Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Jude Chin and Stuart Fraser.

The Board noted that due to a clash of the meeting dates for Jude Chin he would not be able to attend the Board meetings for the next few months and that whilst he would remain on the circulation list a replacement for his position would be considered.

The following standing declarations were made relating to the other bodies which Members of the Education Board served on.

Deputy John Bennett

Board of Governors City of London Freemen’s School

Board of Governors of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama

Nigel Challis

Board of Governors of the City of London School for Girls

Board of Governors The City Academy, Hackney

Castle Baynard Educational Foundation & Alderman Samuel Wilson Fund

Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment Educational Foundation

Oxford University Council Integrity Committee

Henry Colthurst

Board of Governors, Mossbourne Community Academy

Board of Mossbourne Federation

Member of Court of the Worshipful Company of Grocers

Revd Dr Martin Dudley

Board of Governors City of London School for Girls

Alderman Peter Estlin

Treasurer, Bridewell Royal Hospital - King Edward's School, Witley

Alderman Jeffrey Evans

Board of Governors City of London Academy – Islington

St Paul’s Chorister Trust

Council of Almoners, Christ’s Hospital

Stuart Fraser

Board of Governors City of London Freemen’s School

Board of Governors City of London School for Girls

Board of Governors City of London School

Deputy Catherine McGuinness

Board of Governors The City Academy, Hackney

Castle Baynard Educational Foundation & Alderman Samuel Wilson Fund

United Westminster Schools Foundation

Board of School Governors and Council or Almoners, Christ's Hospital

Barbican Centre Board

Guildhall School Development Fund

Virginia Rounding

Board of Governors City of London School for Girls

Board of Governors City of London Academy – Hackney

Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood and Queen’s Park Management Committee

Alderman William Russell

Board of Governors City of London School for Girls

Board of Governors of Guildhall School of Music and Drama

Board of Governors Knightsbridge Schools International

Ian Seaton

Board of Governors City of London School

Board of Governors Bridewell Royal Hospital

Donation Governor Christ's Hospital

Philip Woodhouse

Board of Governors of the City of London

To agree the public minutes and summary of the meeting held on 24 June 2014.

The public minutes and summary of the meeting held on 24 June 2014 were approved as a correct record subject to removing Deputy John Bennett from being present.

Matters Arising

Appointment of Education Board External Representatives

The Chairman commented that the external representatives on the Board provided an immense amount of expertise and skills which the Board would benefit from. She noted that the Board was pleased that both Roy Blackwell and David Taylor would continue to serve at least until December.

Safeguarding – Online Training Course

It was noted that safeguarding training for Members who served as Governors of educational governing bodies would be provided in due course and that on-line training courses would be explored, including ‘EduCare’ which was recently used for Governors of the Guildhall School of Music & Drama.

Prior Weston Primary School – Governor Vacancy

It was noted that Jeremy Mayhew CC had been appointed as a Governor of the Prior Weston Primary School following endorsement by the Court of Common Council on 11 September 2014.

To consider the outstanding actions since the last meeting of the Board.

The outstanding actions sheet was noted.

Report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services.

A report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services outlined the processes that the Education Unit had put in place to monitor the implementation of the Education Strategy and the processes on how the Board would be regularly updated to enable the efficient and effective exercise of the Board’s responsibilities.

Members discussed the report in detail with the following points being made:-

·      An Education Strategy update would be provided at each Board meeting as a standing item, highlighting key developments in the delivery of the Education Strategy.

·      The Education Strategy Development Plan would be reported biannually rather than once a year. 

·      The progress against each individual action would be monitored regularly.

·      A colour scheme would be developed for the development plan in order for Members to identify which actions were either short, medium or long term and to help prioritise.

·      The leaflet which had been provided to all secondary academies illustrating EDO’s offer (plus apprenticeships) would be circulated to the Board for information.

·      In relation to Action 35, namely, ‘liaise with the local authority and co-sponsors for each City academy to develop shared and co-ordinated arrangements for monitoring, challenge and support’; it was noted that it was vital to keep an open level of communication with our neighbours in the event that issues needed to be escalated with local authorities in areas outside of the City of London.

·      The Board would continue to keep abreast of the various actions and have overall oversight.

RESOLVED – That the contents of the report be noted and that a colour scheme be developed of the actions list for future meetings.

Report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services.

A report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services provided Members with an early headline summary of the examination results for the three academy schools and the three independent schools. The report noted that the Department for Education had not yet validated the figures but that the report provided an outline summary of the results for 2014.

The Director of Community and Children’s Services explained that a full analysis of the results would be provided at the October Board meeting but as the results currently stood good progress was being made.

A discussion took place and Members noted that the three academies had done particularly well with the GCSE results and that the ‘Value Added’ should be explored. It was noted that school leaver data should be looked at to identify what students went onto do after leaving school and whether those who were ‘predicted’ to do well did go onto delivering the results expected. The leaver data information would be added to the forward plan and considered at a future Board meeting.

RESOLVED – That the contents of the report be noted.

Report of the Director of Economic Development.

A report of the Director of Economic Development updating Members on the Careers Fairs activities and work related-learning support for London’s young people was considered.

The Assistant Director of Economic Development explained that following the Hackney Careers in the City event 95% of young people agreed they now understood what skills and qualities were considered by potential employers. In relation to the employee volunteering scheme it was highlighted that during quarter one of the year approximately 54 volunteers from the City Corporation had been involved with the City’s Academies. 

A discussion took place and it was noted that the dates of the future careers events would be circulated to Members of the Board along with the names of the companies who engaged with the careers events, with a view to encouraging other companies to participate.   

In relation to the ‘Bridging the Gap’ event for NEETs which took place on 10 March 2014, Members discussed the potential for this event to be delivered again in the future.

It was noted that these events involved a considerable amount of work for and could not be held as frequently as demand would like.  Members suggested that the model being adopted for these events could be rolled out to the livery to allow them to run the event themselves, if they so wished. 

RESOLVED – That the contents of the report be noted.

Report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services.

A report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services setting out the two processes that the Board could follow when appointing Governors was considered. The report explained that the Board was responsible for recommending to the Court of Common Council the appointment of governors to the City’s academies and representatives on school governing bodies where nomination rights were granted and where they did not fall within the remit of another Committee.

The Director of Community and Children’s Services emphasised that the recommended appointment process was not for the three independent Schools and was a model to be adopted for the three academies and other external educational bodies which the City would appoint Members onto.

Members reiterated the critical importance of the school governor selection process and raised a number of preliminary thoughts about how it might be improved in the future. It was agreed to defer more detailed review until a later stage.

Members discussed the appointment process for both external representations and the appointment process for Members. The following points were noted:-

·      Members of the Court of Common Council would be asked prior to a vacancy becoming available to express their interest as to whether they wished to serve as a Governor of an educational governing body. Once a vacancy became available the pool would be called upon to potentially visit the School to gain an understanding of the specific requirements of the vacancy.

·      A ‘work in progress’ database was currently in place for external representatives. A similar database for Members of the Court of Common Council would be explored which could inform the appointment process and potentially be used by the three independent Schools if they wished to do so.

·      In relation to paragraph 5 of the report an additional step would be inserted to include a

Report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services.

A report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services explaining that the Chairman at the City of London Academy, Islington (COLAI) requested that the City provide a suitable nomination to fill the current vacancy for a City of London sponsor governor on the governing Body of COLAI. It should be noted that the Chairmanship of the Governing Body for COLAI reverts to the City of London in the winter of 2016 and therefore the successful candidate may take on a leadership role.

The Appointment of Governors Report, which had been tabled at this meeting, proposed a process for appointing governors that suggests requesting relevant supporting information from the school. In this instance the Chairman of Governors had provided supporting information which was consistent with the information suggested in the Appointment of Governors Report.

RESOLVED – That Members authorise Officers to seek expressions of interest from Members for the vacant position as a City of London sponsor governor on the Governing Body of The City of London Academy Islington, using the supporting information provided in this report and the application form appended to the Appointment of Governors Report.

Report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services.

A report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services explained that at the previous Education Board meeting the Board resolved that a skills audit of Education Board Members should be conducted to assess what experience was required from the four external representatives. The report proposed a Nominations Working Group to oversee the skills audit, reviewing the supporting statements for external representatives and to provide recommendations on external representatives to the Board.

Members agreed that the Group would comprise of the Chairman, Deputy Chairman and three (rather than two) additional Members.

RESOLVED – That the Nominations Working Group be established to oversee the skills audit and related activities comprising of the following Members:

Chairman, Deputy Catherine McGuinness

Deputy Chairman, Henry Colthurst

Stuart Fraser

Virginia Rounding; and

Philip Woodhouse

Report of the Town Clerk.

A report of the Town Clerk set out that at the Policy and Resources Committee meeting on 3 July 2014 the creation of a scholarship to commemorate the first visit by an Irish Head of State to the United Kingdom was noted and that it was agreed that the Education Board would oversee the administration and governance of the scheme.

RESOLVED – That the contents of the report be noted.

Report of the Town Clerk.

A report of the Town Clerk summarised the action taken under delegated authority procedures since the last meeting of the Education Board on 24 June 2014. In essence the Town Clerk exercised delegated authority to recommend the appointment of Jeremy Mayhew CC to the Board of Governors of Prior Weston Primary School to the Court of Common Council at its meeting on 11 September 2014.

RESOLVED – That the contents of the report be noted.

To note the following dates of the Education Board meetings in 2014 and 2015:-

RESOLVED – That the future dates of the Education Board meetings in 2014 and 2015 be noted as follows:

2014 (at 4.00pm)

16 October

4 December

2015 (at 4.00pm)

15 January

5 March

23 April

21 May

25 June

23 July

10 September

15 October

3 December

There were no questions.

City of London Academies

A report of the Director of Community & Children’s Services was considered as an urgent item. The report explained that TheCity Academy Hackney’sfirstcohortachievedGCSE resultsin excessofthe nationalaverageduring2014.MoreovertheSecretary of StateforEducation approvedin July 2014 theformationofa multiacademy trustfor The City ofLondonAcademy SouthwarkandRedriffPrimarySchool.Therewas thereforeanopportunityto mark bothdevelopmentswitheventsduringautumn2014,forwhichtheendorsementof theEducationBoard wassought.

RESOLVED – That Members note the contents of the report and agree to fund both events

MOTION - That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part I of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act

RESOLVED – That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part I of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act as follows:-

Joint report of the Town Clerk and Director of Community and Children’s Services.

A joint report of the Town Clerk and Director of Community and Children’s Services was received.

Joint report of the Director of Economic Development and Director of Community & Children’s Services.

A joint report of the Director of Economic Development and the Director of Community and Children’s Services was received.

One question was raised.

There were no items of urgent business.