover deceased person’s records.
-Can be factual information
-Could be someone’s opinion i.e. a teacher reporting about a pupil’s progress in a class
-Paper
-Electronic
- Sensitive Personal Data
-Racial or ethnic origin
-Political opinions
-Trade union membership
-Religious or similar beliefs
-Health or sexual life
-Criminal offences, proceedings and convictions
- Where do we hold personal information
-Computers
-Filing cabinets
-Safes
-Mobile phones
-Post it Notes(unlawful to leave them around on a desk)
-Notebooks (Need to be securely locked away)
-Photos of information taken on mobile phones
-Memory sticks should not be used to store personal data unless they are encrypted
-£500,000 fine if personal data goes missing
-Personal letters
-Fax Machines dangerous to use
-Laptops should be encrypted
-Photographs, Audio tapes, CCTV cameras, CDs
-Facebook postings
- Personal Data should be (8 data protection principles)
-Process fairly and lawfully. All schools should issue a privacy notice, being transparent with people
-Processed for specified purpose only when registering with the Commissioner’s Office
-Adequate, relevant and not excessive. Only collect information required to complete your job
-Accurate and up to date.
-Hold information no longer than necessary. Schools have record retention policies which governors should be mindful of. Adoption records are kept for 100 years, CIC (Children in Care) records are kept for 25 years. There are variances in the length of time that records are kept.
-Processed in line with the individual’s rights.
-Keep information secure
-Only transferred to countries with adequate security measures.
Governors were informed that the Data Protection Act was currently being reviewed by the EU and there would be major changes which would mean that the UK would need to update its Data Protection Act.
- Individuals Rights
-Subject Access Request
-Prevent processing likely to cause harm
-Complain to the ICO They have a duty to investigate)
-Correct incorrect data
-Take action for compensation
-Prevent processing for direct marketing
- Offences
The Information Commissioner’s Office has a duty to investigate a complaint
Reasons for complaint could be:
-Failure to comply with a written request
-Unauthorised disclosure of personal data
- Information Commissioners Office
The Information Commissioner’s Office can impose fines for up to £500,000 for serious breaches of the Data Protection Act. The school must consider informing the ICO of any breach involving personal information.
- Breaches
4 examples of breaches shown on the screen for the benefit of governors.
- Information Security
-Keep all personal information secure when not being used
-Paper based records to be kept locked away
-Electronic mobile devices to be encrypted
-Computers should be passworded
- Passwords
Look after user ID and password used to access your computer
- Conversations
Do not discuss someone’s personal business in a public place, it is not illegal but not appropriate.
- Phone Calls
Take care when disclosing personal information, particularly on the phone.
- Computer Screens
Ensure that a computer screen is shielded in open plan or public areas
- Memory Sticks
Do not keep personal information on them
Take care when using email to send sensitive or confidential information
Schools now buying into Egress Switch, a secure email information programme.
- Fax Machines
Don’t use a fax machine to transmit personal information.
- Photocopying/printing
-Only send personal or confidential information to multi-function printers in ‘safe haven’ locations. All information send and received would be recorded.
-Ensure all information was deleted on a computer hard drive prior to a computer being
-Disposed of.
- Building Security
Tighter access controls to prevent unauthorised access
- Information in Transit
-Keep personal information confidential when moving it from one location to another
-Don’t leave paperwork in the boot of your car
Confidential Waste
All papers that identify individuals must be destroyed in a secure manner i.e. confidential waste bags or bins. If using a shredder ensure that the machine was a cross or diamond shred type.
Governors needed to be careful when storing information relating to an exclusion or a disciplinary hearing.
A governor made reference to governors’ photographs being used on school websites and asked what his rights were in relation to that issue? Photographs should only be used on school websites with the consent of the individual. An individual’s photograph was personal information.
If a school were to entrust data to a security company that looked after the CCTV system, was the school still the data controller? Yes. Agreements should be in place to ensure that the data was being processed correctly by the third party.
Was there any advice on the use of cloud based storage? The LA did not use cloud based storage and was looking at buying its own cloud storage. What about KLZ? That was different but Michelle Hunt assured governors that the LA had confirmed that there were no data protection issues with the programme.
Schools should review their Data Protection Policies every two years.
The Information Commissioner’s Office could be contacted at:
Website:
Tel: 01625 545745
Email:
Governors could check if their school had registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office on:
Michelle Hunt confirmed that the presentation would be made available on Kelsi along with the Minutes of the meeting.
The Chair thanked Michelle Hunt for her presentation to governors.
Kent Leaders in Leadership
Gillian Cawley, Director for Education Quality and Standards
Gillian Cawley gave an overview of Kent Leaders in Leadership throughout Kent. It was important to ensure that there were Headteachers and leaders coming up through the system.
There had been at least 10 Ofsted Inspections in Kent since the start of the new academic year and in the new Ofsted Framework, it was very clear that the role of governors was crucial and they would need to know the priorities of the school and how the governing body worked effectively.
It was important that Kent was looking to the future and developing the best leadership models for the future as it was the largest local authority in the country.
- Principles
With the purpose of providing the very best education and outcomes for children and young people, Kent is one of the best places in the country to be a school leader
- Why?
Leaders were valued and supported
Future leaders were identified and nurtured
System Leaders were developed where schools would support each other. The future for schools was to work collaboratively.
Kent was fully committed to system leadership as it was at the heart of school improvement. Through close working with its organisations and partners, the county was at the forefront of effective collaborative working. School leaders played a crucial role in sustaining success and that was why Kent was proud to be a leader in leadership.
- Process
Regardless of their career stage, from aspirant to system leader, Kent leaders worked in a positive, supportive environment where:
-Collaboration was at the heart of meaningful improvement
-High levels of trust and openness existed between schools and the schools and the LA with effective communication channels
-At all levels there was a genuine commitment to support leadership development
-Leaders were treated with respect and concern for their wellbeing
-There were opportunities to lead and be involved in research in national and international education contexts and systems
- Practice
Kent leaders had access to:
-A trained peer mentor/coach
-High quality induction and leadership development including inspirational conferences
-Representation on the Kent Association of Headteachers which provided support for leaders and facilitated school to school improvement
-Active online communities
Opportunities given to leaders included:
-Training to be a coach/mentor
-Belonging to a network of leaders
-Work shadowing
-Participating in robust peer reviews
-Becoming a system leader at an appropriate level
Gillian Cawley explained that the presentation had been shared at the Kent Association of Headteachers’ conference during half term. The next stage was to create an implementation panel and governors were an important part of the strategy.
The process was not about increasing costs but saving costs as there was no cost involved in some of the ideas. It was important to create opportunities, work shadowing, generating ideas to ensure that going forward Kent had the correct leaders. It was important to start with the younger potential leaders and the Teaching School Alliances already ran leadership programmes.
A governor asked how the wellbeing of a Headteacher would be dealt with when schools had a lack of funds? Collaborative working, networking and allowing a Headteacher to work with another Headteacher which did not necessarily cost a lot of money. It was about release time and Headteachers at whatever level needed professional development. It was important for Headteachers to feel reinvigorated, refreshed and supported.
How would you get around the fact that some Deputy Headteachers did not want to progress to become Headteachers? One way round the issue would be to give Deputy Headteachers a chance to take on the role of a Headteacher with mentoring on an interim basis. That process worked well in most cases. It was important to encourage delegation and create release time for the Headteachers. Deputy Headteachers were legally required to step up to the role of Headteacher when the Headteacher was not around. It was important to think about different models for the future.
A governor commented that he was not convinced that the Leadership Plan was correct. There was a role for the LA in all schools and it was important to facilitate more robust school support as it was good when it worked well.
Within collaborations, moderation, training, and subject leaders were shared and all schools benefitted. It was important to look at the size of the collaborative so that it did not become unmanageable. Large collaborative chains national had not necessary been successful. The LA’s role was to facilitate as was the governors’ role. It was important to widen the discussion and governors to take on a wider role and come up with interesting new models.
Reference was made to the Regional Schools Commissioner who worked with the LA and Ofsted to form a triangle of power. The Regional School Commissioners had the power to turn a school into an academy without any input from the LA. It was important for the LA to have a good communication channel with the Commissioners. Schools which were isolated would be of great concern.
The Chair explained that the KGA were trying to arrange for the Regional Schools Commissioner to attend an Assembly meeting during 2016 to speak to governors. Mrs Cawley commented that she was meeting with the Commissioner shortly.
There were a number of Headteachers retiring and it was the job of governing bodies to think about succession planning.
The Chair made reference to Schools causing Concern Draft Guidance November 2015 and the documentation would be available on Kelsi for the benefit of governors.
The Chair thanked Gillian Cawley for her presentation to governors.
The Meeting closed at 21.00hrs.
The next meeting would take place on Monday 7 March 2016 at 1900 hrs at Oakwood House, Maidstone, ME16 8AE
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KGA Assembly Meeting – 2 November 2015