Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Alderman Sir William Russell, Jeremy Mayhew  and Andy Taylor.

Before starting the business on the agenda, the Chair thanked Governors David Bradshaw, Marianne Fredericks, Jeremy Mayhew and Vivienne Littlechild, who had reached the end of their terms and would be standing down after this meeting of the Board.

The Chair added special thanks to Mrs Littlechild for her long, dedicated service to the School and past Chairmanship,  which had run into the start of the pandemic.   Mrs Littlechild thanked the Board for their support during a difficult time for the School. 

There were no declarations

To agree the public minutes and non-public summary of the meeting held on 22^nd November 2021.

The public minutes and non-public summary of the meeting held on 22^nd November 2021 were approved as a correct record.

RESOLVED, that – the public minutes and non-public summary of the meeting held on 22^nd November 2021 be approved as a correct record, subject to an amendment recording Paula Haynes and Neil Greenwood as having been present.

To receive the public minutes of the following recent Committee meetings:

The draft confidential minutes were circulated to the Board ahead of this meeting and the public and non-public sets would follow shortly

Report of the Principal, Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

The Board received the Principal’s public report.

Report of the Principal, Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

The Board considered a report of the Principal in respect of the amendments to the Instrument and Articles of Government.  Governors noted that the Establishment and Policy and Resources Committees, of the City of London Corporation,  had recently approved a target operating model and governance review proposals for the School, which would need to be incorporated as formal amendments to the School’s Instrument & Articles of Government.  Once the Board had agreed the amendments,  they would need to be formally approved by the Court of Common Council, before being presented to the Office for Students as a reportable event.

Governors noted that, under its designation as a Higher Education Institution, the relationship of the School’s Academic Board to the Governing Body needs to be visible within the I&As.  Within the Code of Practice for Higher Education, there is also a requirement for a Nominations Committee.  The I&As do not preclude the establishment of other committees, and the School also has Audit and Risk Management, Finance and Resources and Governance and Effectiveness Committees.  The Board also noted that it now reserves the right to appoint a second Deputy Chairman from amongst its external (co-opted) Members, which is also compliant with the Committee of University Chairs’ (CUC) Higher Education Code of Governance.

RESOLVED, that – the amendments to the School’s Instrument and Articles of Government be recommended to the Court of Common Council for formal approval, before being presented to the Office for Students as a reportable event.

Report of the Principal, Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

The Board considered a report of the Principal in respect of the Teaching and Learning Strategy for 2001-2026.  Governors noted that this had been delayed during 2021,  whilst the School ensured that Covid-related changes to the  delivery and assessment processes maintained the high quality of student learning and continued to meet regulatory requirements.

Governors commended a comprehensive action plan and during the discussion on this matter the following points were noted:

a)       A more detailed version of the action plan was being created to include targets and KPIs.  Detailed annual reports and regular verbal reports would be presented to the Academic Board, with the  Board retaining overall responsibility for standards.

b)       It was suggested that the section on teaching choices be presented differently, so as not to suggest that standards are dependent on them.

c)       Governors noted that whilst research is always desirable, it is entirely demand led and if academics take up research work, their teaching time would be covered.

d)       An error was spotted in the report  in that it referred to a 10 week summer term in 23/24 and not 22/23.

RESOLVED, that – the Strategy and its implementation be approved.

Report of the Principal, Guildhall School of Music and Drama

The Board considered a report of the Principal which sought  to delegate authority in respect of amendments to the Students’ Union Constitution.  Governors noted that, since the publication of this report, the Student Parliament had voted 100% in favour of the proposal, with a turnout of over two-thirds. Governors felt that this had given credibility to the proposal and noted that the Student Union were looking to incorporate welfare into the President’s job description.

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In response to initial concerns about a perceived demotion of welfare, Governors noted that the original role had been one of advocacy and as a point of referral to the School’s Welfare Services, which are very comprehensive.  It was also suggested that welfare should be a ‘golden thread’ throughout the School and that mental health first aid training might be considered at a future meeting.  There was also a risk of some of the processes being duplicated, which this report sought to clarify.

The Past Chairman had met the School’s counsellors and found their services exemplary, together with the School’s approach to supporting students in both their mental and physical health. 

RESOLVED, that – authority be delegated to the Town Clerk, in consultation with the Chair and Deputy Chair of the Board, and the Principal of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, to  approve amendments to the Students’ Union Constitution for adoption for the Student Elections for 2022/23; i.e. - removal of the  Vice-President (Welfare) and encompassing welfare advocacy across all roles, which will be part of the training offered to role holders at the start of their appointment. NB. The Union would then replace the role with a VP Marketing and Communications, to reflect the increase in demand for more social content and online presence.

There were no questions

The Chair was heard in respect of the appointment of the new Principal

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 Part I of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.

RESOLVED – That under Section 100(A) 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 Part I of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act as follows:-

To agree the non-public minutes of the meeting held on 22^ND  November 2021.

The non-public minutes of the meeting held on XX were approved as a correct record.

To receive the non-public minutes of the following recent Committee meetings:

The draft non-public minutes were received.

Report of the Principal, Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

The Board received the Principal’s non-public report

Report of the Principal, Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

The Board received a report of the Principal

Report of the Director of Operations and Buildings, Guildhall School of Music and Drama and Barbican Centre.

The Board considered and approved a report of the Director of Operations and Buildings, Guildhall School of Music and Drama and Barbican Centre.

Joint report of the Principal, Guildhall School of Music and Drama; the Managing Director of the Barbican Centre and the City Surveyor.

The Board considered and approved a report of the Principal of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the  Managing Director of the Barbican Centre and the City Surveyor,

Report of the Principal, Guildhall  School of Music and Drama.

The Board received a report of the Principal.

Report of the Principal, Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

The Board received a report of the Principal

Report of the Principal, Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

The Board received a report of the Principal

Report of the Principal, Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

The Board considered and approved a report of the Principal

Report of the Principal, Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

The Board considered and approved a report of the Principal

Group Accountant, Guildhall School of Music and Drama to be heard.

The Board agreed to delegate authority to the Town Clerk, in consultation with the Chair and Deputy Chair of the Board, in respect of the TRAC return

There were no questions.

The Group Accountant was heard in respect of the ISTA review

Report of the Town Clerk.  NB.  Governors received the report in full when it was circulated, by the Chair of the Board, as part of the consultation process ahead of taking the decision under Delegated Authority.

Principal, Guildhall School of Music and Drama will provide a verbal update.

The Board received a report of the Town Clerk and the Principal provided an update.

Report of the Principal, Guildhall School of Music and Drama

The Board received a report of the Principal.

The Chairman was heard in respect of an urgent item of confidential business

The draft public minutes and non-public summary were received.