About Govas

GOVAS works closely with the Stockport Children and Young People Directorate, but we are a fully independent association of governors affiliated to the equally independent National Governors Association. Every governor in Stockport is automatically a GOVAS member (as long as your institution pays their subscriptionof £10.00 PA)and our Management Committee is made up exclusively of serving volunteer governors in Stockport’s schools – nursery, primary secondary and special. Our biggest strength is our links with all the school governors in Stockport through our newsletter, special communications, and this website.  

 

NEWSLETTER 22 – January 2018

The School Forum who are they and what do they do click here for further information

Apologies there were not a Newsletter issued after the December 2017 meeting – please refer to the Council Web-site for full details of the reports and the public minutes.

In this issue, we are including key points from the Schools Forum meeting held on 25 January 2018 particularly; Schools Funding Settlement 2018/19, Annual Pro-forma Toolkit return to DfE, 201819 Budget update and DSG Review Group. A full copy of the minutes will be made available via the Council web-site in due course, see section 7 below.

Schools Forum Meeting 25 January 2018 – Key Points

  1. Matters Arising from 7 December 2017 Meeting minutes

A discussion took place in relation to the “disappointment” expressed from the secondary sector colleagues that the new Laurus Trust Free Schools now confirmed for opening in September 2018 were not included in the original formula modelling figures included in the Schools’ Financial Consultation last term. The impact of which was that the headroom monies available within the schools’ block of funding for distribution to schools had now been reduced.

The secondary sector representatives indicated that the former vote on the 0.5% transfer from the schools’ block to the high needs block may have been different if all information had been known. The Service Director for Education outlined the LA would have taken such matter to the Secretary of State if Schools’ Forum approval had not have been granted.

Best wishes for 2018, another year of challenges lies ahead, 2017 saw a new ofsted charter rigorously testing our procedures and knowledge and we are confident that this will continue into 2018. So make sure that all of your governors are up to date with what is going on in your school and don`t forget to ask those dificult questions when they need to be asked to the senior team. This is what being a Governor is all about.

 

Thanks

Govas Team

 

NEWSLETTER 21 – September 2017

The School Forum who are they and what do they do click here for further information

Welcome to the 21st edition of the Schools Forum Newsletter……..

In this issue, we are including key points from the Schools Forum meeting held on 28 September 2017 particularly; Schools Capacity/Capital Program update, Terms of Reference Review/Membership update, 2018/19 Schools Funding Arrangements and the National Funding Formula / 2018/19 Budget Options. A full copy of the minutes will be made available via the Council web-site in due course, see section 8 below.

Schools Forum Meeting 28 September 2017 – Key Points

  1. Matters Arising from 18 May 2017 Meeting minutes

Peter Hughes provided an email update (26 May 2017) to all Schools Forum matters in relation to the administrative cost increase query raised relating to school insurance schemes provided to schools as per item 9 in the minutes.

Furthermore the additional DfE information relating to the construction and values assigned to the local funding formula models of the other 150 LAs across the country was circulated to members further to item 11 of the last meeting.

  1. SCHOOLS CAPACITY / CAPITAL PROGRAM UPDATE

Report presented as tabled

Discussion: Stephen Bell outlined the key pressure points in the borough (i.e. Marple, Heatons, etc.) in relation to the provision of sufficient school places and provided a further update on the £25m capital investment secured to address both capacity and condition needs of schools in the very near future. A formal working group will be established shortly with representatives of all key stakeholder groups to identify options and discuss LA plans in more detail.

Decisions: N/A.

National Leaders of Governance or “NLGs” are highly effective chairs of school and academy governing boards who are designated by the National College for Teaching and Leadership to provide support to chairs of governors in other schools. There are currently thirty NLGs designated in the Greater Manchester sub region, with three based in Stockport (Stu Foster, Charles Nevin and Andy Kent). Having an NLG “deployed” to your governing body is usually free of charge, as NLGs are as a condition of their designation expected to be available for deployments with no charge for delivery for five working days in total per year.  Time spent beyond this may be chargeable; this is entirely a matter for discussion and agreement between the school or other commissioner and the NLG. NLGs can provide support in several different ways.

Further information on NLGs in Greater Manchester may be found on the Greater Manchester Learning Partnership (GMLP) website at www.gmlp.org.uk  and via the links below.

 excell.png  List of National Leaders of Governance across GM

explorer.gif  NLG Pen Portraits 

NLG Deployments

What is a National Leader of Governance Deployment?

An NLG is deployed into a school to provide support for its chair of governors. This support can take different forms depending on the circumstances of the school. Examples of deployments are as follows:

Improving school performance:

  • Supporting the chair to focus more closely on raising standards and leading improvement
  • Helping the chair to understand and interpret strategic school/academy data

Supporting the relationship between headteacher and chair:

  • Coaching a chair in developing solutions to identified problems or in providing more effective challenge to senior leaders
  • Helping the chair establish and develop an effective professional relationship with the headteacher/principal

Skills and understanding of governance

  • Helping the chair to better evaluate their own performance and develop their leadership, effectiveness and confidence
  • Supporting a new or recently appointed chair
  • Observing a governing body meeting and providing advice to the chair on procedures, protocols and behaviours
  • Helping the chair identify priorities for governing body development and draw up an action plan
  • Mentoring a chair to provide support through a process, for example relating to complaints or staffing related issues
  • Providing expertise to help with an aspect of a GB’s work
  • Signposting or brokering additional training and support
  • Facilitating a board self-review or undertaking an external review of governance
  • Supporting aspects of federation or academy conversion

A review of governance is a deployment and is usually charged for. Reviews of governance may be recommended following an Ofsted inspection or commissioned by a school as part of their own cycle of self-evaluation and development planning. Any arrangements for paid for work are between the school and the individual NLG.

How do I request a NLG Deployment?

An improved schools' financial benchmarking service has been launched online by the Department for Education following feedback from users. The service enables LA-maintained schools and academies to compare their performance data and spending levels with schools that share similar characteristics such as:

  • pupil numbers
  • school phase/type
  • proportion of pupils with special educational needs
  • proportion of pupils who are eligible for free school meals
  • proportion of pupils with English as an additional language

We will continue to develop and improve the service based on users’ feedback, which can be submitted on the website. For general queries about the service functions, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.      

The benchmarking service will help school leaders and governors consider how they can use available resources to have maximum impact in supporting high-quality teaching and ensuring the best possible educational outcomes for their pupils.

 

Mrs Dawn Boyes

All schools are facing challenging times financially and making better use of the available money we have is going to be a key theme for some time. As well as the support from the LA, there is a lot of information out there. The DfE have produced resource packs and NGA have recently announced training workshops. As we revealed at the Conference, we have put on a workshop on Financial Efficiency and it took take place at Priestnall School on Wednesday July 5th at the Café Mersey. It was run in conjunction with the GOVAS AGM, which was as brief as ever.  The workshop was led by a practitioner (Dawn Boyles biography see below ) skilled in presenting, so we have been working with the National Association of School Business Managers and one of their trainers, Dawn Boyes, who is a School Business Manager, who delivered the workshop.

DAWN BOYES (Biography)

Is Business Director at Keswick School, a multi academy trust in Cumbria. She has extensive experience as a school business professional with experience of working in a grammar school, an inner city secondary and a rural secondary.

She worked as part of a demonstration project, developing the role of SBM across two primary schools and also worked with other secondary schools to look at best practise in developing procurement models across schools.

From 2008-2013 she was an SBM Advocate for the NCTL and since 2014 has been an Associate Practitioner foe the NASBM. Dawn is currently working as the lead employer developing the School Business Director Apprenticeship which it is hoped will be available by September 2017 and is working with ILM on development of their new suite of School Business Qualifications.

 

For all those who attended the slides are available here now 

 

 

 

The School Forum who are they and what do they do click here for further information

Welcome to the 20th edition of the Schools Forum Newsletter........
In this issue, we are including key points from the Schools Forum meeting held on 18 May 2017 particularly; Schools Budget 2016/17 Final Outturn, The 2016/17 Final School Balances, School Insurance Schemes 2016/17 Outturn, Schools Financial Value Standard, Schools Formula Funding and DSG Review Update. A full copy of the minutes will be made available via the Council web-site in due course, see section 10 below.
Schools Forum Meeting 18 May 2017 – Key Points


1. Matters Arising from 16 March 2017 Meeting minutes
Peter Hughes provided update in relation to item 13 (i) School Water Sewerage charges – Following the lobbying of United Utilities (UU) Water Company (campaign led by Sefton Council) we have received notification that UU will reduce school charges by 50% in 2018/19 and will also be applying a retrospective 15% credit to the 2017/18 school bills. Peter Hughes and Stephen Bell will co-ordinate a communication to all schools shortly.

2. SCHOOLS BUDGET 2016/17 FINAL OUTTURN
Report presented as tabled
Discussion: Peter Hughes outlined the net adjusted final outturn (£0.417m) is to be credited to the DSG reserve and will be utilised to support the 2018/19 budget setting process (see Agenda Item 12).
Decisions: N/A.

Actions:
1. Schools’ Forum members to note the report.

3. 2016/17 FINAL SCHOOL BALANCES
Report presented as tabled

Discussions: N/A
Decisions: N/A

Actions:
1. Schools’ Forum members to note the report; and
2. Further update on outcomes of excessive surplus balance control mechanism to be provided in due course.

4. SCHOOL INSURANCE SCHEMES 2016/17 FINAL OUTTURN

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