HAVERING SIXTH FORM COLLEGE. MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE CORPORATION held on Thursday 27 th April 2017 at 6.00 p.m.

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1 HAVERING SIXTH FORM COLLEGE MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE CORPORATION held on Thursday 27 th April 2017 at 6.00 p.m. Present: Apologies Received: Richard Bint, Wendy Brice-Thompson, Keith Darvill, Rodney Eborn, Neil Frost, David Humber, Brian Martin, Malcolm O Brien, Michelle Purcell, Anita Sharma, Atul Vadher, Paul Wakeling Marion Adamson, Robbie Benham, Kathy Freeman, Joy Johnston, Nicola Lawrence Attendance and quoracy: Meeting quorate. 12 out of 19 Members present (63%) In attendance: Paul Nutter Deputy Principal Andrew Frater Assistant Principal, Performance, Services and Resources John Crossley Assistant Principal, Quality and Innovation Julie Warner Assistant Principal, Teaching and Learning Sue Bannocks Associate Principal, Recruitment, Marketing & Admissions Simon Tolaini College Accountant Cathy Horne Clerk to the Corporation In the Chair: Keith Darvill The meeting began with a briefing on Understanding College Finance by Simon Tolaini, College Accountant. C/17/31 Urgent Business There were no items of urgent business. C/17/32 Declarations of Interest No Members declared an interest in any of the items on the agenda. C/17/33 Minutes of the meeting held on 23 rd March 2017 Paper: Minutes of the meeting held on 23 rd March 2017 The minutes of the Corporation meeting were approved and signed by the Chair as a true and accurate record of the meeting. Members received the notes of the Safeguarding and Prevent Briefing. C/17/34 Matters Arising C/17/16 Link Governor Reports The report on the role of Subject Leaders, requested by the Corporation, was included as item 7 on the agenda. C/17/16 Principal s Report Referring to the question regarding parental access to ProMonitor, the Principal confirmed that the work on this was ongoing. He AGREED to report back to the next meeting. PGW C/17/16 Principal s Report (pages 3 and 5) The Principal explained that he had linked the data in his Principal s Report to the five key KPI s and focussed on the identified issues which should enable Members to more accurately monitor progress. He suggested that any comments or suggestions be discussed during the meeting. C/17/16 Principal s Report The Principal informed Members that the mock exams had been successful in terms of attendance and that, overall, progress had been made. The results of the mocks, KA4, formed part of the Principal s Report. 1

2 C/17/35 Principal's Report Paper: Principal's Report Tabled Papers: Letter from Andrew Frater responding to Peter Lauener letter; Quality Improvement Action Plan Introducing the report and referring to the Executive Summary, the Principal informed Members that student attendance and progress on A level, AS and A2 courses was higher when measured for KA4 than at the same point in the previous year. Student progress for Level 3 BTEC courses was the same as the previous year although attendance was up by 2%. He explained that there were some issues on one particular BTEC but that good progress had been made on the others. Referring to GCSE courses, he explained that progress was lower than the previous year when measured by KA4, however, there was an improvement of 0.6% in attendance. Exploring the decline in GCSE Photography reported at the previous meeting, had discovered that 78% of students were predicted a Grade C or above which would be a good result. The low mock results were due to the examination only being used without any course work. Referring to point 1.4, the Principal commented that applications were currently up on the previous year due to good marketing and liaison work and that this could result in approximately 30 students above target if previous conversion rates were applied. Referring to paragraph 2.3 of the New News section on page 2, the Principal explained that a Member had asked for the letter from Peter Lauener to be RAG rated. This allowed Governors to see where the College met the financial requirements stated in the letter. Referring to the tabled letter from the Assistant Principal, Performances, Services and Resources, the Principal explained that the first point Strong Governance in place to hold the college leadership team and Principal to account had been given a green rating. The range of expertise on the Corporation was extensive and there was strong evidence of Members holding management to account. The second point Provide clarity of direction had been divided into two parts as there was a strong framework in place regarding strategy but, for buildings, although the issues had been identified, there was not yet a solution in place. The third point use high quality assessment and appropriate independent challenge to test the college s position was fully met with detailed three and five year plans in place. The Principal, referring to section 4 of his report and the tabled Quality Improvement Plan, explained that it had been updated to address all of the Ofsted recommendations. Executive were monitoring the Plan which could be sorted in a variety of ways, including person responsible, source plan and due date. Members were advised that there would be the opportunity to look at the plan in more detail at the next meeting but that it was being provided now to give Members the opportunity to familiarise themselves with it. PGW Members were informed that teaching and learning was leading to improved student progress in all Faculties. The data for A level, AS and A2 in the KPI report in section 6 demonstrated the improvements. Performance in BTEC courses was almost identical to the previous year as shown on pages 12 and 13. A report on underperforming courses would be brought to the next meeting. Referring to GCSE Maths and English, the Principal explained that progress at KA4 was similar to the previous year. However, in English, student attendance had improved and an additional Facilitator had been appointed. The Maths mock results had shown 30% of students achieving A*-C which was a small improvement on the final results in Referring to the attendance dial on page 15, the Principal explained that current attendance was 88% which, although below the 90% target, was 2% higher than the same point in the previous year. Responding to a Members question, the Principal explained that students who had not achieved at least a Grade C in Maths and English at GCSE were required to continue studying these at the College and that this was a condition of funding which had been 2

3 introduced two years previously. He added that the local Secondary Heads were concerned about results, particularly with the introduction of the new 1 9 GCSE grades. In response to another comment from the Member, the Principal agreed that there was an increase in the number of students with mental health problems but added that the College was a national leader in this area and had appointed a Mental Health Officer. The Member commented that it was important to be aware of the impact of an increased number of students with mental health issues, particularly on teacher s time. Referring to the change to linear A levels, the Principal, in response to a Members question, explained that the Assistant Principal, Quality and Innovation, had been in contact with ALPS. It was not anticipated that the A E grades would differ much from A2 but Members should be aware that there could be an increase in the number of U grades as the filter at the end of the AS year was no longer in place. A Member commented that students currently in year 10 onwards would be undertaking linear GCSE s so there would be a short adjustment period where students were not used to this particular form of assessment. A Member thanked the Principal and the Assistant Principal, Teaching and Learning, for the comprehensive report covering teaching and learning. He commented that the Ofsted report had identified insufficient stretch and challenge as an issue and, referring to point 5.7, asked what activities and strategies had been identified to be taken forward. The Assistant Principal explained that 5.14 detailed the key actions for the summer term. The Chair commented that point 5.8 gave a useful summary of the strengths and weaknesses identified. The Principal explained that there was a teaching and learning conference at the College on 28 th June and then a three-day workshop, also focussing on teaching and learning, in July. He explained that good speakers had been engaged and there would be a focus on stretch and challenge. The Assistant Principal explained that the Faculty Leaders had met with Executive to develop activities and strategies to share best practice and address areas of weakness and that this work was ongoing. Members were informed that there had been additional learning walks for the risky courses and that all learning walks had included a high level of teacher involvement with feedback sessions being held afterwards. Responding to a Members question, the Assistant Principal confirmed that feedback, discussion and the sharing of good practice was taking place in all Faculties. A Member commented that there appeared to have been two types of learning walk and was informed by the Assistant Principal that there had been peer observations for which the focus had been to look for good practice which could be shared. In addition, there had been management learning walks which had included Executive for the first time. These had been to look for both good and bad practice which was then discussed fully with the Faculty Leaders. The Assistant Principal, Quality and Innovation, added that there would be an opportunity to discuss the indicators used to monitor teaching and learning at the Corporation Development Conference on 12 th May. A Parent Governor, commenting on the recent HE day referred to in 2.1 on page 2 of the report, informed Members that his son had found the day extremely helpful. The Corporation RECEIVED the report. C/17/36 Report on the role of Subject Leaders Paper: Role of Subject Leaders; Subject Leader JD Introducing the report, the Principal explained that the aim was to ensure that the Subject Leader role could have a real impact on performance. The development formed part of the improvement strategy and the request for a report to the Corporation had originated from Link Governor feedback at a previous meeting. 3

4 The Principal explained that some subjects had less than 20 students whilst others had over 300. A review of underperforming courses, had linked this, in some cases, with high numbers of students and an unmanageable scope for the Subject Leader. The new scheme scaled remuneration and remission to the size of the subject. The Principal confirmed that it was not a restructure and that no current member of staff would lose out as protection was in place for those already in role. The remuneration scale would apply to new appointments to the role with effect from May, with the changes to remission starting at the beginning of the autumn term. He explained that the SFCA had agreed with the proposal but there was a challenge from the NUT regarding the five additional days to be worked around results day as this was not in the national agreement. Responding to a question from a Member regarding the protection in place, the Principal confirmed that this was for the life of the person s employment with the College. The Assistant Principal, Performance, Services and Resources, added that the proposal allowed a separation of salary between that of teacher and that of Subject Leader. A Member questioned what the implications were in terms of cost and was advised by the Principal that the proposal would save money over time. He reminded Members that expenditure on the proposal should help the College to achieve better results. The Corporation RECEIVED the report. C/17/37 Financial Regulations Papers: Amended Financial Regulation section 8; existing section 8; existing section 7 4 The College Accountant explained that the Regulatory and Scrutiny Committee, at its meeting on 23 rd February 2017, had approved changes to the Investment Policy. The full Financial Regulations would be reviewed in November 2017 in accordance with the Corporation Review Cycle but changes were required at this stage in order for the Financial Regulations to match the Investment Policy. Members were asked to consider the proposed amendments to sections 8 and 8.1 of the Financial Regulations. In addition to this, Section 7 of the Regulations required the authorisation of the Principal and the College Accountant to transfer amounts of any size between accounts. In order for the College Accountant to maximise higher returns on a day to day basis, the proposal was to allow either the Principal or the College Accountant to authorise transfers. The College Accountant explained that, currently, the cash invested in the Charities Aid Foundation was earning 0.05%. The majority of the cash was invested in Lloyds with a higher interest rate. Referring to point 7 of section 8.1, a Member commented that the Co-operative Bank should not be included in the list of institutions in which the College could invest as it was experiencing difficulties. RESOLVED: The Corporation APPROVED the amended Sections 7 and 8 of the Financial Regulations as provided at the meeting and additionally requested the College Accountant to remove the Co-operative Bank from the list of approved organisations. C/17/38 Tuition Fees for Paper: Cover Page The Principal explained that the Tuition Fees for overseas students were set at the funding rate per learner for the College. In 2017/18 the funding rate was 4,700 and it was predicted to be similar in 2018/19. Responding to a Governors question as to why the College did not add a premium, the Principal explained that the College very rarely had international students. There

5 was no advertising or marketing campaign and that the Tuition Fees Policy, approved by the Corporation, stated that the rate should be set at the funding rate per learner. RESOLVED: The Corporation APROVED the Tuition Fees for 2018/19 at 4,700 (or 1,566 per term). C/17/39 Proposed Merger of Havering College and Barking and Dagenham College Paper: Merger Proposal Consultation Document; Suggested Response The Principal informed Members that the proposed merger of Havering College and Barking and Dagenham College had been discussed openly throughout the Area Based Review. Both he and the Chair had attended the Steering Group meetings and had been aware of the proposal from the beginning. He informed Members that he had put together a suggested response and asked for any additional comments or suggestions. Responding to questioning from Members regarding the risk to Havering Sixth Form College, the Principal explained that the risk was that, in the medium term, the newly merged college did not value the partnership work or the guaranteed offer of a place to students in the Borough. He commented that he met monthly with the Principal of Havering College and also had a good working relationship with Barking and Dagenham College. He added that the two colleges had no option but to merge for them to remain sustainable. The Chair informed Members that the Local Authority was working with Havering College, emphasising the need to provide suitable educational provision for local students, whilst meeting the requirements of the skills agenda. He added that travel to study was a concern, particularly as the Quarles campus in Harold Hill would no longer exist. The Corporation RECEIVED the report, AGREED the suggested response and REQUESTED the Principal to complete the online response. PGW C/17/40 Corporation Calendar for Paper: Corporation Calendar for ; Governor Training Plan for The Clerk explained that the proposed calendar followed a similar pattern to the previous year. The first meeting of the year would be on Friday 8 th September and would be an afternoon tea for new staff followed by a Corporation meeting to consider the summer results. The training plan set out the planned internal training and development for the year. The Clerk explained that additional needs identified during the year could be added, reminding Members that external training opportunities were circulated as appropriate. A Member asked if the dates for the Faculty SAR Monitoring Meetings in the autumn term could be arranged sooner in the next academic year and was informed by the Assistant Principal, Quality and Innovation, that dates for these and the Faculty QIP meetings in the spring term had been booked. He AGREED to provide the dates to the Clerk who would forward them on to Members. JOC / CLH RESOLVED: The Corporation APPROVED the Corporation calendar for and RECEIVED the proposed Governor Training Plan. C/17/41 5 Appointment of Members to the Regulatory and Scrutiny Committee to be held on Tuesday 13 th June 2017 Paper: Draft agenda for the Regulatory and Scrutiny Committee The Chair explained that the Regulatory and Scrutiny Committee considered some of the more detailed work of the Corporation, particularly relating to finance and HR

6 issues. He explained that the Committee approved policies and procedures on behalf of the Corporation but that the Call-In Procedure existed to enable any Member to ask for a particular policy to be considered by the full Corporation. The Clerk explained that the Chair of the Committee was Kathy Freeman, with Brian Martin as the Vice-Chair. In addition, the Chair of the Corporation and the Principal were standing members of the Committee. Each time the Committee met, an additional two or more Members were appointed and the agenda was provided to enable Members to see the areas for discussion. Wendy Brice-Thompson and Atul Vadher volunteered to attend the Committee on 13 th June. RESOLVED: The Corporation APPROVED the appointment of Wendy Brice-Thompson and Atul Vadher as members of the Committee for the meeting to be held on 13 th June C/17/42 Evaluation of Meeting Papers: Evaluation of Meeting; Evaluation of Paper Members were asked to complete the forms individually at the end of the meeting and return them to the Clerk. C/17/43 Date of the Next Meetings The meeting ended at 7.40 pm Development Conference Friday 12 th May at am Full Corporation meeting Tuesday 6 th June at 6,00 pm Chair Date CLH 28 th April