Agenda item

Report of the Headmistress of the City of London School for Girls.

The Board considered the report of the Headmistress which included items for information concerning the Summer School held last year and further items for decision including a request to expand international school exchanges to the Laurel School, Ohio and various policies for approval.

The Headmistress highlighted that the Policies the Board were being asked to approve today were brought to Governors’ consideration on a three year cycle as previously agreed. She highlighted that there were safeguarding implications for three of the Policies for approval today and reminded Governors that the full review of the School’s stand-alone Safeguarding Policy would feature on the agenda for the next Board meeting in June 2017.

With regard to the proposed International Exchange Programme with the USA, Governors questioned whether the travel ban currently being pursued by the President of the USA would have any implications for CLSG students. The Headmistress stated that she did not feel that this was sufficient reason to not explore this opportunity and undertook to discuss this particular matter with the Principal of the host School. The Headmistress added that this was something staff could consider in greater detail once the profile of those students likely to take part in the exchange was clearer. She confirmed that, at present, no students at the School held Iranian or Syrian passports. Governors stated that, by this stage, the Policy around the proposed travel ban should be clearer and better understood.

In response to a question around the need for host families to provide exchange students with a CLSG school uniform, and whether this was necessary for such a short period, the Headmistress confirmed that the School had a spare supply of these and so it would be at no cost to the host families.

The Chairman commented that the tracked changes highlighted in the attached Policies were extremely useful. She confirmed that a Governor had highlighted some typographical errors in the various Policies in advance of today’s Board meeting and that these would be corrected ahead of the new Policies being published.

RESOLVED – That, Governors:

• Note the report.
• Agree to extend the International Exchange Programme to the USA
• Approve the revised policies at Annexes  A to J and N, subject to the correction of all typographical errors highlighted by Governors:
  • Annex A:  Catering and Food Hygiene Policy
  • Annex B: Drug and Substance Abuse Policy
  • Annex C: Fire Safety Procedures and Risk Assessment Policy
  • Annex D: Medical Questionnaire Policy
  • Annex E: Missing Child Policy
  • Annex F: Pastoral Care, Discipline and Exclusions Policy
  • Annex G: Physical Contact and Restraints Policy
  • Annex H: Protecting Personal Property and Thefts Policy
  • Annex I: Security Access Controls, Workspace Safety and Lone Worker Policy
  • Annex J: Swimming Pool Safety Policy
  • Annex N: Health and Safety Policy