Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Alderman The Lord Mountevans, Stuart Fraser, Alderman William Russell, Roy Blackwell and David Taylor.

Deputy John Bennett

Barbican Centre Board

Board of Governors of the City of London Freemen’s School

Board of Governors of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama

Henry Colthurst

Board of Governors, Mossbourne Parkside Academy

Board of Mossbourne Federation

Member of Court of the Worshipful Company of Grocers

Reverend Dr Martin Dudley

City of London Academy Islington

Alderman Peter Estlin

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

Barclays LifeSkills, Senior Advisor

Guildhall Advisory Board (Business & Law Faculty of City University)

The Worshipful Company of International Bankers

Christopher Hayward

Member of the Court of Governors – Christ’s Hospital

Governor – Bridewell Royal Hospital

Governor – City of London School for Girls

Member of the Court of The Worshipful Company of Pattenmakers

Deputy Catherine McGuinness

Board of Governors of The City Academy, Hackney

Castle Baynard Educational Foundation & Alderman Samuel Wilson Fund

United Westminster Schools Foundation

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

Barbican Centre Board

Guildhall School Development Fund

The Worshipful Company of Educators

Virginia Rounding

Board of Governors of The City Academy Hackney

Helen Sanson

Tower Hamlets Education Business Partnership

Ian Seaton

Board of Governors City of London Freemen’s School

Board of Governors City of London School

Board of Governors City of London School for Girls

Board of Governors Bridewell Royal Hospital

Donation Governor Christ's Hospital

Philip Woodhouse

Board of Governors of the City of London Freemen’s School

Board of Mossbourne Federation

Mossbourne Victoria Park Academy, Hackney

Chairman of Governors of Wellesley House School

Member of the Court of Worshipful Company of Grocers

To agree the public minutes and summary of the meeting held on 23 July 2015.

The public minutes and summary of the meeting held on 23 July 2015 were approved as a correct record.

Matters Arising

Additional Funding for City Academies

The Chairman noted that the City academies had been very positive in their feedback on additional funding provided by the City Corporation, and the extra ability this gave them to support improved attainment. She requested that future applications for additional funding come before the Board earlier in the annual cycle of business in future in order to make it easier for schools to budget.

The Board received a list of outstanding actions.

Christ’s Hospital/King Edward’s Witley Funding

The Town Clerk advised that City of London Corporation funding for King Edward’s Witley and Christ’s Hospital was due for review by the City Corporation in 2016. The Chairman noted that if the City wished to continue support for these schools it was essential that sources of funding were identified as the Education Board funding as it currently stood would not cover these..

Learning & Engagement Forum/Employability Forum Reporting

The Board requested that a reporting cycle for both the LEF and EF come to the next meeting.  

RECEIVED

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

The Board considered an update report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services on the Education Strategy, and the following points were made.

·         The City of London Corporation should ensure it was joined-up in its approach to the Great Fire of London anniversary, from the work of the Learning & Engagement Forum through to the work undertaken by the Culture, Heritage and Libraries Committee.

·         Governor training organised by the Education Unit should be made available to members who were governors of Christ’s Hospital or King Edward’s Witley, members and staff who might be governors elsewhere, and also possibly to the Livery. In response to comments, the Education Policy Officer agreed to produce a short briefing on statutory training required for all governors, and to factor in training for Chairmen of Governors and a leadership challenge session into the existing programme.

• A Member referred to the possible scope to involve more businesses in CoL’s  employability programmes.  He also enquired whether the Southwark Women in Engineering’ workshop could have included other academies.

·         The Chairman noted the forthcoming launch of the School Visits Fund. The Town Clerk agreed to circulate details of the fund to members ahead of its formal launch.

RECEIVED

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

The Board considered a report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services on the Education Strategy Refresh. The Education Strategy Director noted that the proposed third objective should reference ‘employment’ rather than ‘work experience’. In response to a request from the Chairman the Town Clerk agreed to clarify the corporate decision-making timetable for the refreshed strategy. Members agreed that the current fifth objective relating to education expansion should be incorporated into the proposed three objectives of the refreshed strategy.

RESOLVED, that the proposed structure for the next iteration of the Education Strategy and the process for developing a full draft be approved.

Report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services – to follow.

Members considered a report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services on the governance of the City’s academies. The Chairman noted that the Board was being called upon to  agree the broad principles of refreshed governance in respect of its academies and that final proposals would be brought back to the Board, and be referred to other relevant Committees, as relevant, and the Court of Common Council for final approval. The following points were made,

·         As the chain of the City’s sole-sponsored academies expanded, it was essential that City resources were utilised under a unified body able to adopt a coherent approach across its remit.

·         The expansion of the City’s academies posed a reputational risk if the City Corporation lacked the ability to delegate effectively and intervene where necessary.

·         Any adoption of a unified governance arrangement for the City’s sole-sponsored academies would need to operate along-side, and co-operatively with, the two co-sponsored City academies.  The existing memoranda of understanding with our co-sponsors would be reviewed and refreshed to support those arrangements.

RESOLVED, that members support the principle that one multi-academy trust (MAT) be established to deliver the City of London’ sole-sponsored academies, which MAT could encompass the expansion of the City’s academy offer; and work and consultation with stakeholders be undertaken to determine how best to achieve that end result.

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

Members considered a report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services regarding prioritisation of academy expansion. Members were supportive of judicious expansion provided it was conducted using transparent processes. The Chairman noted that potential new City academies included a new secondary academy in Hackney and a sixth form academy in Newham.

RESOLVED, that the proposed due diligence report for use in assessing the viability of requests for the City to act as academy sponsor be approved.

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

Members considered a report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services on an updated Quality Assurance and Accountability Framework.

RESOLVED, that the proposed Quality Assurance and Accountability Framework be approved.

Report of the Town Clerk.

Members considered a request for delegated authority from the Town Clerk regarding the forthcoming appointment of a City Governor at City of London Academy Islington.

RESOLVED, that the Town Clerk be delegated authority under Standing Order 41, in consultation with the Chairman and Deputy Chairman, to appoint to the vacancy on the board of governors of the City of London Academy Islington.

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

Members considered a report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services regarding Special Interest Areas 2015/16. Members approved of the proposed special interest areas but chose not to appoint specific members at the meeting. The Chairman noted that all members who expressed an interest in specific areas would be consulted on that area in relation to the forthcoming refreshed Education Strategy.

RESOLVED, that

·         The schedule of special interest areas be agreed; and

·         Appointment of lead members to special interest areas be deferred.

Report of The Remembrancer.

Members considered a report of the Remembrancer regarding the Education and Adoption Bill. The Remembrancer clarified the emerging definition of what constituted a ‘coasting’ school. For primaries it would be when fewer than 85% of pupils achieve Level 4 in reading, writing and maths. For secondary schools is would be where fewer than 60% of pupils achieve five A-C grades alongside an assessment of how ‘median’ pupils were progressing. These assessments would be made over a 3 year period and not on a single Ofsted report.

On the proposed growth free schools and academies in, the Chairman commented that the Department for Education would, over the course of the Parliament, be under pressure to identify a sufficient number of sponsors for those institutions.

RECEIVED

Report of the Town Clerk – to follow.

Members considered a report of the Town Clerk on governance arrangements at Christ’s Hospital.

RECEIVED

Public Attendance at Board of Governor Meetings

In response to a question from a member, the Town Clerk agreed to clarify whether the public were entitled to be admitted to meetings of Board of Governors of the City’s independent schools and academies.

Education Board Dinner – 24 November 2015

The Town Clerk confirmed the date of the Education Board Dinner as 24 November 2015 and that details of the dinner would be circulated by the Remembrancer outside of the meeting.

There were no items of urgent business.

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.

To agree the non-public minutes of the meeting held on 23 July 2015.

The non-public minutes of the meeting held on 23 July 2015 were approved as a correct record subject to ‘leading Counsel’s opinion’ being substituted for ‘leading Counsel’ under item 13 (Sir John Cass Foundation Primary School Expansion).

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

Members considered a report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services on un-validated examination results for 2015.

RECEIVED

There were no questions.

The Chairman raised two items of urgent business.

Members considered a report of the Vice Principal and Director of Music at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (GSMD) regarding the under-18 offer from both the Barbican Centre and the GSMD.

RECEIVED

Members considered a Livery Education Partnership Prospectus.

RECEIVED