Agenda item

Report of the Chief Executive Officer.

Trustees considered a report of the Chief Executive Officer presenting the proposed Parent, Community and Commercial Links survey for the 2019-20 academic year and the following points were made:

·         The Parent, Community and Commercial Links survey had been introduced during the 2018-19 academic year to identify and review the activities and processes in place to promote and maintain parent, community and commercial links across the Trust.    In reviewing the findings of the survey, the Standards and Accountability Committee had agreed that the exercise be carried out on an annual basis to track progress being made in this area with a view to identifying best practice.

·         Trustees discussed the proposed format for the Spring 2020 survey and agreed the following changes:

o   Question 2: ‘Meetings with the Governors’ to be added as a check-box option and ‘Other’ to be moved into a distinct question asking, ‘What other activities and events does your academy deliver during the year?’.

o   Additional question to be added asking, ‘Does your academy undertake an annual parent and student survey?’

·         A Trustee asked whether there was a code of conduct for parents and carers in place at schools across the Trust.  The Chief Executive Officer confirmed that this was available at an operational level and the Trustee suggested that the code of conduct for parents and carers be uploaded to academy websites.  Another Trustee noted that parents and carers signed a pupil contract when their child joined an academy within the Trust which outlined basic expectations around children attending school ready to learn.  The code of conduct for parents and carers would be circulated to Trustees following the meeting.

·         In response to a question from a Trustee, the Chief Executive Officer advised that Ofsted did not encourage schools to provide more than three academic reports to parents/carers during the academic year.

RESOLVED, that:

·         The proposed survey questions be noted;

·         The proposed survey questions be amended as per comments by Trustees; and,

·         The timeline for the circulation of the survey be agreed as outlined below:

·         Survey circulated to Trust schools (w/c 24 February 2020)

·         Deadline for responses (16 March 2020)

·         Chase missing responses (16-20 March 2020)

·         Summary report to Committee (30 April 2020)