8. Clerking a meeting

Transcription

1 8. Clerking a meeting 8.1 Planning a meeting The clerk should discuss the venue for the meeting with the headteacher and chair to ensure that governors are reasonably comfortable. If the setting is too informal the meeting may turn into a discussion group rather than a decisionmaking assembly of a corporate body. The aim is to achieve a balance between the formal and informal. 8.2 Introduction At the beginning of the meeting the clerk should remind the chair of any new governors to be welcomed and introduced or of any visitors. 8.3 Meetings are effective when: they start on time; the chair and the governors have a clear idea of the decisions to be taken; items on the agenda are properly introduced and explained; the governors have all read the reports to be considered, and prepared their comments on the reports; discussions are about policies and action and not people; everyone is encouraged to participate and is listened to; motions and amendments are dealt with logically; if any member has to leave early, the date of the next meeting is agreed before they go; draft minutes and any action required are agreed and circulated as soon as possible after the meeting; it is clear what actions are to be taken, by whom and when. CLERKS GUIDE December 2005 Page 1 of Section 8

2 8.4 Quorums The first thing that a clerk must do is to establish whether there are sufficient people present to form a quorum. A quorum is the minimum number of governors that must be present so formal decisions can be taken. The quorum for the full governing body meeting is 50% rounded up to a whole number of the total number of governors on the governing body at the time of the meeting. For example, a governing body of 15 that has 2 vacancies at the time of the meeting will be quorate if 7 governors attend the meeting. For example, a governing body of 18 that has 6 vacancies at the time of the meeting will be quorate if 6 governors attend the meeting. If the governing body is inquorate no decisions can be made. For committee meetings the quorum is 3, or more if detailed in the terms of reference for that committee. 8.5 Recording who is present It is essential to have an accurate record of everyone present at a governing body meeting, including any visitors. The attendance of the headteacher must be noted if he/she is not a governor, as must that of the clerk to the governing body. It is useful to have a signing in sheet for full governing body meetings which includes details of governors' categories. A sample signing in sheet is included on page 3 of this section. The signing in sheet is useful when calculating a quorum. 8.6 Submitting and recording apologies The clerk needs to record those governors from whom apologies have been received and importantly, it should always be recorded whether the governing body accepts the apologies for absence. Governors can be disqualified from membership of the governing body if absent from meetings without the consent of the governing body for a continuous period of six months, beginning with the date of the first meeting that he or she missed. A sample letter is included at the end of this section. Disqualification for non-attendance does not apply to governing body committee meetings. CLERKS GUIDE December 2005 Page 2 of Section 8

3 Name Category Term of Office End Date Apology Received Absence santioned Signature BROWN Mr F Community BULL Mrs P Community HOUSE Miss S Staff- Teaching HOLMES Mr K LEA JOLLY Mrs M Staff Non Teaching LAMB Mrs W Parent MAYER Mrs F Parent POWELL Mrs J Parent SMITH Mr S Staff - Headteacher TRENT Mr J LEA WOODS Mrs W Community Vacancy Parent Vacancy Parent OTHERS PRESENT DATE OF MEETING CLERKS GUIDE December 2005 Page 3 of Section 8

4 8.7 Resolutions Formal decisions (resolutions) of the governing body are taken on the basis of a majority vote by the members present at a meeting, voting on a particular proposal. Only members of the governing body may vote. Headteachers who have decided not to be governors do not have a vote, nor do observers or LA officers. There can be no voting by proxy or by post. If there is an equal number of votes for and against a decision then the chair of the meeting has a second or casting vote. Many decisions taken by governing bodies do not require lengthy discussion. Agreement can be reached rapidly, particularly if a full discussion has taken place at committee level. Many governing bodies work by consensus. Only in the event of an item being controversial must a decision be proposed and seconded before being put to the vote. Should any governor wish to propose an amendment to the decision, the amendment must be proposed, seconded and voted on first before the original decision. If the vote on the amendment is lost, the original decision is then put to the vote. If the amendment is carried, then the amended original decision should be put to the vote for resolution. It is not necessary to record the names of proposer and seconder, or the voting figures, unless requested to do so by the governors. Once a governing body has reached a decision, it is imperative that all governors respect and abide by that decision. However, any governor can ask for his or her opinion to be recorded in the minutes. 8.8 Receiving reports Some of the meeting will be taken up with receiving and acting upon reports (committees with delegated powers) and recommendations from committees or working parties. Sometimes it is difficult for governors to distinguish what is for information and what is a recommendation for action. The headteacher or the chair of the committee giving the report should clarify this. CLERKS GUIDE December 2005 Page 4 of Section 8

5 8.9 Minutes Minutes are an official record of a meeting and decisions made. Every governing body and committee meeting must be minuted. Minutes may be used as evidence in a case of legal dispute. Minutes should be written up as soon as possible and need to be concise, clear, and unambiguous. Minutes will generally follow the pattern of the agenda. It is important to show what decisions have been taken, what actions were agreed and who is responsible for each action. Each item should have a heading and be numbered in order to make identification and cross referencing easy. A sample set of minutes is on page 6 CLERKS GUIDE December 2005 Page 5 of Section 8

6 XYZ Primary School Plymouth Minutes of the Full Governors Meeting held on Wednesday 15 th December 200x. The meeting commenced at 5.15pm and closed at 7.00pm Present: Mrs A Powell (Chair), Mr N Brown, Mrs L Cook, Mrs T Down, Mrs F Green, Mrs N Jordan, Mr S Smith (Headteacher), Mr J W Woods Also present: Marcia Clerk (Clerk) 275 Apologies received and approved by the governors Mr Brimacombe, Mr Holmes, Mrs Luscombe, Mrs Stansbury ACTION Apologies received but not approved Mr Griggs Minutes of the meeting held on 2 November 200x The minutes were signed as an accurate record of the meeting. Matters arising 256. Self Evaluation It was agreed that Governors would hold the selfevaluation training session on Tuesday 22 nd February at 5.15pm Free fruit The headteacher reported that the free fruit scheme had been received well Repairs to window frames It was noted that this work was now complete Communications i) OfSTED Notification of availability of PANDA report ii) School Newsletter Governors praised school for producing such interesting newsletters iii) CEA Appointment of Performance Management Adviser iv) Invitation to school Christmas productions 10 December Headteacher s report The headteacher s report sent with the agenda was reviewed and discussed. Matters arising were:- Teaching observations Governors were pleased to note that the teaching observations of staff had been completed and that the headteacher was very pleased with the high standard of teaching he had witnessed across the school. Number on roll - Governors voiced concern regarding the drop in numbers for the September reception intake. It was agreed that the finance committee would review the impact on the budget at their next meeting. Committee reports Minutes from the Health and Safety committee meeting of 21 September, the Curriculum meeting of 29 th November and the Personnel and Finance meeting of 14 December had been sent with the agenda and were reviewed and noted Health and Safety Committee Overhanging tree - To be pruned in February 200x All Governors should attend Chair to action All Governors Chair of Finance CLERKS GUIDE December 2005 Page 6 of Section 8

7 Fire alarm drill The headteacher confirmed that fire drills continued to be regularly held at different times of the day he advised that there had been one held that day at lunchtime which confirmed that more audible alarms were needed for the outside of the building. He confirmed he had actioned this already. ACTION Curriculum Committee Governors unanimously supported the targets set for KS2 SATs Personnel and Finance Committee MTAs Governors were pleased that the increase in the number of MTAs had resulted in less behavioural difficulties at lunchtime PANDA report The headteacher gave a brief summary of the results in the unvalidated PANDA report and the results published on the QCA website. Governors asked that their congratulations be passed to the staff team for excellent improvements in both KS1 and KS2 SATS. School Development Plan Governors thanked the headteacher for presenting a second written update on the School Development Plan progress. Governors Expenses policy Governors reviewed the new draft policy which had been forwarded in advance of the meeting. Mrs Green stated it was important that governors had the opportunity to claim expenses such as travel to meeting should they wish to do so. Adoption of the policy was unanimously supported. Timings of the school day The headteacher spoke of proposals to change the timings of the school lunchtime from Summer 2005 to increase teaching time in the morning, when research has shown that children are more receptive to learning. He explained the implications of the new plans and outlined the consultation which had already been conducted. After careful consideration, Governors gave their unanimous support for the proposal. It was noted that further consultation would now be undertaken with parents. Governors visits It was noted that staff would appreciate feedback after a visit as quickly as possible. Link governor s update The Link Governors spoke of the current training programme offered by the Governor Support Team and encouraged governors to book places. Governor training Mrs Green had completed the Finance 2 course she stated it was a really valuable training session which would help her understand the monitoring statements more easily Mr Brown had completed the Performance Management course Date of next meeting Tuesday 8 th March 200x at 5.15 Full Governors meeting Clerk update policy file Headteacher Governors CLERKS GUIDE December 2005 Page 7 of Section 8

8 8.10 Distribution of the minutes Draft minutes should be sent to the chair to be checked as soon as possible after the meeting and then circulated to the headteacher, other governors and the Governor Support Team as quickly as possible. The draft minutes (excluding confidential items) can then be displayed where appropriate. The minutes of any part of a meeting that is confidential (Part 2) should be kept separate and not made available for general inspection. Governors and the Governor Support Team should be sent copies Approving the minutes The minutes must be formally approved at a full meeting of the governing body. Governors can challenge the accuracy of the minutes and have them amended by a resolution passed by a simple majority of those governors present. Signed minutes have to be kept in sequential order with the pages numbered or the minutes recorded in sequence. If the pages are kept in a loose-leaf folder, the person who chairs the meeting at which they are passed, should initial each page Sections of the minutes Matters arising from approved minutes This item should be used for brief reports on matters not covered elsewhere. Any item likely to provoke discussion should have its own place on the agenda. Matters arising should not be used to repeat or revise previous decisions Committee reports The governing body remains responsible for any decisions taken by committees to whom they have delegated decision-making. All decisions must CLERKS GUIDE December 2005 Page 8 of Section 8

9 be reported back to the full governing body at their next meeting. It is essential for the effectiveness of the governing body that committee reports should be circulated in advance. When considering what committees have been doing, the governing body needs to be able share the knowledge and insights that have come from the committee discussions while resisting the temptation to repeat all the arguments again. If a committee has delegated powers, decisions should never have to be confirmed at the full governing body meeting. The minutes should make a brief summary of the main points of discussion, a brief statement on the conclusions reached and the reasons for those conclusions Correspondence There should be a list of any communications received by the governing body from the DfES, LA, Diocesan Authority or other bodies or persons. Some of it will warrant circulation to individual governors or committees or action to be taken by the clerk to the governing body. The minutes should contain decisions about correspondence Part 2 confidential items Even though governing body meetings may be open to the public there may be items for discussion, which, because of their nature, require confidential discussion and minutes. Therefore visitors who may have attended the meeting will have to be asked to leave while confidential business is dealt with. Even when there are no visitors at the meeting of the governing body any part of the meeting during which confidential business will be discussed should be minuted separately as 'confidential minutes'. This part of the meeting is called 'Part 2'. The governing body must resolve formally to go into Part 2 of the meeting. At the end of Part 2 business the governing body must resolve to return to Part 1 of the meeting. There is sometimes confusion about what should or should not be confidential. According to the Regulations, how individual governors vote, and opinions by governors involving a named person which are in anyway sensitive or critical, should always be regarded as confidential. Otherwise the governing body decides if an item of discussion is confidential. CLERKS GUIDE December 2005 Page 9 of Section 8

10 It is particularly important that if the matter is likely to be the subject of a hearing or an appeal, no details should be revealed which might prejudice a later hearing Matters brought forward by the Chair The chair should use this only to deal with urgent business that has arisen since the agenda was sent out. There may be certain items of correspondence, to be dealt with that may not appear on the official list of correspondence Date of the next meeting It is good practice to plan dates of main governing body meetings and any committee meetings for the whole year ahead. CLERKS GUIDE December 2005 Page 10 of Section 8

11 CLERKS GUIDE December 2005 Page 11 of Section 8