Agenda item

This report asks Members to consider the draft final report for the review of School Governors.

Members considered the draft final report and annexes for the review of School Governors (Part A). The report summarised the results from:

·        the individual surveys issued to all 1090 governors,

·        the exit questionnaire issued to governors who resigned since the start of the academic year 2006-07

·        the informal consultation held in February for all governors

·        the questionnaire issued to each schools governing body requesting further information to support the review.

Members dicussed the current composition of governing bodies and recognised that in order for the upgraded Governor Support and Development Services (GSDS) database to continue to be an effective tool, governing bodies would need to be encouraged to keep the information contained up-to-date.  The database would help identify gaps in skills, ways in improving the diversity of governing bodies to reflect the local community and help identify future training requirements. Members expressed concerns that currently community governors were getting filled by LEA governors and recommended that the GSDS help encourage governing bodies to consider the communities they represent and the ethnic balance when recruiting potential Community governors.

Members noted that Primary Schools preferred whole governing body training sessions and Secondary Schools preferred online training sessions.  The GSDS were currently working on developing these training sessions.  Members commended the GSDS on the current training and development sessions available and recommended that the GSDS should continue to identify the best and most appropriate forms of training.

After a detailed discussion Members recommended the following amendments to the draft final report:

• Each objective should result in the following recommendations:

Objective (i), recommendation A & D,

A,Continue to develop improved methods for advertising governor vacancies, eg by targeting specific organizations, in order to attract a more diverse mix of individuals to the role of governor.

D, Regularly maintain, update and develop their database to ensure it captures the information necessary to reflect changing circumstances.

Objective (ii), recommendation A & B

A, Continue to develop improved methods for advertising governor vacancies, eg by targeting specific organizations, in order to attract a more diverse mix of individuals to the role of governor

B, Create an information guide to encourage governing bodies to consider the communities they represent and the ethnic balance when recruiting potential Community governors.

Objective (iii), new recommendation E, Information on best practice to be shared with all York schools.

Objective (iv), new recommendation F, Governor Support and Development Service should be encouraged to consider the most applicable form of training, whether it be whole governing body or online training.

• Section 5 amend first sentence to read; At a meeting in May 2008, the Committee considered a scoping report for Part B of this review, having received an update from the Head of Early Years & Extended Schools.

• Second sentence of last paragraph in section 6 amend sentence to read; Much thought was given to the content of the questionnaire in an effort to compliment the information already gathered as a result of the individual governor survey.

• Second sentence of section 16 amend sentence to read; The committee recognised that this approach was not ideal and as it relied heavily on the good will of existing members (and their knowledge of the skills of those they approached) it ran the risk of duplicating the existing profile.

• Second sentence of section 19 amend sentence to read; The responses are shown at Annex E.

The Scrutiny Officer agreed to make the amendments to the report which would  be submitted to the Scrutiny Management Committee in due course for its comments.

Members thanked all officers who had been involved in this review.

           RESOLVED:          That the draft final report be approved as amended and referred to SMC for consideration. 

REASON:                  To ensure this review complies with scrutiny procedures, protocols and workplans.