Minute Item

Outcomes

36.3

All governors needed to access GovernorHub and tick declarations on their profile to ensure their annual declarations were recorded.

Governor Code of Conduct on GovernorHub – all governors to read and tick box on GovernorHub.

KCSIE – all governors need to read the whole document and tick on GovernorHub to say they had read.

Minute ref: BFGB280922.1

36.4

Governors approved the minutes of the meeting held on 6 July and 7 September 2022 as a true and accurate record and OC would sign electronically on GovernorHub.

Minute ref: BFGB280922.2

36.5

TR would attend the February meeting to report on progress of the new phonics scheme.

Minute ref: BFGB280922.3

36.6

Governors approved the PP strategy which KM would upload to the school website.

Minute ref: BFGB280922.4

36.7

OC would complete the monitoring schedule for circulation.

Minute ref: BFGB280922.5

36.8

Governors approved the following policies:

Nursery admissions

Behaviour

Minute ref: BFGB280922.6

36.10

It was agreed that RK would liaise with the Governance Professional to check the Pay Committee Terms of Reference and discuss who should attend the Pay Committee.

Minute ref: BFGB280922.6

36.1

Welcome and Apologies for Absence

The meeting was chaired by OC who welcomed governors to the meeting which was held via Teams. Apologies for absence had been received from SH, JD, MW, and RK.

36.2

Governing Body Structure 2022/23

Governor vacancies

Co opted governor vacancies

There were currently 2 co-opted governor roles vacant. OC advised that MW was consider if she could commit to a co-opted governor role when her term as a parent governor expired. The second vacancy would be filled via recruitment.

Staff governor vacancy

Sarah Church had been duly elected and the Governance Professional had updated her terms of office on Governor Hub.

Parent governor vacancies

There would be 2 vacancies as SG and MW’s terms of office both expired on 7 October 2022. The Headteacher had drafted a letter which governors approved, with some minor amendments including that email addresses for RK and OC as co-chairs would be added to the letter with 5 working days for responses.

Draft allocations of link subjects had been circulated by OC and were noted.

Governor training

SMBC training was available on GovernorHub and governors were encouraged to attend training.

36.3

Declaration of Pecuniary Interests for this meeting (Changes / Updates)

All governors needed to access GovernorHub and tick declarations on their profile to ensure their annual declarations were recorded.

Governor Code of Conduct on GovernorHub – all governors to read and tick box on GovernorHub.

KCSIE – all governors need to read the whole document and tick on GovernorHub to say they had read.

36.4

Minutes of the meetings held on 6 July 2022 and 7 September 2022

Governors approved the minutes of the meeting held on 6 July and 7 September 2022 as a true and accurate record and OC would sign electronically on GovernorHub.

36.5

Curriculum Update – Phonics Tracey Rae

TR shared her screen with a presentation on phonics. The presentation included extracts from the recent Ofsted report and the actions in place to address the Ofsted feedback.

The new phonics scheme was now embedded and the Headteacher was conducting lesson observations. Same resources being used in every classroom.

In response to the Ofsted comment about inconsistencies in teacher subject knowledge, TR reported that all staff had received a full day’s training during inset day in September. All have access to training videos to revisit. Designated TAs deliver in class interventions and support to identified children daily.

Consistency was identified by Ofsted as an area for improvement and TR advised that all resources are taken from Essential Letters and Sounds (ELS) so are consistent across school.

Subject knowledge was also an Ofsted action and actions taken included pure sound pronunciation, use of correct terminology and consistent language to support letter formation.

Extra support included targeted interventions, the focus for Mrs Hazel was with Reception this term and the Headteacher would commence reading sessions with the lowest 20% after October half term.

As the budget allowed, the school would continue to build the bank of decodable books, ask staff for feedback on training and how this has impacted on subject knowledge and work closely with Dorridge primary school who implemented ELS last year. TR was meeting with English lead.

GOVERNOR CHALLENGE

A governor asked if staff had any immediate observations about new scheme compared to old scheme. TR said initial feedback was taking longer as the scheme went into more detail but believed this would speed up as staff became more familiar and would be interesting to see how lowest 20% progressed.

In response to a governor request, TR would attend the February meeting to report on progress.

A governor questioned whether it would be helpful to have volunteers to read with children. TR said reading helpers came on board last year post COVID but it was important to use the language of ELS to ensure the volunteer can follow scheme to ensure consistency for the children.

A governor asked if there was any information for parents to help them support their children. TR said she would be sharing videos as part of phonics workshop and some of them were able to be uploaded to the website. The parent workshops would be an ELS Powerpoint to provide parents with a better understanding of what was being done in school.

Thank you to TR for attending.

36.6

Pupil Premium

KM provided governors with an update and the report had been uploaded to GovernorHub. During the pandemic, the numbers of PP children had increased but numbers were now based on the October census which was particularly challenging in an infant school as all children had a free school meal.

All parents were given the form when children started school.

The amount of PP grant last year was £60k but the allocation this year as numbers had dropped significantly was much less.

How are funds spent?

KM advised that the majority of PP funds were spent on staffing and enhancing school life e.g., book bags, water bottle, attending clubs, the school also worked with the HAF project. Staffing will continue to be the community family mentor and a TA job share who will do reading, writing and maths intervention targeting pupil premium children. The TA would also focus on children’s self-esteem and mental health for small groups although pleasingly many children had successfully moved on after the pandemic.

GOVERNOR CHALLENGE

A governor asked about the implications of the reduced budget on staffing. KM said that SLT had anticipated that PP spend would be less and through natural wastage, some TAs had left and the school now had 1 TA at a higher band which was the most appropriate support for the PP cohort in school.

The Headteacher advised governors that there were some children new to school and in Reception where the school had not received information from previous settings and based on initial assessments, it was likely there would be some children who would benefit from an EHCP. However overall, here were less children with high needs which had helped school to be a calmer place.

Governors approved the PP strategy which KM would upload to the school website.

36.7

Governor monitoring

OC would complete the monitoring schedule for circulation.

36.8

Adoption of policies

Governors approved the following policies which had minor changes:

Nursery admissions

Behaviour

36.9

Confidential Items

None

36.10

Date of Autumn Statutory meeting – Wednesday 30 November at 6pm in person at school

Wednesday 2 November – Resources Committee and Pay Committee online

It was agreed that RK would liaise with the Governance Professional to check the Pay Committee Terms of Reference and discuss who should attend the Pay Committee.

36.11

Termination of meeting

The meeting closed at 7.40pm

Minute Item

Outcomes

35.4

Governors agreed to approve the draft report and for the Headteacher to provide feedback via the Ofsted survey that the expertise of inspection team should reflect the type of school.

35.1

Welcome and Apologies for Absence

This extraordinary meeting was held to discuss the contents of the draft Ofsted report following the school inspection in July 2022. It was chaired by OC who welcomed governors to the meeting which was held via Zoom. Apologies for absence had been received from the Governance Professional due to family matters and from SH.

35.2

Declaration of Pecuniary Interests for this meeting (Changes / Updates)

There were no changes to declared interests. 

35.3

Draft Ofsted report

The Headteacher advised that a response to the draft report was required. Only   factual information could be corrected and the Headteacher suggested governors were pragmatic. The Headteacher had uploaded a document outlining the staff’s responses to GovernorHub.

Staff had raised valid comments particularly relating to phonics and the validated government training contradicted comments from the Ofsted inspector. The School Improvement Adviser had also advised that the teaching of phonics was consistent through the school.

As a ‘good’ judgement, governors agreed that parents would be comforted by the validated phonics training and support that was being provided to parents through workshops.

Overall, the Headteacher and SLT were content with the draft report and one area for improvement had already begun relating to phonics. Much of the report was very positive.

A governor asked about factual inaccuracies, and the Headteacher said that the school had to be pragmatic. A governor suggested asking for context e.g., stating that a new phonics scheme was being introduced and that it was a transition period. HMI said her concerns related to teacher knowledge not the phonics scheme. The governor asked if the Headteacher wanted to quibble over the paragraph or on balance was there enough overwhelming evidence of positive comments. The statement that some children do not read as fluently as they could was based on the HMI hearing 3 Year 1 children read. The Headteacher said that the children chosen were persistent absentees and one child had had an extended visit overseas which was not representative of Year 1 overall.

Governors agreed that the inspection team did not have any expertise in early years and the staff governor believed that this lack of knowledge impacted on observations and professional challenge.

A governor agreed comments were valid and wanted to know if there were any factual inaccuracies. The governor suggested the comments be uploaded to the portal as feedback. The Headteacher agreed that it was best to focus on the pragmatic and focus on improvements already made relating to phonics.

A governor asked if there could be a further inspection if the school made comments about the inspection lack of expertise of early years. Another governor said that Ofsted did not have the capacity and it would not be a complaint but feedback.

A governor noted that none of teachers received feedback from the inspectors at the time. The Headteacher said there was no capacity for the inspector to feedback to staff and this was the responsibility of the Headteacher following the keeping in touch meeting with the HMI.

Another governor agreed with the need for pragmatism and said the report read well. The governor had read from a parent perspective and believed that every school had room for improvement and consistency was a ‘buzzword’ at Ofsted. The school had plans to introduce a new phonics scheme. The governor suggested removal of the sentence ‘some children do not read effectively’ given this was only based on the HMI hearing three year 1 children read.

A governor had reviewed other reports written by the HMI and noted they were very similar, containing standard paragraphs and as a parent would not impact on the governor’s choice of school.

A governor asked about providing general feedback e.g. relating to the inspection team and the importance of having early years expertise necessary. The Headteacher suggested the survey could be used to provide this feedback to Ofsted.

Governors had a discussion regarding purchasing a published curriculum scheme as opposed to the school developing their own curriculum. It was noted that a MAT had a greater capacity to review their own curriculum and share expertise.

35.4

Conclusion

Governors agreed to approve the draft report and for the Headteacher to provide feedback relating to the expertise of inspection team which should reflect the type of school. Overall, the report was positive and areas for development were already being undertaken.

It was noted that reference to governance did not appear at all in the report. The Headteacher said the HMI commented positively on the depth of skills of the board. The HMI had also said that the minutes were finance heavy and not focused on curriculum. Governors who had met the Headteacher were confident that curriculum scrutiny existed and disagreed with the HMI’s conclusion suggesting it related to their lack of familiarity with GovernorHub.

RK would confirm the Ofsted timeframe to provide the final report to parents. Communication to parents was discussed and the Headteacher would keep governors informed about the timescale for the final report.

Minute Item

Outcomes

23.1

Governors approved the minutes of the meetings held on 5 May 2021 and 19 May 2021 as a true and accurate record of those meetings and the Chair would sign them on GovernorHub.

Minute ref: BFGBM190521.1

23.2

Governors approved the quotation by Elementary Technology for £2,726.

Governors approved the quotation from PCS Cleaning for £15,833.

Governors approved the quotation from Woodside Carpentry for £7,167.

Minute ref: BFGBM190521.2

Governors approved the Lettings Policy with the amended changes.

Minute ref: BFGBM190521.3

Governors agreed to renew the annual NGA Gold Membership.

Minute ref: BFGBM190521.4

23.1

Welcome and Apologies for Absence

This meeting was chaired by MW who welcomed governors to the meeting. Apologies for absence were received from JA who was working.

23.1.1

Declaration of Pecuniary Interests for this meeting (Changes / Updates)

There were no changes to declared interests. 

23.1.2

Approval of Minutes of the Meetings held on 5 May 2021 and 19 May 2021

Governors approved the minutes of the meetings held on 5 May 2021 and 19 May 2021 as a true and accurate record of those meetings and the Chair would sign them on GovernorHub.

23.2

Finance Update – School & Blossomfield Childcare

Outturn Statements at May 2021

The SBM had provided a short report which had been uploaded to GovernorHub.

It was noted that it was very early into the new financial year and governors had no questions and comments.

The SBM advised that there had been no further update on the support staff pay award which was 1.5%.  2.75% had been allocated in the budget.  The backdated nursery teachers’ pay and pensions grant was a substantial amount. Childcare numbers were looking positive for holiday club.

Asset Register

This was in progress and would be complete by the end of term.

School Fund Update

This had been audited by SMBC audit for 2019/20.  SMBC audit had also audited the PTA accounts and their comments had been passed onto the PTA Chair.

The continuation of the PE and sports funding had been confirmed for the next academic year but SBM advised the actual amount was awaited but believed it would be similar to the current grant.

Quotations for review

These had been uploaded to GovernorHub.

Interactive Panel

In line with requirements, 3 quotes for a new interactive panel had been obtained, and details were available on GovernorHub and shared via screen. Elementary Technology had been used previously by the school, and their quote was £70 higher than lowest quote but given they had a track record of excellent service and provided training, this quote was recommended to governors. Governors approved the quotation by Elementary Technology for £2,726.

Cleaning Contract

4 quotes had been received for the cleaning contract. PCS Cleaning Group were the current contact and were the lowest quote received of the 4. Governors noted there was a significant range in price.

The SBM said there had been some difficulties with PCS Cleaning over the last year, following the sickness of the main contact who had also been furloughed. A new area manager who had been assigned had made good progress in training up new cleaners and was proactive. Therefore, the recommendation was that the PCS quote was approved to allow to follow up with improvement.

GOVERNOR CHALLENGE

A governor asked about the service provided by PCS Cleaning prior to COVID and whether the school had been happy with their cleaning standard. The SBM said the school had been satisfied with the service, there had a few dips due to changes in staffing but currently there was stability in staffing.

Another governor queried whether the cleaning schedule had changed because of COVID. The SBM confirmed the cleaning products were suitable and Site Manager had overseen the situation. On the odd occasion bubble had been sent home, the room had been sealed until additional cleaning could be carried out and this had worked well. In response to a governor question about how flexible the company had been with additional cleaning, the SBM said they had not charged extra. The Headteacher said cleaning was good before area manager became ill but new area manager was proactive. The Headteacher suggested that a switch at this point would be detrimental and would involve TUPE and a chance for things to go wrong. All cleaning companies had similar issues and key was the area manager.

Governors approved the quotation from PCS Cleaning, the current provider for £15,833.

Staff toilet renovation

Woodside Carpentry had provided the lowest quote, and it was noted that the quote from Property Services at SMBC was more than double the lowest quote. Woodside Carpentry was a company recommended by synergy school and they had previously completed small jobs in school to high standard. The aim was to undertake the work at October half term.

Governors approved the quotation from Woodside Carpentry for £7,167.

Photocopier

There were currently 2 photocopiers on lease. The quote obtained was cheaper than current and provided one new machine for 5 years and re-conditioned model. The SBM had contacted SMBC and asked for exemption on 3 quotes as the company provided services to virtually every school in Solihull.

Lettings Policy

The charges for 2021/22 had been approved in the spring term by governors. Clubs were keen to resume from September.

Governor challenge

A governor asked that the KCSIE reference reflected the new release of KCSIE which the SBM would arrange.

It was confirmed that the Children’s Workforce is the barred list check and is the term that is used by DBS.

A governor asked what clubs would be running from September. The Headteacher said Moors Football Club provided multi sports, there was a gym club, dance club, French club, and Old Edwardians rugby club. Friday afternoons were kept free for teachers and PTA. The Site Manager also mopped the hall floor on a Friday.

Governors approved the Lettings Policy with the amended changes.

The SBM advised that an application for Forest School grant including clothing and emphasising the importance of the walking bus had been awarded £500. Thank you to SG who had highlighted the grant.

Governors agreed to renew the annual NGA Gold Membership. RK who had a declared interest took no part in the discussion and subsequent vote.

23.3

Headteacher Report – Summer 2021

This was in a new format and had been uploaded to GovernorHub. The new report reflected the new Ofsted characteristics. The Headteacher asked whether governors found it useful.

A governor confirmed they had found the new report better and liked the embedded links. Another agreed.

GOVERNOR CHALLENGE

A governor asked about the monitoring reports that had been uploaded. It was confirmed that monitoring reports should be added to the folder on GovernorHub.

A governor asked about attendance and whether there had been a downward trend at the school. The governor wanted to know how many families had been contacted. The Headteacher said that attendance below 90% was considered persistent absence and letters were sent to families as per policy. Letter sent was bespoke and would list the absences the child had had and why had been absent and ask whether support was required. This was a very rigorous process.

There had been some request for holidays since children returned to school.

The overall attendance figure was around where it was prior to COVID.

There were no national attendance figures currently, and the school was only able to compare attendance to autumn term 2020.

KM said she was often involved in attendance with the support of the family mentor in helping children return to school.

A governor questioned of the 30 children with SEND support how many were applying for an EHCP. KM provided details relating to the application for a child who was receiving additional support.

The governor asked whether the support for other 29 children was met by the notional SEND budget. KM advised that high needs children this year had used a huge amount of money as the funds received did not cover their support. The notional SEN budget was notional only but it was also difficult to separate out what money was spent on SEND, PP and individual children.

The Headteacher said that she maintained a document tracking money for each child and the plan for each child which confirmed what the loss to the school was.

GOVERNOR CHALLENGE

A governor asked about SEND policy and specifically how daily communications with parents aligned with staff workload. KM said it was a balance and for example if a child was non verbal, the child could not tell their parent about their day which could be frustrating for parents. Some parents preferred a weekly phone call or email.  KM acknowledged that it did impact on staff workload but had a positive impact on family so staff were willing to do this for the child. There were also benefits as parents had a confidential way of liaising with teacher on medication and providing an update on what the child had done at the weekend.

23.4

Governor Monitoring – reports for discussion

Thank you to those who had uploaded reports to GovernorHub.

Governors were asked how they had found the new process that OC had devised.

SG had written two reports which needed to be shared with the Headteacher prior to be uploading.

OC provided an update on staff meeting with governors, which was an opportunity to say thank you, and a sense of how they had found the year. This had been insightful and valuable; staff had discussed what had gone well and would be maintained as best practice.

In particular, pre-recorded assemblies had allowed discussion in depth in class.

A governor noted that the feedback replicated the staff survey and endorsed all the actions that the school and SLT are doing to support staff.

23.5

Confidential Items

None.

23.6

Dates for meetings in 2021/22

Roles and responsibilities for next year and succession planning for Chair and Vice Chair, all to consider over the summer

MW said that she would be happy to co-chair as part of succession planning.

All governors to consider which areas they wished to get involved in – reassign roles to meet personal interest

Governors then discussed the timing and format of meetings. Virtual meetings had worked well and it was agreed there would be a blend of virtual and in person meetings next year.

It was agreed that the Full Board meetings would be held in person at school at 6pm.

All other meetings would be held virtually commencing at 7pm.

It was agreed that Wednesdays would remain the day for meetings. DY to put together a schedule with OC (done and uploaded to GovernorHub).

SG was arranging for chocolates and biscuits for the staff on behalf of the board of governors.

Governor strategy day / longer term vision / working together – 1pm – 3pm on 2 September 2021 (inset day). RK would forward on NGA vision and strategy document.

Governors were welcome to attend the SDP session in the morning of 2 September 2021 and the SDP would be ratified at the autumn term board meeting.

23.7

Termination of Meeting

The meeting closed at 8.25pm.

All governors who were not on the Pay Committee left the meeting.

The pay committee meeting was minuted by OC.

Minute Item

Outcomes

34.3

Governors approved the minutes of the Full Governing Body meeting on 22 June 2022 as a true and accurate record of the meeting and OC would sign the minutes on GovernorHub.

Minute ref: BFGB060722.1

34.5

Governors approved the election of RK and OC as co-chairs for a term of one year from September 2022.

Minute ref: BFGB060722.2

Governors agreed to have two Vice Chairs and that RM and JD were elected as Vice Chairs from September 2022 for a term of one year.

Minute ref: BFGB060722.3

OC would look at governor responsibilities and set out responsibilities for the new roles.

Minute ref: BFGB060722.4

34.6

It was agreed to add a declaration to GovernorHub for governors to complete regarding Prevent training. KM would advise the Clerk of the wording to be added.

Minute ref: BFGB060722.5

Governors agreed JD would take over safeguarding role from MW. JD had already been shadowing MW for the past year.

Minute ref: BFGB060722.6

Governors agreed the importance of safeguarding and the need to have a secure front door and authorised the SBM to obtain 3 quotes.

34.8

The following policies were adopted:

Capability

Disciplinary

Guidance for line managers

Minute ref: BFGB060722.7

34.10

The meeting dates for 2022/23 were available on GovernorHub and the Clerk would add them to the calendar over the summer.

Minute ref: BFGB060722.8

Governors agreed the importance of safeguarding and the need to have a secure front door and authorised the SBM to obtain 3 quotes.

Minute ref: BFGB060722.9

Following the resignation of MW as a co-opted governor, the Clerk would remove MW from GovernorHub at the end of term.

Minute ref: BFGB060722.10

34.1

Welcome and Apologies for Absence

The meeting was chaired by SG who welcomed governors to the meeting which was held in person. Apologies for absence had been received from JD due to urgent family matters.

34.2

Declaration of Pecuniary Interests for this meeting (Changes / Updates)

There were no changes to declared interests. 

34.3

Minutes of Full Governing Body Meeting 22 June 2022

Governors approved the minutes of the Full Governing Body meeting on 22 June as a true and accurate record of the meeting and SG would sign the minutes on GovernorHub.

34.4

Matters arising from the minutes

There were no matters arising that were not on the agenda.

34.5

Election of Chair and Vice Chair to serve from September 2022 for 1 year term (secret ballot)

The Clerk took the chair for the election of a Chair of Governors. No nominations had been received prior to the meeting.

RK and OC offered themselves as co-chairs and suggested that responsibilities could be divided up with RK school visits and OC administration.

RK and OC then left the room so a discussion could take place. The Headteacher said that it was important that she knew who to contact in the event of needed an immediate decision. Another governor suggested splitting the role to have a primary contact. A different governor suggested having 2 Vice Chairs and 1 Chair to ensure there was a clear contact for the Headteacher.

RK and OC then returned to the meeting. The Chair fed back what had been discussed.

RK or OC said that they were not able to stand as sole chair due to their other commitments. There was a discussion about whether the workload of the chair could be divided up.

Another governor suggested that there may be potential to recruit a governor specifically to chair the board. It was agreed that this was ideal and the Clerk advised that the board had to appoint a Chair.

No other nominations for Chair were received.

Governors approved the election of RK and OC as co-chairs for a term of one year from September 2022. The importance of decision making in a timely manner was noted. It was agreed to trial the co-chair role until spring term and then review in February 2023. RK and OC would discuss working arrangements with the Headteacher.

Nominations received in advance of the meeting for Vice Chair were Joe Darnley.

RM said that was considering nominating himself as Vice Chair. Governors agreed to have two Vice Chairs and that RM and JD were elected as Vice Chairs from September 2022 for a term of one year.

OC would look at governor responsibilities and set out responsibilities for the new roles.

MW had written to advise that she would step down as a parent governor from the end of the school term. SG’s term as a parent governor would end in December and therefore governors noted that there would be a parent governor election to fill the two parent governor vacancies in the autumn term.

SC’s role as a staff governor would end in early September and the Headteacher said that all staff were aware of the role. Workload and work life balance presented a challenge to staff offering themselves for election. The Headteacher would arrange a staff governor election in September 2022.

The board was still carrying a vacancy for a co-opted governor. It was agreed to carry this vacancy until the election of 2 parent governors in the autumn term when following an appraisal of the skill set of board, OC would progress recruitment for the last co-opted governor space.

Headteacher’s PM

It was agreed that RK would attend and she would contact JD to see if he could attend. RM advised that he could attend in the morning.

34.6

Headteacher’s report to governors: Summer Term 2022

This had been uploaded to GovernorHub in advance of the meeting.

KS1 SATS had taken place which together with teacher assessment had produced unvalidated data relating to children who met age related expectations. The Headteacher reported that writing was the weakest area and this was the case amongst neighbouring schools. 71% of children had met ARE in maths and 73% in reading.

There was a new curriculum in foundation stage and the DfE had advised that comparisons should not be made.

A governor challenged about attendance noting that the school was in the bottom 20% of schools. The governor wanted to know whether this was because infant age children were catching many illnesses after lock-down. KM said that this was one reason and also a number of children had been absent from school visiting families in other countries once the world had opened up.

KM said that she had received a number of questions from MaW, the link governor for SEND relating to the SEND report questions. These included questions about the arrangements for any child who was not able to access the national curriculum. KM provided governors with details as to arrangements for children who were not able to access the national curriculum and the role of the Educational Psychologist in terms of supporting the school to understanding the progress that such children made.

It was noted that whilst any Ofsted inspector would only look at validated data, soft data was important in terms of enriching the story.

A governor questioned whether there was a breakdown of EAL children who also had SEND. KM would provide the data for EAL and SEND. KM said that EAL was not always linked to SEN and some children had speech therapy because they were being brought up bi-lingual.

A governor asked whether the school complied with the government requirement from September 2023 on the length of the school day. The Headteacher said the school needed to extend the day by 5 minutes and would need to consult parents. A meeting with junior school headteachers would take place to discuss.

GOVERNOR CHALLENGE

A governor asked the Headteacher if she was expecting attendance to drop towards the end of term. The Headteacher said this was a possibility and she had received a number of requests for leave of absence but it was the parents who did not request leave of absence who were the concern.

Governors reviewed the further analysis of persistent absence. Pre COVID there was 0% persistent absence for children who qualified for FSM.  Governors were pleased to note persistent absence post COVID was reducing and was now 25.8%. The Headteacher said that she had attended a DfE webinar where schools had shared what they were doing to reduce persistent absence and this confirmed the school was already doing everything it could. This was exemplified by the anonymised case studies which were shared on screen detailing the comprehensive actions to reduce persistent absence.

Any child who was persistently late to school, arriving after the register had closed, also impacted on data as it showed as an unauthorised absence.

Governors noted that persistent absence could be a safeguarding issue and where appropriate the school referred families to early help support.

The Headteacher’s report had referenced that DSL training was being restricted to 2 staff being trained. A governor expressed concern as to whether this enabled the school to have sufficient staff trained.  KM said that she had enquired and as long as training was provided on a rotation of 2 years, the school was able to have sufficient staff trained to cover all areas of the school.  Governors said that this could be escalated if it created an issue. KM said it whilst SMBC training was robust, it was also important to access complimentary training from other sources.

A governor asked if SMBC provided safeguarding training for governors. A governor advised that there was a Governor for Schools webinar on KCSIE available.

Governors agreed JD would take over safeguarding role from MW. JD had already been shadowing MW for the past year.

It was agreed to add a declaration to GovernorHub for governors to complete regarding Prevent training. KM would advise the Clerk of the wording to be added.

Governors had a discussion regarding parent partnership which had seen 15 families attend, and it was agreed to consider the most appropriate venue for future meetings.

A governor asked about withdrawals during the autumn term. The staff governor said this was often when children got a place at their preferred school.

A governor questioned if a review took place to ascertain if 1:1 support was still required for any child. The Headteacher confirmed yes, and said that the recruitment underway related to children with high level of support. A governor asked if the school was encountering issues recruiting staff. KM said 3 of the 5 candidates shortlisted had been successful in other positions and had therefore withdrawn their applications.

Following a successful audit, GDPR activities were green, and governors noted thanks to Mrs O’Malley who was focused on ensuring the green status was maintained.

34.7

Governing Body monitoring – reports from governors

This was not discussed.

34.8

Adoption of policies

The following policies were adopted:

Capability

Disciplinary

Guidance for line managers

34.9

Confidential Items

Pay Review Status.

34.10

AOB

OC had proposed governing body meeting dates for 2022/23.

It was agreed that the meeting on November 23^rd would move to November 30^th and therefore the meeting dates for the autumn term were:

28 September

2 November

30 November – Full Governing Board

The meeting dates for 2022/23 were available on GovernorHub and the Clerk would add them to the calendar over the summer.

The SBM advised the front door needed to be replaced. It had previously been repaired and the repair had been failed. The replacement would be approximately £4.5K, and asked whether governors would approve moving to 3 quotes. Governors agreed the importance of safeguarding and the need to have a secure front door and authorised the SBM to obtain 3 quotes.

Governors thanked MW for her support as parent governor over the last 4 years particularly for the work she had done with the SBM on finance. The Clerk would remove MW from GovernorHub at the end of term.

34.11

Meeting of the Pay Committee to consider one pay review

[DY left the meeting at 8.20pm.]

34.12

Date of next meeting – Wednesday 28 September 2022 at 7pm via Teams

Termination of Meeting

Minute Item

Outcomes

32.3

Governors approved the minutes of the Full Governing Body meeting on 4 May 2022 as a true and accurate record of the meeting and OC would sign the minutes on GovernorHub.

Minute ref: BFGBM140522.1

32.7

There was currently 1 co-opted vacancy and it in line with skills requirements, it was agreed that OC should recruit a co-opted governor with finance experience.

Minute ref: BFGBM140522.2

It was agreed that the once a term statutory meeting would be held in person at school with other meetings taking place online via Teams.

Minute ref: BFGBM140522.3

RK would put together a letter to staff before the staff governor election in September.

Minute ref: BFGBM140522.4

32.8

Governors agreed that for the in-person meeting on Wednesday 6 July election of Chair and Vice Chair (secret ballot) would be added to the agenda. Governors were asked to consider nominating themselves for Chair / Vice Chair or Co Chair before this meeting.

Minute ref: BFGBM140522.5

The Headteacher would invite the SIA to this meeting.

Minute ref: BFGBM140522.6

32.9

It was agreed that RK, OC, JD and SG would complete the GoverorHub health check on behalf of the board. OC would co-ordinate.

Minute ref: BFGBM140522.62

32.1

Welcome and Apologies for Absence

The meeting was chaired by OC who welcomed governors to the meeting which was held in person. Apologies for absence had been received from SC who had personal commitments and from MW who had work commitments.

32.2

Declaration of Pecuniary Interests for this meeting (Changes / Updates)

There were no changes to declared interests. 

32.3

Minutes of Full Governing Body Meeting 4 May 2022

Governors approved the minutes of the Full Governing Body meeting on 4 May 2022 as a true and accurate record of the meeting and OC would sign the minutes on GovernorHub.

32.4

Matters arising from the minutes

There were no matters arising.

32.5

Vision / reviewing values updated (RK)

OC outlined the background to this meeting. At the start of the school year, governors had reviewed the vision of the school and then consulted with key stakeholders including staff, children via the school council and parents. Positive feedback had been received from all parties and governors were particularly keen to include those key words about which the children had been passionate.

GOVERNOR CHALLENGE

Governors reviewed the current mission statement current and the draft revision. Governors unanimously agreed to adopt the suggested statement.

OC had also simplified the vision. One governor noted that there should be reference to the inclusive environment – EAL and SEND. The Headteacher advised there should be reference to life-long learning and a reference to the school providing children with foundation or building blocks. A governor suggested the addition of the sentence ‘regardless of background or starting point’.

It was agreed that tolerance, acceptance, compassion and respect needed to be reflected in the values.

A governor asked if it was possible to link what the children have said to the values – their actual learning.

A governor said that it made sense to use children’s language on the school website. The average literacy age for adults for age 11, and many parents did not have English as their first language.

The following key points were noted:

• Reference to Blossomfield family (community)
• Discussion about the environment – respecting their environment (school, resources) as well as being a global citizen
• Link values to core vision

Governors had a discussion about how the values were displayed on the school website, which led to a conversation about ensuring accessibility for the prospectus which may require a change of font. It was acknowledged that this would add to the Headteachers current workload and the focus at this meeting was the work regarding ‘values’.

32.6

Skills audit update / board structure (RK)

RK had uploaded the document to GovernorHub and this was shared on screen.

Overall, it was noted that the board had a number of strengths. The areas for improvement included succession planning for Chair and Vice Chair.

Rotating the chair of each meeting had been useful. It was also noted that workload could be shared between Chair and rest of board.

Considering the expiry of governors’ terms of office, it was agreed important to ensure backfill experience particularly relating to Finance experience. One suggestion was to buddy up with key roles on the board.

32.7

Potential board recruitment – gaps to fill (OC)

There was currently 1 co-opted vacancy and it in line with skills requirements, it was agreed that OC should recruit a co-opted governor with finance experience.

There would be 2 parent governor vacancies in November 2022 which would require an election.

Governors discussed the format of future meetings for the next academic year. It was agreed that the once a term statutory meeting would be held in person at school with other meetings taking place online via Teams. Governors noted the importance of ensuring confidentiality was maintained and it was agreed that the vote for Chair and Vice Chair would take place in person via a secret ballot.

SC who was currently staff governor term of office ended in September. Governors were keen that aspirational leaders were encouraged to apply for the staff governor role. RK would put together a letter to staff before the staff governor election in September.

32.8

Discuss merits of input from School Improvement Advisor if required (Jul/Sep)

Governors agreed that for the in-person meeting on Wednesday 6 July election of Chair and Vice Chair (secret ballot) would be added to the agenda. Governors were asked to consider nominating themselves for Chair / Vice Chair or Co Chair before this meeting.

The Headteacher would invite the SIA to this meeting.

32.9

Health check on GovernorHub to be completed

It was agreed that RK, OC, JD and SG would complete on behalf of the board. OC would co-ordinate.

31.10

Update on the Governors’ section of the SDP on GovernorHub (OC)

This was shared on screen. OC said that she was confident that actions were underway or had been completed and all was on track.

The SDP would be revisited in September on an inset day. Governors to consider in advance what actions should replace those which had been completed.

31.11

Confidential Items

None.

31.12

Date of next meeting – Wednesday 22 June 2022 at 7pm online via Teams

This meeting would have a finance focus.

Termination of Meeting

The meeting closed at 7.35pm.

Minute Item

Outcomes

31.3

Governors approved the minutes of the Full Governing Body meeting on 30 March 2022 as a true and accurate record of the meeting and JD would sign the minutes on GovernorHub.

Minute ref: BFGBM040522.1

31.6

Governors approved the move from SMBC to DRB for the auditing of the school fund and Friends of Blossomfield bank accounts with effect from July 2022.

Minute ref: BFGBM040522.2

SBM to advise governors if she was aware that any other school had moved to DRB.

Minute ref: BFGBM040522.3

31.7

Governors were reminded that every subject should have a governor conversation between now and end of June. Governors should contact linked staff to arrange a suitable time for a catch up.

Minute ref: BFGBM040522.4

31.8

Governors approved the following policies:

Attendance

Educational visits

Charging & Remissions (removal of £100 cap for PP children and use of professional judgement instead)

Minute ref: BFGBM040522.5

Follow up with asking external providers to provide free places for children who the school identified.

Minute ref: BFGBM040522.6

31.9

Ensure that any discussions that relate to safeguarding matters are reflected in the minutes more clearly.

Minute ref: BFGBM040522.7;

31.1

Welcome and Apologies for Absence

The meeting was chaired by JD who welcomed governors to the meeting which was held via Teams. Apologies for absence had been received from SG and SH who had personal commitments.

31.2

Declaration of Pecuniary Interests for this meeting (Changes / Updates)

There were no changes to declared interests. 

31.3

Minutes of Full Governing Body Meeting 30 March 2022

Governors approved the minutes of the Full Governing Body meeting on 30 March 2022 as a true and accurate record of the meeting and JD would sign the minutes on GovernorHub.

31.4

Matters arising from the minutes

There were no matters arising.

31.5

Teaching & Learning update – focus Early Reading

JD warmly welcomed TR who had joined the meeting to provide an update on early reading.

TR shared her screen with a presentation on reading and phonics at Blossomfield.

Last year delivery of a recovery curriculum, timetables had been adapted to ensure that phonics was taught twice daily and prioritised to recover lost learning.

Feedback from parents was that they were grateful for phonics teaching provided online. Many parents of EAL children said it had helped their reading and phonics understanding. It had also flagged inconsistency across year groups and whole school needed to improve. The Dfe reading framework published July 2021 and all teachers identified lowest 20% of readers and interventions put in place to support children. DfE also introduced a valid phonics programme list.

In October 2021, the Headteacher and TR observed phonics and reading in Reception and Year 1 at Little Sutton Primary School who were 5 years into their reading journey. Consistency was a strength and had a positive impact on phonics and reading journey. The scheme used, Little Wandle required a lot of staff resource and teachers read with children 3 times a week.

Achieving consistency at Blossomfield was a high priority and CPD was disseminated to all staff on phonics. Letters and sounds planning was adapted in each year group, interventions were personalised for individual children.  

All lessons followed the same order and were modelled by the teacher.

The lowest 20% of readers had been identified by teachers and the Little Sutton model had been adopted. Day 1 was focused on decoding, day 2 prosody and day 3 comprehension. All children read at the same time so were all getting more practice. This had been challenging for staff because it was a real skill to tune into one child when all children read at the same time.

To support this, TR provided 3 videos for staff which was a scripted 3 day plan. TR would be introducing with the reading volunteers to ensure they were aware of the strategies.

The SIA visit on 14 March 2022 had been very positive with comments on consistency across the school, learning environments were well resourced and well thought out, teaching in phonics and reading was strong, TA deployment was effective and lowest 20% of readers were well supported with individualised interventions and reading was a high priority subject. The feedback was that there was a real celebration of reading.

A deep dive during an Ofsted visit would involve discussions with senior leads and curriculum leaders, visits to sample of lessons, scrutiny of work, discussion with teachers and pupils.

What’s next?

1. Floppy’s Phonics was the preferred programme for phonics and a meeting with Oxford University Press had been arranged regarding training and opportunities.
2. Continue with team approach for leading phonics and English which had worked well this year
3. A reading policy had been written and would be shared with governors in due course
4. Reading and phonics would continue as a priority in the SDP

The Headteacher had confirmed that the scheme Floppy’s Phonics had been chosen based on the book stock in school. Targeting resources where most needed to will mean a continued focus on lowest 20%. Historically, the school had obtained good results with phonics.   Currently, the success of lowest 20% was inspiring to watch. Both staff and parents had commented positively on the impact that it had. In many cases, it had changed children’s attitudes and made reading enjoyable for those who had previously been resistant.

The Headteacher said that Blossomfield Childcare had been involved and any children who attended Childcare had extra reading and any spare capacity with childcare staff would support the foundation stage class. The lowest 20% of children were also very keen to show the Headteacher their progress and how well they could read, when they read with her every Friday.

GOVERNOR CHALLENGE

A governor asked how the new phonics focus was interacting with the children who are EAL. The governor also wanted to know if the highest achievers had seen a benefit for example those children in year 2 who are reading chapter books.

TR said the phonics focus had provided children with confidence at whatever point they were at and a boost to their self-esteem who wanted to move on and use strategies they had been taught.

In terms of EAL children, every display in classroom had a picture that supported the phoneme, diagraph or trigraph. There had been an impact on each group of learners.

The Headteacher said data showed EAL learners were some of the highest achievers by end of KS1, and were well supported at home. More able readers were writing their own books, which had been showcased in assembly and children take pride in their achievements.

SC outlined that one child who was in the lowest 20% and EAL had arrived in Reception with very little English and a reluctant speaker and had blossomed as part of the focus on the lowest 20%. The child’s parents were fully supportive and it was wonderful to see how the child’s confidence had blossomed and now conversing with the teacher.

The Headteacher said some SEND children did not have the language required for reading. KM said there was support provided for pre verbal children in reading and helping them to communicate and have resources and support in place to do this.  Teachers also able to identify whether any children have issues that require further investigation.

Governors thanked TR for attending and TR then left the meeting.

31.6

Auditors for School Fund and Friends of Blossomfield bank accounts

The SBM had emailed governors on 26 April with a proposal to change the auditors of the school fund and Friends of Blossomfield bank accounts.

In the last school year, governors had agreed that SMBC would conduct the audits and this had been completed in July 2021. The SBM proposed moving away from the council and handing the accounts to DRB who were a reputable company who provided audits for schools and which would provide a significant cost saving - £180 per account compared to £350 charged by SMBC. DRB would be impartial in the same way as SMBC. The Headteacher advised that evidence was that SMBC did not always provide best value; this was also the case for quotes which had been received relating to property services. The Headteacher was currently reviewing all services that SMBC provided and whether any like for like alternatives existed at a cheaper price.

GOVERNOR CHALLENGE

A governor who had financial expertise said the bank account reconciliation was not highly technical work and independence was important. Last year SMBC had been the safe and obvious choice however the governor believed that there was not sufficient risk or complexity about moving the work to a commercial firm.

Another governor asked if any other schools had moved to DRB. The Headteacher said the SBM would be best placed to answer this.

Governors approved the move from SMBC to DRB for the auditing of the school fund and Friends of Blossomfield bank accounts with effect from July 2022.

31.7

Governing Body monitoring – reports from governors

MaW said that she had attended two meetings with KM to discuss SEND, and the first was to provide an overview of how SEND operated in school. Today, MaW had been in school to focus on needs- based plans and would have a further meeting in June on transition. At that time, MaW and KM would discuss whether termly or half termly meetings were appropriate.

Governors were reminded that every subject should have a governor conversation between now and end of June. Governors should contact linked staff to arrange a suitable time for a catch up.

31.8

Adoption of policies

Educational Visits (safeguarding)

This was an SMBC policy. KM said Evolve was a portal and planning system. The Headteacher could approve a residential visit. It also covered day trips and visits, usually with transport and a group of children which also needed approval from Headteacher. Finally, forest school visits in the local area and repeated visits were included.

OC had volunteered as an educational visit governor. JD said that he was also happy to support and was familiar with the Evolve portal from his school. Governors approved the policy.

Attendance Policy (safeguarding)

SMBC had not issued a new policy since 2018. The Headteacher said SMBC were very aware that they needed to issue an updated attendance policy. Following a review, the Headteacher said the current policy was not comprehensive enough given the focus on attendance and therefore the school, in liaison with CSAWs, had made some amendments.

JD said that he had had a meeting at school in February 2022 regarding attendance, the school listen to and empathise with families but do not tolerate lateness or absence. This was a whole team effort.

Governors approved the policy.

Charging & Remissions

This was a school policy. KM asked governors to consider whether it was still appropriate to have a maximum limit of £100 for PP children.  A governor asked for details. KM said this amount was to cover sundry items for enrichment and to ensure that PP had opportunity to attend after school clubs. Funds had been spent on book bags, water bottles, school shoes, uniform. The governor questioned why a cap had been applied because the focus should be on closing the gap between PP and other children.

A governor noted there was a difference between basic requirements such as uniform and ‘nice to have’ e.g., dance classes.

The Headteacher said there were other avenues to pursue for uniform and not much cost was attributed to uniform. In the past, there had been no reason for go above £100. Educational visits had separate guidance for PP so £100 cap was to support parents with enrichment out of school hours. A governor said specify cap for extra curriculum that were not required in school hours. Another governor said they would rather teachers used their professional judgement rather than having an artificial cap.

A governor asked about parent contact and how aware teachers were about circumstances of the family. KM said most staff were aware of the availability and there were some children who KM would approach parents to make them aware of the opportunity. The Headteacher said some children with HAF funding did not turn up to holiday club and staff had to contact parents.

A governor suggested that the external providers could be asked to provide free places for children who the school identified. This was often the case in the commercial sector. The Headteacher confirmed that this would be followed up.

A governor asked about children whose parents could not afford after school activities. KM said that teachers knew children well and would identify if they would benefit from a particular club and was aware of family circumstances where needed to support the family.

KM said that HAF was a national initiative with specific criteria which was different from PP.

Governors approved the Charging & Remissions policy with the removal of the £100 cap for PP children and instead to apply professional judgement.

31.9

AOB

MaW said that she had attended safeguarding and child protection training which advised that all governor meetings should have safeguarding as an agenda item.

Governors advised that the board had moved away from committees and all governors attended all meetings. Governing boards were only required by statute to hold one meeting per term. However, governors noted that whilst they had not discussed safeguarding per se, the policies they had discussed related to safeguarding and it was agreed that any such discussions should be reflected in the minutes more clearly.

31.10

Confidential Items

None.

31.11

Date of next meeting – Wednesday 18 May 2022 at 6pm in person at school

SDP

Leadership priorities

SG, JD and RK would liaise about the agenda.

Termination of Meeting

The meeting closed at 8.30pm.

Minute Item

Outcomes

30.3

With one amendment, governors approved the minutes of the Full Governing Body meeting on 3 March and the Extraordinary Full Governing Body meeting on 15 March 2022 and the Chair of Governors would sign both sets of minutes on GovernorHub.

Minute ref: BFGBM150322.1

30.5

Governors approved option 1 and a 3% increase to the Before/After School Club hourly rate, and an increase from £19.50 to £22 a day for the “school hours” Holiday Club price. The new price for holiday club is effective from the summer holiday club and the 3% hourly increase from 1^st September 2022.

Minute ref: BFGBM150322.2

30.6

Governors approved the move to Education Mutual for all staff apart from lunchtime supervisors.

Minute ref: BFGBM150322.3

30.7

Governors approved the 2022/23 budget. The SBM would update the budget to include “wishlist” items. The current financial position of the school would be reviewed by Governors at the same as scrutinising the quotes for the works.

Minute ref: BFGBM150322.4

30.13

At the meeting on 18 May governors would provide an update on the governance targets embedded in the Headteacher’s report.

Minute ref: BFGBM150322.5

30.1

Welcome and Apologies for Absence

The meeting was chaired by SG who welcomed governors to the meeting which was held both in person and via Teams for RK and SH. Apologies for absence were received from JD who had personal commitments and the Clerk who was ill. Notes were taken by OC and passed to the Clerk for formatting into minutes.

30.2

Declaration of Pecuniary Interests for this meeting (Changes / Updates)

There were no changes to declared interests. 

30.3

Minutes of Full Governing Body Meeting 3 March and Extraordinary Full Governing Body Meeting 15 March 2022

An amendment was requested to the Full Governing Body meeting minutes in 23.1 to remove the sentence “A governor that noted the importance of consistency etc…”.

With this amendment, governors approved the minutes of the Full Governing Body meeting on 3 March and the Extraordinary Full Governing Body meeting on 15 March 2022 and the Chair of Governors would sign both sets of minutes on GovernorHub.

30.4

Matters arising from the minutes

There were no matters arising.

30.5

Approval of fee increase for Blossomfield Childcare

The SBM had tabled options on the proposed increase which were available on GovernorHub.

The school recommendation was for Option 1, which was a 3% increase to the Before/After School Club hourly rate, and an increase from £19.50 to £22 a day for the “school hours” Holiday Club price (full Holiday Club Day price remains as it currently is.

It was suggested looking at increase to Holiday Club in time for summer holidays 2022, but the other increases would come into effect in September 2022.

Governors approved option 1 and a 3% increase to the Before/After School Club hourly rate, and an increase from £19.50 to £22 a day for the “school hours” Holiday Club price.

30.6

Approval of staff absence insurance for 2022/23

The SBM advised that the school currently have SAS insurance as recommended by SMBC but this has become more expensive over the years and customer service has declined.

A new mutual, Education Mutual, had come online which lots of Academies nationally used and recommended, and is DfE endorsed. Although they are a mutual, they do have an insurance system which means that the risk is minimised.

With SAS, under the current cover, the school needs to provide evidence of staff absence having a consequence in terms of school outlay to cover that person – in that respect, the insurance could cover only the core staff who are mostly classroom-based and who would need to be covered.

The school recommendation was to switch to Education Mutual for this year and review in a year. Education Mutual do not ask for evidence of staff absence pay out before the insurance kicks in. School has never previously needed to claim the full amount of insurance that they have paid into the system.

GOVERNOR CHALLENGE

A governor questioned why SMBC did not endorse Education Mutual. The governor wanted to know if full cover was required for all staff, rather than just the core staff.

The SBM said that she had spoken to SMBC and her view was they were not aware of how the market had moved and changed in the recent past. The SBM had enquired of other schools (outside Solihull) and other authorities to find what they were doing. The Headteacher said that she was reassured by the fact that Education Mutual is endorsed by DfE. The SBM advised that cover is not needed for all staff – some schools choose not to have absence insurance in place at all, although this is not something she would advise for Blossomfield.

Governors approved the move to Education Mutual for all staff apart from lunchtime supervisors.

30.7

Approval of 2022/23 budget

It was noted that this was the first post pandemic budget. The school had good cost control, embedded across school and reserves are healthy at this point.

The SBM said that she had created a skeleton budget and a wishlist of items that school would like approved by governors. The budget was tight and has been stripped back to the bare minimum. Staffing was currently at the minimum needed to ensure the provision the school would like to give for all children attending.

GOVERNOR CHALLENGE

A governor expressed concern about the school being at skeleton staff.

The SBM said that school had not replaced the current 3 people who have left nor included in the budget and would like to suggest inclusion of a new TA contract to be offered to a current member of staff on a fixed term contract that expires at the end of August 2022. The annualised cost would be around £20k.

A governor mentioned that the 3 year forecast seemed more balanced compared to the previous 3 year forecast governors had seen. The Head Teacher explained this might be down to a change in Financial Advisor at SMBC.

Catch Up / Recovery funding

Current year 2 children have been identified as the year group most at risk by the DfE, and this cohort would leave Blossomfield at the end of the summer term. This left the current Y1 children who still need support. The SBM said that £4.3k remained for catch-up with the Y1s in the academic year 22/23, but this had not accounted for a break in provision with different tutors from National Tutoring Programme. Governors noted that the school would like to add some funding in from reserves to supplement the funding from the Government for the NTP tutor, and keep the same tutor which would cost just under £1,900.

A governor challenged what evidence school had that the children make progress with the NTP sessions.

The Headteacher said that teachers could see progress in the children’s abilities, and abilities to learn. “Expected progress” was a contentious term given that we are still in a recovery period, but the children were making noticeable progress with their NTP sessions and the teachers had noticed the impact by the end of Autumn term.

The current Catch Up teacher’s contract ends on 31 August 2022 and was not currently in the budget to be renewed because there was no longer any funding available.

Currently the budget did not allow for flexible resource for someone who can do nurturing and support children who are in crisis or need extra help, which was included existed in previous budgets. The Headteacher said they had already identified someone who was currently within school and was doing further training (HTLA). This extra staff member: £20k fully costed salary TA.

A governor questioned if the individual was doing an HLTA, did they need to be appointed at this level and was there a risk they might find alternative employment at another school.

The Headteacher said not and that school had supported the member through all training, but has always been on fixed term contracts which have rolled on from each other. The individual might go elsewhere, but the offer at Blossomfield would not be an HLTA-level contract.

School wishlist for Governors to approve adding into the skeleton 22/23 budget:

• Catering:

The school currently bought into the SMBC catering contract but from September 2022 this contract would no longer cover any repairs or replacements to catering equipment within the kitchen. School had generated spend of an average of £1,800 per year on kitchen items, but this has been covered by SMBC until now but would not be from September. The SBM advised that the budget did not contain any provision for replacing kitchen equipment, as items in the kitchen were relatively new and in good condition. The SBM suggested that no catering equipment provision be put into the budget, but that reserves would need to be used if replacement items were needed. The school contract with the SMBC catering expired in August 2023 and that point school would look at comparative quotes.

• Monarch:

The school would ideally like to set aside funds to pay Monarch to cover Lindsey Mason’s release time which was £3k. This could no longer be covered by senior management.

• Canopy Roof:

The canopy roof outside Childcare was not currently in the budget. This would cost £8.5k for the actual structure and there would also be landscaping and tarmac required for the adjacent grassy area which was another £8k.

• Tarmac by Elm classroom:

Resurfacing the outdoor area outside Elm class is needed, as the ground had become uneven and contained loose stones. In addition, there is currently no step-free access into that side of school. School would like to have this area tarmacked over so that there was a very gradual gradient into that space, and remove all steps and loose stones. The cost of this work is estimated at £9k.

A governor noted that in terms of accessibility, the space outside Elm was potentially dangerous and has step-only access so was inaccessible for those in wheelchair or with mobility issues. In comparison, the Outdoor Classroom outside Childcare was not as accessibility issue.

The Headteacher said that the Outdoor Classroom next to Childcare was an extra resource which would benefit the children. It would also positively impact the parents who contribute to childcare. It was suggested that a business case existed to make the investment, as it impacted the Childcare setting which in turn adds to the financial contribution available to school. In addition, it was explained that due to the layout of the school, if a child needed step free access, there would already be classrooms that were suitable in other parts of the school. A child would not be negatively impacted by not being able to access pod 3.

• Internal doors:

Estimated a cost of £3k per set (3 sets to replace). These are the double doors either side of the hall plus the doors by the Head Teacher’s office. Total estimated cost of £9k.

• Other smaller items:

Medical liaison programme - £46 a month – helps with notifying parents as well keeping records in a more efficient and GDPR compliant way.

Replacement of window locks which were currently unpredictable. £1k estimated cost.

Replacement of laminated sheets for professional signage – estimated at £750

Rolling replacement of fences – about £2k

Rolling maintenance and painting – about £3k

Mural on external wall by the school office – estimated at £800.

Total wishlist: £66k or thereabouts

There were a number of governor questions on the 2022/23 budget:

What can be taken out of the budget that was not child centred? Answer: not really anything

Can we defer any of the costs into another year? Are we spending too much this particular year?

Answer: everything is about investing in the school for the next 15 to 20 years. Delaying the spend would lead to higher prices for the work, due to inflation, particularly on timber and steel.

It was noted that by spending this money in the first year, there would be less flexibility of using reserves in future years.

A governor asked why the deficit in the 3 year forecast was so high by Y3 of the forecast.

The SBM explained that the reason that the deficit was so high in year 3 was due to the increase in staff costs and no current budget increase in the school’s income from central government.

A governor wanted to know if any of the investments / choices of spending fell into areas on the school access plan.

The Headteacher said not and explained prior to the school redevelopment in 2017, the school was going to receive a child who had a severe disability which would have required a lift in that Pod 3 (the area where currently there is no step-free access). That child never came to the school so this investment was not made. The school was currently set up that a child with accessibility issues could be educated from Nursery through to y2 without needing to come to the Pod 3 area which is currently inaccessible.

The SBM said that she would like to put all these “wishlist” items in the budget and revise it when we get updated quotes for the bigger investments which need governor approval. The Headteacher’s delegation allowed her to approve items under £5,000, but above that, the SBM will come back to Governors with updated quotes.

This course of action was approved by Governors. The 2022/23 budget was approved.

30.8

Headteacher’s report to governors

This had been uploaded to GovernorHub in advance of the meeting.

Governors had a discussion around Persistent Absence as there was a significant numbers of persistent absence in the Spring 1 and 2 term because of Covid absences. A large (relative to previous years) number of families who have missed out on seeing extended families during the pandemic had taken children out of school to go see them, and the expectation was that this might continue in this academic year.

GOVERNOR CHALLENGE

A governor questioned whether the implementation of the Persistent Absence policy (chasing up, letters, fines) despite the context of the pandemic had led to any negative feedback from the parents involved.

The headteacher said not and there had been understanding on both sides. School understood that families haven’t seen each other for 2 years, but parents also understand that school needed to enforce the law.

KM gave an overview to complement the safeguarding report, and explained MyConcern to new governors.

GOVERNOR CHALLENGE

A governor asked for more explanation of peer-on-peer abuse.

KM explained this was any interaction between two pupils. KM also explained that children who are SEND and PP are also identified on the system even if governors did not see this level of detail which enabled staff to triangulate the information they had and identify any specific concerns or risks.

The school was working on recognising the children who could be classed as Young Carers in school and Jen Pierssenne (Family Mentor) was leading on this piece of work and working with the parents concerned.

30.9

Governing Body monitoring – reports from governors

Monitoring reports were in the folder on GovernorHub and governors confirmed they had been read.

30.10

Adoption of Policies

Complaints Policy – no changes

DfE best practice was to review the complaints policy we need to update it annually and re-approve it and upload it to the website with the updated date and signature. It would need to be revisited in June 2023.

30.11

AOB

The SBM advised that the Oracle finance software was being updated in June but may lead to some delays with Outturns due to the system upgrade.

Governors were advised that the assets register was now complete and will be updated to GovernorHub. It will need to be reviewed annually.

RK asked that all Governors return the completed skills audit as soon as possible.

The Chair updated that since the last meeting two other staff have asked for exceptional leave based on the criteria set out on the last Governing Body meeting minutes. These have been approved by the Headteacher on this basis.

30.12

Confidential Items

None.

30.13

Date of next meeting – Wednesday 4 May 2022 at 6pm online

The next meeting was online on 4 May – focus would be Early Reading with invitation for subject lead Tracey Rae.

The following meeting was on 18 May and would be skills / vision / development focus. In the Headteacher’s report, the School Improvement Advisor has suggested doing a session with governors about their effectiveness and it was suggested this could take place on 18 May.

It was agreed the Headteacher will check and report back. It was also agreed that the Governors would provide an update on the governance targets embedded in the Headteacher’s report.

Termination of Meeting

The meeting closed at 8.32pm.

Minute Item

Outcomes

29.3

Governors approved the installation of a MUGA and authorised the SBM to proceed with the quote from Fawn for £27.9k.

Minute ref: BFGBM150322.1

29.1

Welcome and Apologies for Absence

This Extraordinary Governing Body meeting was called to discuss quotations which had been received for the MUGA. Due to the daily increases in the prices of steel, quotes were only valid for 14 days and therefore a decision needed to be made before the next Full Board meeting on 30 March.

The meeting was chaired by SG who welcomed governors to the meeting which was held via Zoom. Apologies for absence were received from SC who had work commitments, for MaW who was attending governor training and for RM who had pre-arranged activities.  MW did not attend the meeting.

29.2

Declaration of Pecuniary Interests for this meeting (Changes / Updates)

There were no changes to declared interests. 

29.3

Review of quotes

The SBM thanked governors for attending, and explained that there was a very slim window of opportunity to use different funding sources to install a MUGA (multi use games arena) on the field near to the reception classrooms.

The SBM said that it was planned that Sports Premium funding from 2021/22 would form part of funding which would expire on 31 July and if underspent would have to be returned to the government. This was also a time pressure. Sports Premium funds from 2022/23 would also be used towards the MUGA.

The School Council had asked on multiple occasions for a MUGA. Playing football on the playground was disruptive and the field was too wet to use for all but the summer months.

The SBM had obtained quotes for a MUGA based synthetic grass astro turf with drainage and enclosed with a 2m steel fence. It would measure 8m x 15m and be a substantial area for ball games. The metal fencing was also impacting on time pressures. Due to current global circumstances, steel costs were increasing every 72 hours. For this reason, some companies had declined to quote for a steel fence. Fawn, which was the school’s recommended company had provided a quote valid for 14 days.

The SBM explained that the current circumstances had made obtaining 3 quotes impossible. Fawn had installed Dickens Heath’s MUGA the SBM had visited with Rachel Lee, the PE lead and been very impressed. The supplier had been vetted and was on the government approved outdoor network.

The SBM had contacted a number of other companies and some would not install on grass. Some would only install on tarmac.

A telephone quote from Soft Services had been received who had advised based on the specification, their quote would be in the region of £40k.

The SBM said that she fully appreciated that governors did not have 3 robust quotes but the reasons were valid relating to installation on grass and the volatility of steel prices.

GOVERNOR CHALLENGE

A governor asked if 3 quotes were required by SMBC. The SBM said because Fawn had been through the government framework, she had been advised that one quote was sufficient.

A governor queried about the installation timescale and if there was a risk the price would increase between now and when the MUGA was installed. The SBM said the price would be fixed if agreed before the deadline and would be installed during summer term. The company would be flexible in invoicing the school to reflect the different funding streams.

A governor wanted to know if the PTA funds had originally been earmarked for any other purpose. The SBM said the PTA had originally fund raised for the library refurbishment. The Headteacher said the PTA were very keen to spend the funds on something that would be visible to the children and parents and benefit the school community and wider community. The SBM said the PTA would have money left over to go towards the library refurbishment. Now that COVID restrictions had lifted, the PTA’s ability to fund raise would be increased.

A governor asked about the wider business opportunity of a MUGA. The Headteacher said there was a market but believed the MUGA was about provision for the community and enrichment for the children. As the MUGA would be external to the school, it would not require a site manager to be present for lettings for community use.

A governor noted that it would increase the marketability of the school and that it had been mentioned by the School Council when the governor had been into school.

A governor questioned whether there were any long-term maintenance costs associated with the MUGA. The SBM said the astro turf had a 10-year guarantee and the steel fence had a 15-year guarantee and the 2m high fence should prevent any animals or wildlife straying onto the surface.

Governors approved the installation of a MUGA and authorised the SBM to proceed with the quote from Fawn for £27.9k.

28.12

Confidential Items

None.

Date of next meeting – Wednesday 30 March 2022 at 6pm in person at school

(Full Board meeting – chaired by SG)

Termination of Meeting

The meeting closed at 7.22pm.

Minute Item

Outcomes

28.3

Governors approved the minutes of the meeting held on 2 February 2022 as a true and accurate record of the meeting and the Chair would sign them on GovernorHub.

Minute ref: BFGBM03032.1

28.6

With the amendment to replace reference to Resources to Full Board, governors approved the purchasing policy.

Minute ref: BFGBM03032.2

28.7

The SBM would provide a 3% and 5% increase for before and after school costs and email the model to governors to enable them to review prior to governors formally approving at the Full Board meeting on 30 March.

Minute ref: BFGBM03032.3

28.8

The SFVS was approved by governors and the SBM would submit to SMBC.

Minute ref: BFGBM03032.4

28.10

Governors approved the EDG alarm contract.

Minute ref: BFGBM03032.5

28.1

Welcome and Apologies for Absence

This meeting was chaired by SG who welcomed governors to the meeting which was held via Zoom. Apologies for absence were received from JD who had work commitments and for RK who was unwell.

28.2

Declaration of Pecuniary Interests for this meeting (Changes / Updates)

There were no changes to declared interests. 

28.3

Approval of the minutes of meeting held on 2 February 2022

Governors approved the minutes of the meeting held on 2 February 2022 as a true and accurate record of the meeting and the Chair would sign them on GovernorHub.

28.4

Matters arising from the minutes

There were no matters arising.

28.5

January 2022 outturn

The school outturn was shared on the screen and governors were advised that finances were tracking in line with expectations.

As discussed at the last meeting, the staff toilet refurbishment would take place during the Easter holidays and therefore this premises spend would move into 2022/23.

£95K of reserves would be used which was less than budgeted.

The SBM advised that 1.75% relating to the pay award for non-teaching staff was in the outturn. This had finally been agreed by unions but there was a risk that this would fall into the next financial year as SMBC had limited time to process pay awards in March pay. If the pay award was paid in April and backdated to March 2021, this would have increased costs due to the NI increase.

Governors noted that the PE and sports grant was fully reconciled.

GOVEROR CHALLENGE

A governor asked about the impact of increased costs for gas and electricity increase.  The SBM said there would be increased costs from the next financial year.

The Blossomfield Childcare outturn was shared on screen.

The SBM advised that there was now a consistent pattern that had emerged following the COVID pandemic and income had reduced. There had been good cost control, and Childcare was under forecast for overtime. The 1.75% pay increase would impact on all Childcare staff. Holiday club numbers were positive against a very challenging budget.

GOVERNOR CHALLENGE

A governor noted that pre pandemic, income from Blossomfield Childcare was very positive and asked whether this was due to an increase in the number of children attending who received 30-hour funding.  The governor was keen to understand the normal run rate post pandemic.

The SBM said that pre pandemic more children stayed until 6pm, however post pandemic children were collected earlier potentially because parents were working from home. Numbers attending Blossomfield Childcare were the same but children did not attend for as long.

In addition, resources spend had increased at a higher rate than grant funding. The grant funding increase was significantly below inflation. Therefore, there were higher costs and lower income due to the changing pattern on wraparound.

A governor suggested that consideration should be made to giving priority to those who used Childcare most from the waiting list. Shirley Heath did this. The Headteacher said this was practice already. The Headteacher said governors should consider increasing fees for breakfast and short after school costs and holiday club school hours session as Blossomfield Childcare was cheaper than competitors. Fees from government did not cover costs of youngest children.

The Headteacher said that there were recharges from Blossomfield Childcare to the school budget of £27K so there was nearer £50k of Childcare benefit to the school. The Headteacher said that consideration should be given as to whether recharges were appropriate as childcare did benefit school.

A governor challenged about revisiting the time childcare operated and whether it was still relevant post pandemic. The Headteacher said Blossomfield Childcare was a lean operation and staff were only paid to maintain ratios and there were parents who needed a 6pm finish.

Governors were aware of the delicate balance between making sure childcare was affordable and the school covers its costs.

28.6

Annual review of the purchasing policy

It was noted that any reference to the Resources Committee needed to be amended. The SBM would change any reference to Resources to Full Board.

With this amendment, governors approved the purchasing policy.

28.7

Review of Blossomfield Childcare fees

The childcare comparison costs note was shared.

GOVERNOR CHALLENGE

Governors discussed the following:

A set cost per hour was easy to calculate.

The possibility that the price for breakfast club and after school should be focused on provision for working parents and holiday club should be focused on a commercial return.

The amount of time and planning that went into holiday club currently provided a low return on investment. A governor noted that there were less options for holiday club than pre pandemic and many clubs had not restarted.

A governor asked about the sibling discount and the SBM said she would suggest retaining at 10%.

A governor suggested considering an increase to the hourly rate to reflect the increased costs the school and childcare were having to cover.

Another governor suggested increasing breakfast and after school club at a percentage increase and changing the holiday club costs to better align the school hours with the holiday club 10.5 hours offer.

It was agreed that the SBM would provide a 3% and 5% increase for before and after school costs and email the model to governors to enable them to review prior to governors formally approving at the Full Board meeting on 30 March.

28.8

SFVS

This was shared on the screen and it was noted that a significant amount of work had been undertaken by those governors who were involved in preparing it.

The SFVS was approved by governors and the SBM would submit to SMBC.

28.9

Asset register

The SBM advised that this was almost complete. The IT asset register was being amalgamated with the school asset register and the completed register would be provided to governors once completed. In response to a governor’s question, the SBM confirmed the register would contain anything that was a valuable asset – part of control framework. Include cameras, dishwasher, laptops, iPads.

The disposals list had a number of items and would need to be approved by governors.

28.10

Alarm tender

This was shared on screen.

The school was in contract with ADT until April 2022. Cost was £755 per year.

There had been some service issues which ADT had advised were staffing issues related to COVID.

It was an all-inclusive agreement.

The alarm would need to be upgraded as analogue lines would be turned off in 2 year time.

The current contract had been compared with 2 quotes:

EDG which would need an upgrade to new dualcom system (do not offer an all-inclusive fee so call outs would be extra

Britannic Security System would requiring an upgrade to new dualcom system – significantly more expensive than EDG for similar contract as did not offer an all-inclusive fee so call outs would be extra.

Governors were advised that EDG was used by many Synergy schools and personnel included the individual who had originally installed the school alarm.

However, ADT provided an all-inclusive agreement, albeit that this would cost more than the EDG contract.

GOVERNOR CHALLENGE

A governor asked about SLA for ADT. The SBM said if the contract was upgraded then it would be the same 4 hour response time as now. The Headteacher said pre pandemic there had been no issues with ADT so believed any failures to meet the SLA had been because of COVID staff absence.

A governor asked how many call outs there had been with ADT. The SBM said there had been 3 call outs since she had been in post but all were linked to the same issue. A governor suggested that a new system should not need as many call outs.

A governor suggested asking EDG about having 3 call outs included in the contract. It was also suggested that any savings from the ADT contract could be used towards any call outs.

Governors approved the EDG alarm contract.

28.11

Canopy roof update

The mock-up of outdoor classroom with timber canopy with cladding and glazing was shared on screen.

This would provide shelter for parents and children, and storage for outdoor toys. It was the best use of space and meet the needs of the school including an outdoor classroom to protect protections for children in sunshine, a space for parents to wait in the rain, and an area for learning and shelter and storage.

The school had budgeted £25k to include £8k for building and funds for tarmacking the remaining area. It was not expected that all £25k set aside would be required.

GOVERNOR CHALLENGE

A governor asked about access and egress from Mrs Rae’s classroom and the SBM confirmed that this would not be blocked off.

Governors were supportive of the decision and noted that the next step was to obtain dimensions and 3 quotes. Planning permission was ongoing.

A governor asked about the outdoor games area. The SBM said that the first quote had been received. Groundwork and excavation were a major expense.

The school was investigating use of the PE and sports grant but would need significant additional funds from the PTA and parent funding.

It was noted that any MUGA would provide lettings potential and could be used all year round.

28.12

Confidential Items

None.

28.13

AOB

The Headteacher said that a member of staff had written to the Chair about wanting to travel overseas to attend a close family wedding. They would miss 2 days of school. This was not covered in the leave of absence policy and therefore needed to be approved by the governing body. It was confirmed this would be 2 days unpaid leave. The Headteacher said she would support leave of absence.

A governor said governors needed to agree that if approved, this would not set a precedent. It was noted that the following criteria was considered prior to being approved.

The leave of absence was approved for the following reasons:

1. It did not impact on education being delivered and the 2 days absence could be covered without impact on the children
2. It was for a particular purpose, not just to get a cheaper flight
3. It was important to recognise staff well-being

A governor who was reviewing feedback from staff said that it was a pleasure to read and that staff felt supported, nurtured and felt valued.

SG reported that RK would send out a skills audit to governors this weekend.

Date of next meeting – Wednesday 30 March 2022 at 6pm in person at school

(Full Board meeting – chaired by SG)

Termination of Meeting

The meeting closed at 8.35pm.

Minute Item

Outcomes

26.3

Governors approved the minutes of the meeting held on 10 November 2021 as a true and accurate record of the meeting and the Chair would sign them on GovernorHub.

Minute ref: BFGBM241121.1

26.4

Governors confirmed that they had reviewed and approved the audited accounts of the school fund at the meeting on 14 July 2021.

Minute ref: BFGBM241121.2

26.5

With the amendment made to confirm that the Pay Committee must not include both the Chair and Vice Chair, governors approved the Terms of Reference.

It was agreed that the Pay Committee members would include JD, SH and RM with other governors available for appeals. The Clerk would update the Committee membership on GovernorHub.

Minute ref: BFGBM241121.3

26.6

Governors approved the SDP.

Minute ref: BFGBM241121.4

26.8

It was agreed that JD would arrange to meet Linda O’Malley to review attendance data and ensure the process in place was rigorous.

Minute ref: BFGBM241121.5

26.13

The following policies were approved by governors

Safeguarding

Pay policy and pay guidance (SMBC policy – no pay portability)

Managing Allegations (SMBC policy)

Minute ref: BFGBM241121.5

26.1

Welcome and Apologies for Absence

This meeting was chaired by SG who welcomed governors to the meeting which was held in person at school. Apologies for absence were received for OC who was away on business.

The Clerk would arrange to allocate administration rights for SG on GovernorHub (done).

26.2

Declaration of Pecuniary Interests for this meeting (Changes / Updates)

There were no changes to declared interests. 

26.3

Approval of Minutes of the Meeting held on 10 November 2021

Governors approved the minutes of the meeting held on 10 November 2021 as a true and accurate record of the meeting and the Chair would sign them on GovernorHub.

26.4

Matters arising from the minutes

Governors confirmed that they had reviewed and approved the audited accounts of the school fund at the meeting on 14 July 2021.

26.5

Approve Pay Committee Terms of Reference

It was agreed that the wording of the Terms of Reference would be amended to make it clear that the Committee ‘must not include both the Chair or Vice Chair’. The Clerk would make the amendments and re-upload to GovernorHub. With this amendment made, governors approved the Terms of Reference.

It was agreed that the Pay Committee members would include JD, SH and RM with other governors available for appeals. The Clerk would update the Committee membership on GovernorHub (done).

JD reported on Pay Committee meeting which had been held online on date. Recommendations were all anonymised. All increments that had been proposed with agreed.

GOVERNOR CHALLENGE

A governor asked whether any staff had not received increments. JD advised that this only applied where staff were already at the top of their scale and were not eligible for an increment.

26.6

Headteacher’s Report to Governors: Autumn Term

This had been uploaded to GovernorHub in advance of the meeting.

GOVERNOR CHALLENGE

A governor asked about staff welfare and burnout and whether leaders checked why staff had left. The Headteacher said that only one member of staff, a lunchtime supervisor had left, and an exit interview had been carried out. The individual had had felt she was not suited to the role.

Longer term, the Headteacher advised that the plan was for TAs to provide lunchtime supervisor role which was much preferred by children. TAs were already aware of the issues in class, and the Headteacher said that there was a real difference in staff with childcare qualifications.

The Headteacher reported that some staff had had periods of absence with anxiety, not helped by expectations of an Ofsted inspection. A number of schools in Solihull had shared their experience of an Ofsted inspection.

The Headteacher said that Ofsted’s focus was middle leaders who were expected to have specialist knowledge. The Headteacher had audited staff qualifications and had arranged CPD and training to support staff. The school was speaking with Tudor Grange teaching hub to discuss releasing subject leads to run sessions with subject leaders.

GOVERNOR CHALLENGE

A governor asked if the name of the governor responsible for monitoring a subject could be added to the SDP.  The Headteacher said she was concerned that if a governor left the SDP would not be accurate and felt it best not to be too specific.  This was agreed to be a sensible approach.

Governors approved the SDP.

Governors were asked if they received enough information. It was noted that those governors with links to maths and early reading need to understand the progress of children in the school.

As an infant school, it was expected that deep dives would focus on early reading, and maths. The Headteacher would be able to suggest a third area and believed that PE and PSHE might be appropriate.

A governor asked for details about the class swap day.

SC explained that at end of the school year, children spend time in their next class as part of transition.

Because of the high number of children from different settings this had taken place differently in the last two years.

GOVERNOR CHALLENGE

A governor noted that the ISDR showed exclusions was in highest 20% of schools in 2019/20 and asked for details.

KM confirmed this was correct and related to a child with complex needs who had attended the school and had had multiple exclusions. KM outlined the context and work to support the child and the reasons for the exclusions.

26.7

SEN Report

KM provided an update.

There were 24 children on the SEN register.

There were 4 EHCPs in school, 1 child undergoing assessment

There were a number of children on the waiting list for diagnosis and lengthy delays which had an impact on the child, family, and school.

P levels – for children who were unable to access national curriculum had now been removed and replaced by an engagement framework which looked at specific characteristics. There were 2 children following this framework at the school who had highly complex needs. The Educational Psychologist helped support which areas were most important.

SG had attended SEN termly updates.

GOVERNOR CHALLENGE

A governor asked whether the school had ever off rolled any child with SEN. KM confirmed not.

26.8

Safeguarding update

The attendance report was noted by governors. PP children had lower than average attendance.

GOVERNOR CHALLENGE

A governor asked if the absences highlighted were authorised or not. The Headteacher confirmed they were not authorised.

There were 25 families with persistent absence (PA) which was an increase from last year which in itself was an increase from the year before.

A governor asked which year groups were most impacted by PA.

The Headteacher said that it was relatively evenly spread across the school.

Families wanted to visit extended families they had not seen for 2 years during the COVID-19 pandemic. Once attendance dropped below 90% it was considered to be PA.

A governor asked about the difference in how the Headteacher managed the scenario e.g., a family holiday compared to a school refuser.

It was noted that it was still early in the school year and attendance statistics would improve throughout the school year.

The Headteacher said the school worked closely with junior and senior schools on attendance.

A governor noted that parents may have carried forward leave and had to rearrange holidays.

A governor asked if the school referred families to the EWO. The Headteacher said that the school did and where appropriate fines were levied.

It was agreed that JD would arrange to meet Linda O’Malley to review attendance data and ensure the process in place was rigorous.

There had been no exclusions.

The safeguarding audit would take place on Thursday 25 November.

Behaviour data was reviewed from my concern. KM explained that one child represented 50% of issues and multiple logs could be made on one day. Another child represented 25% of issues.

A governor questioned if behaviour could be recorded differently by different staff. KM said that only she or the Headteacher would allocate the category. Only safeguarding leads were able to see the full picture for the child.

GOVERNOR CHALLENGE

A governor asked whether the school had noticed any changes now that children were changing for PE at school. During 2020/21 children had arrived in PE clothes. KM said that this had been identified by the school nurse and confirmed that nothing had been identified as a result.

A governor wanted to know if physical injuries had reduced. KM said staff had not noticed any particular difference. It was a whole picture

A governor asked about the difference between violence and peer on peer abuse. KM explained peer on peer abuse had a much higher profile in KCSIE. Violence was abuse towards staff. This was a key area for staff when Ofsted visited the school.

The Headteacher explained the Brook traffic light system with behaviour expectations for children.

There was one 1 child on a child protection plan.

A governor wanted to know if the school offered parents guidance on internet parental controls. KM confirmed newsletters were sent to parents with information. The NSPCC website with age appropriate was shared at every parent workshop. Online safety information was sent out at key times e.g., Christmas.

26.9

Governing Body monitoring – reports from Governors

All governors to ensure they arrange meetings with their linked member of staff. Governors should ensure they see the evidence and information to validate what they had been told.

SG would send a message to staff to introduce herself as new Chair (done).

RM had arranged to be in school on Monday

26.10

Strategy and governors training

Mixture of training available on GovernorHub online and in person.

RM was attending the new governors session.

SG said that she found the Preparing for Ofsted training useful.

The Headteacher shared Ofsted’s questions to governors.

MW and OC had attended the safeguarding update.

A reminder for governors to tick the declaration on GovernorHub to confirm they had read KCSIE 2021.

Governors had a discussion regarding parental engagement. One suggestion was a newsletter introducing the governing board

Please advise RK if you wish to be on the working party looking at vision and engagement with staff.  RK would circulate notes of the last meeting.

26.11

Ofsted inspection and SDP progress

This was discussed above.

26.12

ParentView survey results summer term 2021

KM had uploaded the results of the survey to GovernorHub. All results were very positive. The school had used Ofsted questions

A governor asked what would happen if there was an Ofsted inspection. The Headteacher confirmed that a link to ParentView and hard copies would be sent out. Ofsted would go onto playground and talk to parents.

Feedback from parents was also captured at other events. OC was liaising with KM and the Family Support Mentor.

A governor asked if the Christmas performances being recorded for other parents. The Headteacher advised not due to GDPR.

The Christmas fair would go ahead with COVID protocols

It was agreed the Headteacher would remove the name of the applicant for the SBM role under GDPR and upload anonymised report on GovernorHub.

A governor asked whether the increase in costs of energy had been seen on utility bills. The Headteacher confirmed that the SBM was liaising with SMBC regarding the heating.

A governor noted a child had had an accident whilst at school and asked whether the child had been absent from school.  The Headteacher confirmed that child off school the following day to enable the parent to monitor the child.

A Life coach was attending the next inset day on 4 January with a focus on emotional health and wellbeing supporting staff.

A governor asked if any lockdown drills had been done. The Headteacher confirmed one was scheduled in January.

26.13

Adoption of policies

The following policies were approved by governors

Safeguarding

Pay policy and pay guidance (SMBC policy – no pay portability)

Managing Allegations (SMBC policy)

26.14

AOB

None.

26.15

Confidential Items

None.

26.16

Date of next meeting – Wednesday 2 February 2022 at 7pm online via Zoom

26.17

Termination of Meeting

The meeting closed at 8.20pm.

Minute Item

Outcomes

25.3

SG was elected as Chair for 1 year term which would expire at the second Full Governing Body meeting of the 2022/23 academic year.

JD was unanimously elected as Vice Chair for 1 year term which would expire at the second Full Governing Body meeting of the 2022/23 academic year.

Minute ref: BFGBM0101121.1

25.4

Governors approved the minutes of the meeting held on 6 October 2021 as a true and accurate record of the meeting and the Chair would sign them on GovernorHub.

Minute ref: BFGBM0101121.2

25.6

Governors approved the additional spend on NTP and school led tutoring.

Minute ref: BFGBM0101121.3

25.9

Governors elected SH as a co-opted governor for a 4 year term.

Minute ref: BFGBM0101121.4

25.1

Welcome and Apologies for Absence

This meeting was chaired by MW who welcomed governors to the meeting which was held via Zoom. There were no apologies for absence.

25.2

Declaration of Pecuniary Interests for this meeting (Changes / Updates)

There were no changes to declared interests. 

25.3

Election of Chair and Vice Chair for 1 year term

At the last meeting, governors were asked for nominations for Chair and Vice Chair. The Clerk advised that no nominations had been received.  As SG was not able to attend the meeting, it was agreed to defer this item of business to the next meeting.

The Clerk took the chair for the election of the Chair. SG advised that she would be willing to stand. Governors voted and SG was elected as Chair for 1 year term which would expire at the second Full Governing Body meeting of the 2022/23 academic year.

JD was unanimously elected as Vice Chair for 1 year term which would expire at the second Full Governing Body meeting of the 2022/23 academic year.

At SG’s request, MW chaired the rest of the meeting.

25.4

Approval of Minutes of the Meeting held on 6 October 2021

Governors approved the minutes of the meeting held on 6 October 2021 as a true and accurate record of the meeting and the Chair would sign them on GovernorHub.

25.5

Matters arising from the minutes

Follow up with parent – SG had taken this on.

OC confirmed that she had readvertised the governor vacancies with Governors for Schools and Inspiring Governance and details were also on the school website and WM Jobs.

Re-allocation of link governors has been completed and all governors were reminded to have contact with their subject leads.

MW had followed up on wording of governor Code of Conduct with OC and the wording would remain unchanged.

25.6

Finance Report

6.1 School Business Manager’s Report on the Outturn statement and forward forecast for school & Blossomfield Childcare

The September outturn had been uploaded to GovernorHub and the SBM confirmed the school was in a good financial good position. £108k of reserves had been used which was less than budgeted and there were a number of reasons for this:

Staffing and salaries – there had been a saving as a 2.75% pay increase had been built into the budget and if approved by parliament there would be no pay rises across the board for teachers.

Purchase of laptops had saved £4k compared to projection – this was due to purchasing a smaller laptop which was the best size for children and SMBC purchasing power.

When the budget was formulated, it was not anticipated that the school would receive the amount of income from COVID catch up.

There were currently 2 spaces in nursery and the outturn assumed this would remain but the school was hopeful the spaces would be filled in January when more children received funding.

There was increased income from wraparound but it was not yet back to pre-COVID levels. There had been an exceptionally popular October half term holiday club.

Overall, the school’s financial position was stronger compared to budget and the SBM reported that it was expected to improve further

The 3-year forecast had also been posted on GovernorHub.

The SBM provided an update on current pupil numbers which would be rolled forward for the next 3 years. On census day, Reception and Year 1 were not currently full. There were 85 children in Reception, which means the 3 year forecast would be based on this number moving into Year 1 next year. The Headteacher clarified that as of the following week, the school would be full in year 1 and year 2 and explained that as an infant school with a 3 form intake, there was movement of children in and out during the autumn term and it was anticipated that this would have settled by January. This presented a challenge for school funding given the census in October set the school funding for the following year.

A governor noted that this was the first year that the school had used reserves and that the board had approved use of reserves relating to additional premises expenditure. The governor believed that the 3 year forecast was a blunt instrument given the likely changes to staffing that would take place but it was important to keep a watching brief.

The Headteacher explained that there were 2 places available in childcare as the school had expanded childcare to meet the needs of parents. Since schools were responsible for nursery admissions, it had been noticed that some parents put in multiple applications at different schools. The school had decided to support parents by taking as many children as staffing allowed. As a result, the school had 28 30 hour places and additional morning and afternoon PT places. Therefore, numbers had increased since July when there were 72 part time places. The Headteacher reported that the nursery Open Day on Monday for prospective parents had seen a queue across the playground and the following day the office had been overwhelmed with applications.

GOVERNOR CHALLENGE

A governor asked about apprenticeship levy and whether the school could draw upon this. The SBM confirmed the school could access the income but there would be additional costs backfilling as an apprentice only worked 80% of their role. The Headteacher said that SLT needed capacity to mentor apprentices and their time was already taken up mentoring young staff.

Another governor questioned if the apprenticeship levy could be used for qualifications. The SBM confirmed it could be used by existing staff if there was a suitable offer which would involve day release from an existing role.

The SBM provided governors with an update on premises expenditure including the staff toilet refurbishment and childcare canopy. The aim was for both projects to be completed during the current financial year however the SBM explained that the canopy roof required planning permission as the building had already been extended and other contractors had been asked to review the staff toilet refurbishment as the appointed contractors were busy. Therefore, there was a possibility that both projects would move into the next financial year.

6.2 COVID income streams and planned spend

The report produced by the SBM was shared on screen and governors noted the different catch up streams. The Headteacher advised governors that the school led tutoring programme could only be spent on KS1 pupils and any investment in Reception children would have to be funded by the school.

Governors were asked to approve the continuing investment in children. The school proposed to continue with the NTP which had been very effective and extend to the spring term which would cost £2.2k and was not in the outturn.

Jo Hazel provided the school-led tutoring and was on a fixed term contract. The school advised that they would like to extend the contract to the end of the academic year. This would cost £12.5k of reserves.

The SBM advised that the school had received unexpected funding relating to the teachers pension grant because there had been an error at SMBC who had not funded the grant for nursery teachers. SMBC had now funded this so the school would be able to offset this income against the cost of catch up which would mean the net loss on reserves would be £4k approx.

GOVERNOR CHALLENGE

A governor asked if tutoring made a real difference to children involved. The Headteacher said that the school had started using the NTP and Jo Hazel in early summer term. Children had made very strong progress and as a result 77% of children had met the phonics standard which was a very positive score given how long many of them had been out of school.  SC said the children in reception had missed nursery, toddler groups, and being able to meet friends and family.  This had impacted on communication skills and social and emotional skills. Jo Hazel had been working with small groups on communication and language and spending time in a quieter environment. It was noted that Reception children would be KS1 children in September.

Governors approved the additional spend on NTP and school led tutoring.

Governors thanked HM for attending and providing an updated financial position.

25.7

Adoption of policies

It was agreed that the pay policies would be reviewed by the Pay Committee at their meeting immediately following the Full Board meeting and would be added to the agenda for the next Full Board meeting on November.

25.8

Confidential Items

None.

25.9

Date of Autumn Statutory meeting – Wednesday 24 November 2021 at 6pm in person at school

AOB

The Clerk advised that Stuart Hughes term of office would expire on 21 November.  SH advised that he would not be able to commit to serve a full 4 year term but if it would be helpful for the school he was willing to be co-opted again for a 3 month period.  The Clerk advised that any governor was able to resign at any point in time. Governors elected SH as a co-opted governor for a 4-year term.

OC advised that she was unable to attend the next meeting on 24 November.

25.10

Termination of Meeting

The meeting closed at 7.50pm.

Minute Item

Outcomes

24.2

Clerk to add election of Chair and Vice Chair to the agenda for the next meeting.

Minute ref: BFGBM061021.1

OC to follow up with SG about the parent who had finance experience regarding bringing them on board as an associate with finance expertise.

Minute ref: BFGBM061021.2

OC to follow up with Governors for Schools and advertise co-opted governor vacancy.

Minute ref: BFGBM061021.3

OC to reallocate the linked governors to the school’s priorities.

Minute ref: BFGBM061021.4

OC to amend the meeting dates/times document re chairing of each meeting to reflect linked responsibilities.

Minute ref: BFGBM061021.5

24.4

Governors approved the minutes of the meeting held on 14 July 2021 as a true and accurate record of those meetings and the Chair would sign them on GovernorHub.

Minute ref: BFGBM061021.6

24.9

MW would follow up with OC on suggested rephrasing of the Governor Code of Conduct as it was a LA policy.

Minute ref: BFGBM061021.7

Governors approved the following policies with the agreed amendments.

Behaviour and anti-bullying

Child protection

Lettings

Medical conditions

Medicines in school

Nursery admissions

Mobile phones and image capturing devices

Minute ref: BFGBM061021.8

24.1

Welcome and Apologies for Absence

This meeting was chaired by JD who welcomed governors to the meeting. Apologies for absence were received from SG who was working.

24.2

Governing Body Structure 2021/22

24.2.1 Election of Chair and Vice Chair for 1 year term

Governors had been asked to consider self nominating for Chair and Vice Chair. The Clerk advised that no nominations had been received. It was noted that SG and MW were in the final year of their terms of office as governors.

Following a discussion, it was tentatively agreed that MW and RK would be co-chairs and SG and JD would be Vice Chairs. However, as SG was not able to attend the meeting, it was agreed that MW would speak to SG and a formal vote would be taken at the next meeting and the Clerk would add to the agenda.

24.2.2 Governor vacancies

There were currently 2 co-opted governor vacancies and it was noted that SH’s term of office would end on 21 November 2021. SH advised that he would not be able to commit to serve another full 4 year term but if it would be helpful if re-elected as a co-opted governor, he would commit to another year to support the school.

Governors were advised that John Ahern had had to step down due to pressures of work preventing him from attending meetings.

A parent who had finance experience had approached SG at a welcome meeting, and governors had a discussion regarding bringing them on board as an associate with finance expertise. It was agreed that OC would follow up.

OC would also follow up with Governors for Schools and advertise with them.

24.2.3 Allocation of linked governors

It was agreed to align governors to the school’s priorities including phonics and early reading.

RM would take on PE

SG to take on EYFS

OC would reallocate the linked governors to the school’s priorities.

24.2.4 Agreement of linked governors responsible for Headteacher PM

It was agreed that MW and JD would take responsibility and confirm the date which had been agreed.

24.2.5 Confirmation of governing body meeting dates / times

Meeting times and dates had been confirmed, it was agreed to consider chairing of each meeting to reflect linked responsibilities. OC would amend the document.

24.2.6 Governor training

MW would attend safeguarding training and circulate the link.

24.3

Declaration of Pecuniary Interests for this meeting (Changes / Updates)

Governor Code of Conduct

All governors to check they had completed their declarations.  There were no changes to declared interests. 

24.4

Approval of Minutes of the Meetings held on 14 July 2021

Governors approved the minutes of the meetings held on 14 July 2021 as a true and accurate record of the meeting and the Chair would sign them on GovernorHub.

24.5

EYFS Curriculum & New baseline assessments

GOVERNOR CHALLENGE

A governor asked how staff had responded to the new assessments.

SC advised that the school was now in second year of using the new EYFS and staff felt liberated. Governors noted that the monitoring form on GovernorHub recorded what had been discussed in May with John Ahern.

The focus was on quality interaction with children and not minute tracking. Based on the assumption that the curriculum offer was good, children would succeed. Children were assessed as either on or off track and data simplified. If GLD was 30-60%, school were doing well bearing in mind COVID and school ahead of the game.

SC outlined the work she was doing with Tudor Grange Academy providing training for NQT (now ECT for 2 years).  It was a mixed cohort from EYFS to secondary and will be provided on line. Governors fully supported SC and noted the importance of training being led by someone who was in the classroom every day.

GOVERNOR CHALLENGE

A governor asked about the moderation of EYFS and wanted to know what moderation process was in place.

SC said in school moderation took place with a strong and experienced Synergy team.

The Headteacher advised that the School Improvement Adviser was now heading up EYFS in maintained and PVI settings and had asked whether schools wanted to continue with moderation on informal basis. This was at a very early stage.

GOVERNOR CHALLENGE

A governor questioned if learning would be shared with parents.

SC said that it was not intended as the baseline statements were generalised and did not provide sufficient detail nor context and therefore would not be helpful for parents.

24.6

School led tutoring

The Headteacher provided governors with an update on how the school would utilise the catch up grant from government which was focused around disadvantaged children. Schools were able to choose how to spend the funds either internally, teaching assistant or support staff or retired staff.

The Headteacher confirmed that staffing had been in place since summer term and there was a catch up statement available on the school website.  Calculations for the catch up grant were based on PP children from year 1 to year 11 and EYFS children were not included in the grant. The most relevant focus of the tuition was on phonics and reading.

£3,240 for 2021/22 would be received

[OC left the meeting at 8.10pm.]

The Headteacher outlined the intention to continue with the school based tutor and NTP.

24.7

Pupil Premium

KM provided an update, PP grant totalled approx. £1300 per child, and each year the school published how the funds had been spent and the impact that it has had aligned with 3 year strategy. School spent the funds on staffing and interventions that complemented the academic tutoring and employed a TA to run behaviour / emotional well being and interventions.

PP income also funded the community family mentor. Around 11-15% of school population were eligible for PP.

The PP report now had to use a standard DfE format and had to be uploaded by December. KM confirmed the school was on track to be fully compliant.

24.8

Governor Monitoring – reports for discussion

Governor biographies were still required to populate the website

It was agreed that monitoring would follow allocation of linked governors and OC would circulate a document.

24.9

Adoption of policies

Behaviour and anti-bullying

Child protection

Lettings

Medical conditions

Medicines in school

Nursery admissions

Mobile phones and image capturing devices

Notes on typos, amendment from MW, OC and RK.

GOVERNOR CHALLENGE

A governor questioned whether the behaviour policy should specify what breaches of the behaviour policy were to ensure that it was clear what grounds were available to exclude a child. The Headteacher said that as an infant school the aim was to have no exclusions. Serious behaviour breaches would be outlined in the exclusions policy. The focus of the school was on a positive behaviour policy, with no fixed term exclusions.

The Governor Code of Conduct was a LA policy. MW would follow up with OC on suggested rephrasing.

GOVERNOR CHALLENGE

A governor asked how were supply staff were made aware of the medical needs of children. The Headteacher advised said kept on notes of register. 2 members of staff administer medicines. Separate lunch register includes allergies and medical conditions.

The Headteacher confirmed that there would be only one nursery intake in September each year as it had proven very popular.

Governors agreed to use the facility on GovernorHub to click documents to say read and feedback comments noting it made a useful evidence trail.

Governors approved the policies with the agreed amendments.

24.10

Confidential Items

None.

24.11

Date of Autumn Statutory meeting – Wednesday 24 November 2021 at 6pm in person at school

Wednesday 10 November at 7pm Resources & Pay Committee

24.12

Termination of Meeting

The meeting closed at 8.45pm.

Minute Item

Outcomes

22.2

Governors approved the election of RM as a co-opted governor for a term of 4 years subject to obtaining satisfactory references and a DBS check.

Minute ref: BFGBM190521.1

22.3

Governors approved the spend of £23,546 on Karndean flooring for 6 classrooms funded from the devolved capital budget with the balance from the revenue budget and which would be installed during summer holidays.

Minute ref: BFGBM190521.2

22.4

Governors approved the School and Childcare budgets for 2021-22

Minute ref: BFGBM190521.3

22.5

Governors approved the SFVS.

Minute ref: BFGBM190521.4

22.1

Welcome and Apologies for Absence

This meeting was chaired by MW who welcomed governors to the meeting. Apologies for absence were received from JA who was working.

22.1.1

Declaration of Pecuniary Interests for this meeting (Changes / Updates)

There were no changes to declared interests. 

22.1.2

Co-opted governor vote

RM was put into the virtual meeting room whilst this item was discussed.

It was confirmed that as per the new Instrument of Government there were currently 2 co-opted governor vacancies. It had been agreed at the last Full Governing Body meeting that one of these needed to have a finance skill set.

Governors approved the election of RM as a co-opted governor for a term of 4 years subject to obtaining satisfactory references and a DBS check. RM was re-admitted to the meeting and from this point participated in the meeting as a governor.

22.2

Outturn Statements 2020-21

School and Childcare

OC shared her screen whilst the SBM provided commentary. Governors noted the brought forward reserves figure for the school was more than expected as due to COVID-19, the school had not been able to progress with some projects meaning £11k had been contributed to reserves. Childcare had run at a deficit of £813, and it was noted that had the government paid the furlough grant for March by Year End as originally intended, Childcare would have broken even. This was a remarkable achievement given the extended closure period.

£10,552 had been carried forward into reserves, with a total of £339,278.

Overall, this was a very positive picture.

GOVERNOR CHALLENGE

A governor asked about the current status of Childcare credits and payments and if parents were currently owed for sessions.

The SBM said Childcare had £4k in credit balances.  For year 2 children who would leave the school in July, there was only a £2 credit balance. It would normally be expected that there would be £2k in credit balances so the current situation was not a cause for concern.

A governor noted that the school had added to reserves and asked whether delayed expenditure would be brought forward to the new school year.  The Chair confirmed there was an element of catching up and later in the meeting governors would review and discuss what was planned.

Schedule A – Summary of Reserves

This document evidenced the planned use for the school’s reserves, earmarked to be spent and had been signed by the Headteacher.

22.3

Approval of Budget 2021-22

Governors reviewed the notes to budget.  It was now expected that there would be 1.5% pay award for non-teaching staff, but as this had not been confirmed at the time of drafting a 2.75% increase had been included in the budget.

It was not yet clear if the PE and sports grant would continue into the new academic year.

The budget saw a much greater use of reserves than historically had been the case. A £25k contribution from Childcare had been budgeted. The Headteacher said the overall contribution from Childcare to the school budget was £58k but because of premises and management recharge, the net contribution was £25k.

Governors were advised that there might be an upside to the amount, based pre pandemic results, but it was not known what the impact of parents working from home and how Childcare would be able to operate from September 2021.

The budget included pay awards and performance related progression.

Governors were asked for comments and questions.

School and Childcare

The ICT 5-year budget was noted, which included broadband, parent pay charges as well as the usual services purchased from Education ICT

Governors noted there was a high cost for hardware as the laptops purchased 5 years ago needed to be replaced. Overall IT costs would be £65k in the first year.

GOVERNOR CHALLENGE

A governor asked about the increasing use of technology and whether the year 1 costs were a one-off year or a rebasing. The SBM said each teacher and admin staff now had a laptop so they could continue working from home, which had been funded from last year’s budget. The increase for next year was the replacement of existing hardware purchased 5 years ago.

The Headteacher clarified that the suite of 30 laptops which would be replaced were currently used by children in the computing curriculum and after 5 years went out of maintenance. The old laptops would now be used in classrooms and corridors and the new laptops to be purchased would be for teaching computing in class. A similar exercise would be required in another 5 years.

The SDP Costings were reviewed for those projects directly linked to SDP. The Headteacher said this had been challenging to put together as the financial year (April to April) was different to the school year (September to August). Some items relating to grounds maintenance had been delayed from last year.

The major expenditure of £25k for a childcare canopy was noted.

There was £19k in the devolved capital budget, and it was proposed to use this towards installing Karndean flooring extended to classrooms. This was a total cost of 23K so the balance would be funded from the revenue budget. Governors noted that this was part of the project to bring the old part of school up to the same standard as the new extension. The SBM advised the school would like to use the same company who had installed the flooring in the rest of the school.  Evidence of Best Value had been secured previously when three quotes were obtained to lay Karndean in the corridors, and the sensible option would be to use the same contractors as the school was very happy with the standard of their work.

Governors approved the spend of £23,546 on Karndean flooring by Premier Carpets and Flooring for 6 classrooms funded from the devolved capital budget with the balance from the revenue budget and which would be installed during summer holidays.

GOVERNOR CHALLENGE

A governor asked about building maintenance and whether the issue with heating had been resolved. The Headteacher confirmed this was an ongoing issue and reminded governors that the school contributed towards a buildings maintenance pool which could be used for major expenditure of school systems e.g. roofing, boiler etc. This pool should fund heating issues. The new foundation stage heating was not compatible with the old part of school and the LA had advised that the school needed to be moved onto a 2 pipe system, and indeed were the only school left in the Borough with this issue. Governors would be kept updated with timescales for the LA to fund the remedial work required.

Governors reviewed the pupil support budget, the majority of which was spent on staffing. With a new intake of pupils in September, it was recognised that the spend on SEN could change in September and would keep governors fully appraised.

22.4

Review of 3-year Budget Forecast

This was reviewed, and governors noted that the format currently inflated staffing costs but kept income the same. Based on these calculations, it showed the full use of reserves by the end of the 3-year period.

GOVERNOR CHALLENGE

A governor asked about a comparison with previous forecasts. The SBM said it was a fluid document and was not possible to compare with a forecast from previous years.  Expenditure on premises and ICT had been included at the request of Governors.

The forecast presumed that existing staffing would remain in place for the next 3 years. The Headteacher said that in practice, this would not be the case and for example should a teacher on the UPR leave, then the school would consider bringing in an NQT to replace.

Additionally, the estimates for income from Childcare were on lower side which would have a considerable impact on any future deficit position.

Governors approved the School and Childcare budgets for 2021-22.

Governors noted thanks to the SBM for the amount of work that has been done on the school budget. A new SBM would be recruited following the retirement of PA at the end of the school year.

22.5

Approval of SFVS

It was noted that two governors had forwarded questions on the financial health check which the school had to complete, comprising a checklist, action plan and benchmarking documentation ahead of meeting.

The document was shared on screen for governors to review.

It was noted that the areas rated red were teaching staff spend was in lowest 10% of schools and spend on other staff costs was in highest 10% of schools.

The SBM said spend on other staff costs related to childcare staff (other staff) which decreased the amount spent on teaching. If looked solely at school, this was green. SMBC had advised the school that they must include childcare staff in this calculation.

There was an amber rating for pupil teacher ratio and average class size. The SBM advised that there was a distortion on the pupil teacher ratio because there were 2 teachers on the leadership scale. It was confirmed that in class there was 1 teacher per 30 children.

It was agreed that the comments relating to the Finance Committee Terms of Reference and how staff were reminded about conflicts of interest would be added to the commentary on the SFVS.

Governors reviewed the action plan where the school needed to focus which included:

1. Training for governors
2. All governors to undergo financial training
3. Targeted recruitment for a second governor with financial experience
4. Staff register of PI to be expanded to include finance staff and teachers who hold curriculum budgets
5. A change to SMBC’s audit department to carry out the audit of the school’s voluntary funds including the PTA audit.

Governors approved the SFVS.

22.6

Confidential Items

None.

22.7

Date of next Full Board Meeting – Wednesday 23 June 2021 (Resources focused)

OC advised that a date for a governor(s) to meet informally with staff to reflect on the year in person – 13 July at 4pm

Governor strategy day / vision / working together – pm on 2 September 2021 (inset day)

Governors welcome to attend the SDP session in the morning of 2 September 2021

Please remember to write up your monitoring meeting notes and arrange meeting if not already done so.

Apologies were received for 23 June from MW; this meeting would be chaired by SG.

Apologies for 7 July meeting were received from OC and RK.

22.8

Termination of Meeting

The meeting closed at 8pm

Minute Item

Outcomes

21.2

The minutes of the Full Board meeting held on 3 March 2021 were agreed as a true and accurate record of the meeting and would be signed by the Chair on GovernorHub. 

Minute ref: BFGBM1050521.1

21.4

All governors were asked to ensure that all records of monitoring meeting are written and uploaded to GovernorHub.

Minute ref: BFGBM1050521.2

OC would liaise with the Headteacher for suggested dates for a strategy day for end July or early September.

Minute ref: BFGBM1050521.3

21.1

Welcome and Apologies for Absence

This meeting was chaired by JD and opened with an update from OC regarding the advert for a co-opted governor.  Ross Moore (RM) had got in touch and outlined his reasons for wanting to be a governor.  The Headteacher and SG had met him virtually.

RM’s skill set was in managing people in different settings and handling of complaints, also HR experience. He had been invited to attend the meeting to observe. Governors had a discussion regarding the number of vacancies for co-opted governor (subsequently confirmed as 2 as per the revised Instrument of Government) and it was agreed that one of these needed to have a finance skill set.

Ross Moore (RM) then joined the meeting and governors introduced themselves.

Apologies had been received from RK.

21.1.1

Declaration of Pecuniary Interests for this meeting (Changes / Updates)

There were no changes to declared interests.  JA needed to electronically make any declarations and sign the Governor Code of Conduct.

21.2

Minutes of the previous meeting on 17 March 2021

The minutes of the meeting held on 17 March 2021 were agreed as a true and accurate record of the meeting and would be signed by the Chair on GovernorHub. 

21.3

Matters arising from the Minutes

None.

21.4

Teaching & Learning Update

LM had joined the meeting to provide an update on end of spring data for KS1 which had been uploaded to GovernorHub.

End Spring Term data

LM advised these were predictions for the end of the academic year. The cohort was reviewed based on boy/girl, SEND, EAL and children entitled to PP.

The impact of remote learning was noted and positively that parents support had helped children progress. Pleasingly, there was also no dip in attainment for keyworker children.

Comparison with previous years showed that predicted attainment was lower this year. LM said that this was understandable given the disruption children had with the pandemic