Easton Local Board Meeting
Easton Local Board meeting
15.3.16
Beaufort Street, Easton, Bristol BS5 0SQ
Tel. 0117 3773070
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Easton Local Board meeting
15.3.16
Headteacher: Mr. Peter Overton
‘Raise Your Flag’
Excellence with Equity - Endeavour with Enjoyment
Minutes of the Local Board Meeting held on
Tuesday 15 March 2016 at 19:00
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Easton Local Board meeting
15.3.16
Present:
Marie Bailey
Andrew Hogg (Chair)
Carole Johnson
Mohammad Fasher
Peter Overton
Celia Morgan
Rhianna Wakely
Philip Nott [to item 7]
In attendance:
John Calvert (DHT)
Lynne Swainston (DBAT)
Clare Maybury (clerk
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Easton Local Board meeting
15.3.16
60Apologies
Apologies were received from Ahmed Sharif and Richard Evans. The absences were condoned.
61Declarations of interest
No interest was declared in any item on the agenda.
62Opening reflection
There was a minute’s reflection, led by PN
63Minutes of the meeting held on 2 February 2016
There were no corrections. Matters arising from actions:
Item 49 Minutes, actions: Talk for Writing would be showcased at a 31 October
conference presentation.
ACTION PO with Fran Beers to write an article for Spotlight about T4W
Value for money in Y6 provision: Members noted that costs had been reduced since
earlier reports, as a result of JC no longer being
involved in the teaching.
There being no further corrections or matters arising, the minutes were agreed as a true record and signed by the Chair.
64Safeguarding and Children in Care report
The new Safeguarding Lead for the LA had visited and provided a new audit tool. The audit was now under way.
ACTION CJ with Laura Connor to report to the next meeting on Safeguarding
65Reports from committees
Report following the Resources committee meeting of 24 February 2016
Members noted the minutes, confidential minute and summary report of the committee of 24.2.16, in particular:
- Budget-setting. RE had met with Paul Smith (DBAT) and afurther meeting was due shortly. The main factors in the current deficit had been long-term sickness, unanticipated costs for children educated off-site, and the pensions deficit. The latter amount was still unclear. Capital works plans would be affected, and budget setting remained difficult. Staffing development plans had also been put on hold or altered.
There had been a loss of funding from the 50% reduction in BSLC numbers. Per pupil funding figures were also awaited but would be affected by reduced numbers at the higher deprivation rate. Members noted the school should expect a steady decrease in income for the next few years.
QIs the deficit covered by resources in-hand?
Yes. There was a carry-forward of £400k at the start of the year, representing over 9%,but with plans in place for expenditure. This is now under 8%. Any carry-forward must be spent within 3 years.
QIs the loss of PP due to a lower amount per pupil, or to fewer claims? How does the reduction affect staffing?
The amount per pupil has not changed but changes in the criteria for claiming eligible benefits have affected numbers. The count takes place in January so there is always a delay in final figure funding, and there are now systems in place to enable sign-up. Staff costs are 90% of the whole so they are affected, but we plan to set up a specific, targeted PP funded pot.
QIs there progress on planning for improvements in financial reporting to the LB?
The Resources committee will continue to receive full reports and summarise these for the Local Board.
ACTION Resources Committee to hold an additional meeting in May to agree the budget
ACTION PO to confirm pensions deficit amount with Paul Smith
- Admin review. Actions from the committee had progressed as planned, including a letter to staff successfully quelling anxieties, but there was now a further issue of staff long-term absence. Members discussed short and longer-term solutions, including secondment of a SBM from Fishponds.
ACTION PO,in consultation, to ensure immediate and longer term SBM needs are met,
with budget-setting as the priority
- Premises.
- JY was due to meet AC and SKANSKA concerning lack of progress on outstanding
works.
- Funding for the boiler replacement remained unconfirmed.
- A visit by the School Council to St Barnabas had been arranged for 13 April.
- Quotes had been received for the Y1 classroom refurbishment. These amounted to £22.5k and the works would be complete by Easter. Members approved the quotes.
- Health & safety.
ACTION PO to follow up on the recent school crossing patrol assessment and report back to members
66Admin review update
This was discussed under the previous item
67Finance
This was discussed under the previous item.
68Report of the Headteacher
Members noted the Headteacher’s report, including self-evaluation and progress on the school development priorities. In particular, members noted that:
- There had been rapid pupil progress in Y1 and Y2 in particular, with the expectation of reaching the 75% floor target by Y4. Progress in Y3-6 had been slower, with a gap in Y6 of 20% below the floor target. This reflected a history of poor teaching at the foundation, although steady progress could be shown as pupils moved through the school. The better results in the earlier years reflected changes in expectations and improvements in teaching.
Teaching and learning were on track to achieve 100% good or better lessons by the end of the year. There were regular observations and weekly “hot” and “cold” assessments clearly evidenced in books. (These were explained as assessments at the start of a topic – cold - and again following teaching – hot -, to assess the effectiveness of the learning and inform planning of next steps)
- Staff support and development. Performance appraisal had identified two cases where staff had required a period of professional guidance. If required standards are not met, this could then lead to capability proceedings and, potentially, dismissal.
QIs capability a possibility in both cases? Does the process of support involve observation? If so, who is involved?
Yes, one case is going on, with a second pending. The HT does the teacher appraisals with the team leader present to advise.
Members agreed that the systems are now in place to ensure training and support are given to staff to enable their development, and noted a SIP report would be given shortly.
- Behaviour and safety. There had been a recent increase in incidents of intolerant and racist language use. SARI (The Society Against Racist Incidents) had been contacted and would shortly hold an assembly, with a follow up visit in T6.
- Attendance was on line to meet the 95% target, with those falling just below being followed up by the school.
ACTIONPO to circulate attendance report to LB members.
- There had been a number of staffing changes, with ongoing negotiations over a flexible working request and trade union role. Greater stability was sought in Reception from September. Vacancies would be advertised over Easter, dependent on the budget.
- Parent representatives and Parent Championswere now in place, with 26 signed up and weekly meetings taking place.
ACTIONMF to attend parent meetings as a governor. All governors invited.
- RE classes had seen the withdrawal of two children, now attending another school, and the visit of two other, concerned parents to an RE class. They now no longer wished to withdraw their children. Members noted the great achievement this represented.
QWhat progress has been made on the re-introduction of collective worship?
Parents reps will be consulted in T5, and the re-introduction will follow in T6.
PO was thanked for his report.
69 Assessment(JC)
a)Members received and noted a report on the changes to the SATs exams and assessment
for 2016, in particular:
- A new EYFS baseline assessment on entry to Reception.
QHow much work is done in transition to identify needs before children come to Reception?
Liaison takes place with feeder settings to identify needs, and all children are visited in those settings or at home before they come. The standardised baseline will be helpful as there has been a lack of consistency from different nurseries to date.
- An increase in difficulty at expected levels, particularly in Writing.
- Standardised scores at KS1 and KS2. This means marks will only be calculated once all national data is in, with final marks given out of 100. Members agreed the change from absolute level to relative position would be helpful.
QHow will this be communicated to parents?
Firstly, in terms of ‘at expected levels’; then explaining standardized levels; then, comparing your child against those levels. There could also be a measure of progress. An effective way of reporting to parents will be developed.
Members noted the helpful information on the changes available through The Key, an online resource for governors, Chairs and Headteachers.
ACTIONLS to investigate the possibility of a central subscription to The Key for DBAT schools, to include Local Board members.
JC was thanked for his report.
b)Ofsted data dashboard report
Members noted the report, in particular:
- Ofsted would shortly be presenting information in this format and members would need to understand the figures and the explanations for them.
- Added value in KS2 was broadly average or above in all subjects
- Below average results, in writing in particular, applied to SEN children in the BSLC. These are in the lowest 10% of statemented children, with poor language and other skills.
- More serious were below average results in KS1 and KS2 reading, writing and maths, and in SEN pupils’ and boys’ attendance
- Results confirmed what was already known, that progress at the school is good although standards are poor.
70Policy
a)DBAT policy review
DBAT had recently reviewed a number of policies, available on Governor Hub. Those currently requiring LB input were the policy and guidance for Managing staff attendance, and the staffCode of Conduct.
Members noted that a recent attempt to apply the Staff Absence policy, adopted at the October meeting, had come up against objection from the unions who claim not to have been consulted and that the policy had not been written off by the JCC (joint consultative committee). The policies in place at the time of transition were therefore still legally in place. DBAT were claiming the JCC had been fullyconsulted before adoption.
ACTION AH to write to DBAT requesting clarification of which policies have been fully
consulted and adopted, and report back to the LB at the next meeting (agenda item) before any further policies are adopted.
b)Implications for the Local Board
Members noted the Chair’s report, andagreed to implement the recommended actions, including specifically:
ACTION Clerk to ensure DBS checks have been completed for all members
ACTION PN to ensure,as the link member for SEND,that the responsibilities set out in
section 5d of the policy, including publishing information (outlined in section 7),
are carried out
71Governance
a)Monitoring visits
Members noted the reports of monitoring visits to look at Literacy (JY) and Behaviour and the Wider Curriculum (AH)
QWhat are the benefits of becoming a Talk4Writing school?
T4W schools host training days for teachers. The quality of writing, punctuation and spelling have been shown to improve, with books holding up well in moderation with other schools; the system remains sharp and consistent and staff feel affirmed and positive with others observing and giving good feedback. Pupils are also encouraged by visitors coming to see them work. PO was previously at a T4W school and is to deliver training to other DBAT Heads
ACTION LB to invite Fran Beers to make a presentation on Talk4Writing
ACTION Members to visit and see a T4W lesson in practice.
b) Link members and sub-committees
ACTION Link members to visit their area of interest and report to LB
c)Self-evaluation healthcheck
The health check report had not been written as too few replies were received.
ACTION LB members to complete and return the governors’ health check document
AH to collate health check results and report to the next meeting
d)Local Board engagement with staff, parents and pupils
Members noted and agreed the proposed actions, specifically:
ACTION RW to publish agreed LB minutes to staff noticeboard
Clerk to arrange publication of agreed LB minutes to school website
AH to provide a termly summary of LB discussions for the parents’ newsletter
JC to circulate dates of assemblies to members, inviting them to attend
AH to circulate dates of events during T4, inviting members to attend
CJ to liaise with PO and the Parent Committee
MF, AS and CJ to join the Parent Forum
Members to carry out a parent questionnaire at the end of the academic year
e)Training
There were no reports of training.
ACTION Resources committee to approve funding for PN to attend a day conference
“Islam and Christianity in Education”, conditional on his giving a presentation to
the LB
72Meeting dates
Summer term
Tuesday 24 May at 19:00
Tuesday 12 July at 19:00
There being no further business, the meeting closed at 21:03
Signed (Chair) ……………………………………….Date ………..….
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Reports received in advance:
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Summary report Resources committee
Headteacher’s report
Ofsted data dashboard report
DBAT policies (Staff Attendance + Code of Conduct)
Adoption of policies paper (AH)
Reports of monitoring walks (Literacy; Behaviour and the Wider Curriculum)
LB self-evaluation healthcheck report
LB engagement with staff, pupils, parents (AH)
Reports received at the meeting:
Assessment update (JC)
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Glossary
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BSLCBristol Speech & Language Centre
DBATDiocese of Bristol Academies Trust
DBSDisclosure + Barring Service
HTHeadteacher
KS1Key Stage 1
LAlocal authority
LBLocal Board
PPPupil Premium
REreligious education
SATsstandard assessment tests
SBMSchool Business Manager
SENDspecial educational needs / disabled
SIPschool improvement plan
T5term 5
Y6year 6
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