Meeting Learner Needs and Aspiring to Excellence MINUTES OF THE SEARCH AND GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE MEETING HELD ON 25 FEBRUARY 2013 Present Paul Pascoe (Chair) Richard Farthing George Trow Robert Allen Ruth Brook Jamie Smyth The quorum for the meeting was three members. In attendance Mark Stephenson Clerk to the Corporation The meeting was held in the Boardroom at The Hub and started at 3.30 pm. Item Minutes Action 1 Apologies No apologies for absence had been received. 2 Declarations of Interest None. 3 Minutes of the previous meeting held on 23 January 2013 and any matters arising The minutes were agreed as a true and correct record and signed by the Chair. Matters arising: Membership of the Board: It was confirmed that, following a recent telephone conversation, John Toon has submitted an application to become a Governor; his interview with the Committee will take place on Wednesday 27 February 2013 at 5.00pm; it was agreed that the panel will convene at 4.45pm; in addition, it was noted that Karen Finlayson has submitted her resignation from the Board with effect from the end of March 2013; Governor Information on Diversity Form: Members received and noted a revised Form, which enables anonymous completion and will form part of the Governor Recruitment and Selection Policy / Procedure, considered at item 6 below; RESOLUTION(SG 03/13): Members recommended for Governors approval the adoption of the Governor Information on Diversity Form for completion by all existing Governors immediately and annually thereafter and for new Governors on application. Search and Governance Committee Page 1 of 6
4 Determination of any other business None. 5 Review of Governor Strategic Development Event 1/2 February 2013 Members received and noted a report that provided a summary of Governors feedback from the Strategic Development Event on 1-2 February 2013; it was noted that feedback was largely very positive, with any individual Members concerns (i.e. disagree / no opinion responses) being followed up by the Clerk. It was noted that there are varying opinions regarding the balance of papers / reading circulated in advance and the amount of time allocated for discussion within the Event. Some discussion took place about possible topics for future scheduled development events, especially that taking place on Saturday 15 June 2013; a number of key points / suggestions were made: Gain feedback / suggestions from each of the Committees; A focus on the local agenda with input from Jo Miller / Peter Dale; Governance Self-Evaluation, perhaps facilitated by a governor / representative from another college judged outstanding; further investigation to be undertaken; Clerk / GT All six Members of the College Executive should remain as participants in strategic development events; they are expected to take time back for attending weekend events. RESOLUTION (SG 04/13): Members noted the contents of the Report and agreed that further work on proposals for the next Event (15 June 2013) is undertaken. 6 Governor Recruitment and Selection Policy A paper, which included a draft Governor Recruitment and Selection Policy, was introduced; it was noted that the document covers the arrangements for all categories of governors. The Board currently has a determined membership of 18 Governors at present 13 External Members, 2 Student Members, 2 Staff Members, and the Principal and Chief Executive. Some discussion took place on the draft Policy and associated procedures, and a number of key points / suggestions were made: Terms of Office (Sections 7.5 and 7.6) Members explored the merits of the length of terms for Staff and Student Members; it was agreed that both should have a term of office of up to 2 years, concluding on 31 July, with eligibility to stand for re-election for one further term of up to 2 years; Being a Governor (Appendix 1) positive comments about the document, which provides useful information for prospective governors on the College website; Search and Governance Committee Page 2 of 6
6 cont Recruitment and Selection Process Flowchart (Appendix 5) viewed as a helpful summary for prospective governors and should appear on the College website; Governor Skills / Expertise Audit (Appendix 3) it was noted that the document has been modified for Members consideration; recognition that it can be difficult to make appointments that meet specific, target criteria related to both skills and diversity; two adjustments to the form were suggested and agreed: o Each of the grading columns (2, 1, 0) should be split to enable identification of whether the skill was gained in the public sector or the private sector; o Addition of Other Skills / Expertise at the bottom. Governor Selection Assessment Form recognition that this is a comprehensive sample that may be adjusted; it can be partially completed by a panellist when reviewing an individual s applicant form / CV with a view to exploring any perceived gaps at the interview; the form will be tested in forthcoming recruitment and selection processes. RESOLUTION (SG 05/13): Members agreed to recommend for Board approval the Governor Recruitment and Selection Policy, subject to the amendments identified above. Clerk 7 Governor Induction, Mentoring and Training Policy A paper, which included a draft Governor Induction, Mentoring, and Training Policy, was introduced; it was noted that the document covers the arrangements for all new governors. Some discussion took place of the draft Policy and associated procedures, and a number of key points / suggestions were made: Mentoring proposals general agreement that new governors would benefit significantly from having the 1 to 1 support of an experienced governor during the first few months after appointment; alternative titles to mentor were suggested and it was agreed to adopt Link Governor for the role; the Policy would be amended accordingly; Clerk New Student and Staff Members would benefit greatly from a handover period with the outgoing Student / Staff Member (where this is possible); suggestion that new external governors may benefit from meeting the Student and Staff Members as part of their induction programme; Further suggestions for the induction programme include attendance in year 1 at two other Committee meetings and a meeting of the Student Parliament; Search and Governance Committee Page 3 of 6
7 cont Reference was made to the recent FE Guild Consultation event attended by RB and the Clerk, particularly in relation to the continuation (or otherwise) of governance services currently provided by LSIS (e.g. Governance Training Materials, Annual Governance Conference, and research papers; Recognition that individual Members may gain significantly from attending specifically-targeted, externally organised / facilitated events e.g. Student Governor Support Programme; The arrangements for Governor induction and training are the responsibility of the Clerk RESOLUTION (SG 06/13): Members agreed to recommend for Board approval the Governor Induction and Training Policy, subject to the agreed amendments identified above. 8 College Code of Governance Members received and noted a paper that included an annotated copy of the College s draft Code of Governance; it was confirmed that the Code was adopted in principle by the Board at its meeting in July 2012 and has been subject to further scrutiny by the Search and Governance and, more recently, by the Principal and the Clerk. The scrutiny confirms that the College largely conforms to the requirements of the Code, but that there are some gaps, which require further action to be taken. Some discussion took place about the suggested actions, in particular the proposal to produce a College Annual Report for 2011/12 (and annually thereafter). Members recognised the importance of the Annual Report not only in the context of communications / relationships between the Corporation and the public, but also as a marketing tool to highlight College achievements and strengths. RESOLUTION (SG 07/13): Members noted the contents of the Report and agreed the actions arising from the scrutiny for assimilation and referencing in the Governance Improvement Plan (GIP). Clerk As part of the Committee Report to the Board, Governors should receive a copy of the Report to inform of level of College conformation with the Code. 9 Governance Improvement Plan and Priorities 2012/14 (draft) A paper, which included an updated copy of the Governance Improvement Plan and Priorities 2012-14 (GIP) and an initial draft Chair s Performance Review pro-forma, was introduced. In light of discussions at items 5 (relating to Governance Self-Evaluation) and 8 (relating to the Code of Governance), Members agreed the priorities for inclusion in the GIP at this time. It was recognised that the GIP arrangements allow for the addition of priorities as they arise and the removal of priorities as they are completed / implemented. Search and Governance Committee Page 4 of 6
9 cont Some discussion took place about the draft Chair s Performance Review (which can be adapted for other key governance roles), and a number of key points were made: Reference was made to a recent conversation between RB and the Chair of Governors of another Yorkshire college about the arrangements for assessing the Chair s effectiveness; their approach has developed over a two year period and may be worthy of consideration; the Clerk has made contact with the college concerned; Important that feedback is measurable and allows for both positive and negative comments; Self-assessment should be carried out by the Chair first; Assessment of the Chair could be part of the 1 to 1 s, conducted by the Chair and Clerk with each Governor; What approach are we ready for? Who challenges the Chair? Not the Principal or the Clerk, but peer feedback may be considered useful. Members agreed to await the outcomes of requests for information from other colleges / sources before making any recommendation on the process / documentation for Chair Performance Review. RESOLUTION (SG 08/13): Members noted the contents of the Report and recommended the Governance Improvement Plan (GIP) for Board approval, subject to the agreed amendments. 10 Inspection Update It was reported that, as part of the College s approach to being inspection ready, Committees are each receiving an inspection update paper. In this instance, the paper takes the form of key questions (with prompts / suggested responses) that may be asked of governors during an inspection. A composite report of the questions will be considered at the subsequent Board meetings. RESOLUTION (SG 07/13): Members noted the contents of the Report. The Clerk to the Corporation left the meeting. 11 Clerk to the Corporation Update Members received a verbal update on the arrangements for the interview and selection of a permanent clerk, with effect from 1 April 2013. It was confirmed that the interviews will take place on Thursday 7 March 2013 from 9.00 am. Search and Governance Committee Page 5 of 6
12 Date and Time of Next Meeting The next meeting will be held on Wednesday 1 May 2013 at 5.30 pm in the Boardroom. The meeting closed at 5.53 pm. Mark Stephenson Clerk to the Corporation Signed: (Chair) Date:. Search and Governance Committee Page 6 of 6