Local Governance

Local governance within a trust Trust Functions: Headteacher PMR Financial Management Premises Personnel School Improvement Intervention to improve performance Compliance Safeguarding Local Governing Body Functions: Curriculum Teaching and Learning Pupil progress and attainment Self-Evaluation School Improvement Planning Safeguarding Collection of stakeholder views Emphasize that governors have the freedom to focus on pupils, learning and the curriculum. Therefore they can be more effective when monitoring

What should you be doing as local governors? Ensure that: Safeguarding is effective. Teaching is off the best quality possible for all groups of pupils The curriculum is broad, balanced and informed by accurate assessment Additional funding is used effectively School improvement planning is informed by accurate monitoring and self-evaluation. The impact of actions to improve outcomes and provision for pupils is known. The view of ‘stakeholders’ are known and used to improve provision in the school. Highlight overlapping functions between trust and LGBs

What do you know about your school? Vision Curriculum Intent School Improvement Priorities Self evaluation Judgements Strengths Weaknesses Safeguarding Ask governors to take a second and discuss this……

What does good governance look like? Leaders and governors are ambitious for all pupils and promote improvement effectively. The school’s actions secure improvement in disadvantaged pupils’ progress, which is rising, including in English and mathematics. Leaders and governors have an accurate and comprehensive understanding of the quality of education at the school. This helps them plan, monitor and refine actions to improve all key aspects of the school’s work. Leaders and governors use performance management effectively to improve teaching. They use accurate monitoring to identify and spread good practice across the school. Governors hold senior leaders stringently to account for all aspects of the school’s performance, including the use of pupil premium, the primary PE and sport premium and SEN funding, ensuring that the skilful deployment of staff and resources delivers good or improving outcomes for pupils. Compare the different roles of the LGB and Trust

What is it like to be a child at this school? Monitoring: - Some Key Questions 1 What is it like to be a child at this school? What is it like to be a parent/carer at this school? What is it like to be a member of staff at this school? For each of the above, what do you want it to be like? (Vision) Can they answer these questions?

What are the outcomes for different groups of pupils at this school? Monitoring: - Some Key Questions 2 What are the outcomes for different groups of pupils at this school? What is the quality of behaviour, welfare and personal development? What is the quality of teaching, learning and assessment? What is the impact of leadership?

Monitoring Impact A simple approach to monitoring.... 1] Identify an aspect of the school’s work. 2] Ask a question. 3] Design an activity that will answer the question. 4] Monitor 5] Evaluate the evidence 6] Use the evaluation........

Monitoring Impact Health Warning: Classroom Monitoring: Governors do not have a role in assessing the quality of teaching or the extent of learning. This is an operational function of the leadership team. However, guided monitoring activities support a governor’s understanding of aspects of provision in the school. For example, if a new strategy has been introduced to improve outcomes in mathematics

Monitoring Activities: Effectiveness of leadership and management in improving outcomes for pupils: Review Data Interview subject leaders, SENCo, HT..... Talk to pupils Collect the views of parents First hand evidence (pupils, pupils’ books, surveys, environment.... External Validation Test SEF/SDP against the Ofsted criteria Attend SLT meetings

Monitoring Activities: Quality of teaching, learning and assessment: Review outcomes data External Validation Staff feedback Pupil and parents’ feedback Guided monitoring of books/lessons Attend staff meetings

Monitoring Activities: Personal development, behaviour and welfare: Talk to pupils Visit assembly, break and lunch times Collect parents’ views Discuss behaviour records Meet staff Check response to attendance issues Review attendance data Review curriculum documents

Monitoring Activities: Outcomes for pupils: Guided book monitoring (See Health Warning) Analyse Data School Performance Tables Parents’ views Pupils’ views Meet lead for SEND, Disadvantaged Pupils External moderation or monitoring Attend pupil progress/data meetings to see the process. .

Monitoring Activities: Safeguarding: Review the school’s audit Check the SCR or have it externally checked Check training records Check behaviour management processes Check child protection concerns processes Check recruitment processes Health and safety walks Sample risk assessments to evaluate the process Survey stakeholders Interview staff

Monitoring – What next? Use the information to inform judgements in the school self evaluation document. Identify strengths and weaknesses and use these to inform the actions in the school development plan. Identify the focus for future monitoring.

Governors fail to provide enough challenge to headteacher A model of what goes wrong in declining schools: problems start when processes to ensure accountability or drive change start to falter Factors influencing accountability: lack data skills and training excessive trust or too friendly lack of external evidence headteacher provides unbalanced information lack of own monitoring and information misplaced loyalty Factors restricting capacity, eg: Chair of Governors in post a long time and ‘world has moved on’ governors not strategic or evaluative in thinking diverted by building plans, falling rolls, academisation, etc. internal ‘turbulence’. Over-reliant on headteacher for knowledge of the school Lack of urgency due to complacency or distractions Governors fail to provide enough challenge to headteacher

Governors fail to provide enough challenge to the headteacher The consequences of a failure to challenge undermine the running of the school Governors fail to provide enough challenge to the headteacher Improvement planning does not address the real priorities or is not rapid enough Governors do not know what is needed to probe more closely and gather further insight Performance management of the headteacher is weak because it cannot be based on any meaningful analysis Governors do not know if their actions are having any impact or how good the school really is Governors do not know what training they need or what additional governors to appoint Performance management of teachers is ineffective, as it is not linked to achievement The school is incapable of stopping its own decline

In the best schools inspectors found governors were very well informed ‘Regular meetings with the headteacher and presentations from staff inform governors' understanding of the school and its work.’ ‘The governing body seeks the views of parents, carers and pupils and uses the information obtained to inform the school's self-evaluation and the school development plan.’ ‘Governors have a good awareness of the school and a clear view of the strategic direction of the school through regular visits, including to lessons and focus groups.’ ‘Governors carry out their own monitoring of the school’s plans and use this to evaluate how well all aspects are doing. They clearly understand how well pupils are progressing, making it their business to probe the school about any concerns, should they arise.’ ‘Outstanding quality of work undertaken by the governing body could clearly be seen in an audit of the impact on pupils' learning of recent disruptions caused by inclement weather. As a result of the audit, staff have now agreed a plan to make up any future lost learning time.’ ‘Governors are closely involved in self-evaluation procedures, ask penetrating questions and expect and receive regular reports and presentations from staff to inform their strategic decision making.’

A few more questions: Who sets the agenda for GB meetings? Does the agenda reflect the school’s current priorities? How do governors influence the content of the Headteacher's report? How do governors use the outcomes of their monitoring to contribute to discussions in GB meetings? How do governors use their long term strategic priorities to inform their decision making? How do you know that assessment data is accurate?

Monitoring Models (Pros and Cons) Attach a governor to each priority Attach a governor to a class Attach a governor to an aspect of the curriculum. Complete monitoring days Set priorities and all governors focus on each of them in turn. What ever approach you use, it should be timetabled, actually happen and result in discussion at GB meetings which inform decisions.

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