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1.
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Minutes of the Previous Meeting
Approved as an accurate record.
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Action
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2.
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Matters Arising
Tony McKee advised the group that LPHA are pleased with the SEN Review and that they had welcomed the opportunity to contribute to the plan.
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3.
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Restructure of Raising Achievement
Jo updated the group on the various structure changes that had been finalised during the previous week. Four Principal Officers had been appointed (Jo Olsson, Peter Thorpe, Lesley Wright and Hugh Milroy; Two Primary SSIO’s had been appointed (Jacquie Fleetwood and Chris Kinsella). Two SIP managers,
Kay Wilkin for Primary Schools and Richard Woolford for Secondary & Specialist Schools. Tim Warren was acting as AED whilst Marcia is off ill, and Sue Shinkfield and Jim Arnold are acting as Tim’s deputies. Ken Heaton is the Primary Enterprise Officer.
Tony McKee raised the issue that LPHA had no knowledge of the restructuring of the service, and that the association had concerns regarding the capacity of officers to fulfil their roles given the current demands.
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4.
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Reviewed Handbook
Jo Olsson distributed copies of the draft handbook to the group. Jo confirmed that Leadership and Management had been removed from the handbook. The group discussed various aspects of the handbook, and the issues relating to the Quality Assurance of SIPs. Jo requested that any suggestions or views on the handbook be raised directly with her. Tony McKee on behalf of LPHA commended Jo on the draft handbook which had been written and produced in a very clear and thorough way.
The group discussed the Annual Report to Governors and agreed that the report is a useful document for Headteachers but may not be fully understood by Governing Bodies. It was agreed by the group that a summary report would be more suitable reflecting the overall findings of the termly reports. Jo confirmed that this issue is on the agenda for review.
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5.
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SIPs
Jo stated that SIPs are the pivotal person for School Improvement and any concerns regarding a school should be raised by the SIP. Jo advised the group that a working party had been established to ensure that all SIPs are working in cohesion and that an equitable system was embedded.
Jo informed the group that internal SIPs would be required to have their details published on Ednet as external SIPs do. Jo also confirmed that SIP reports must be produced within ten days of the visit. Schools then it turn have seven days in which to respond, alternatively if no response is made the reports will be taken as agreed. Anne Edmundson reported that some schools had visits at the end of the Summer Term and the school had not yet received their reports. Jo agreed to investigate this further. Ken suggested that when a new SIP is appointed to a school, the Headteacher contacts them at their earliest convenience to ensure that a relationship is established with the school as soon as possible.
The group discussed the issues regarding the five allocated SIP days. Jo confirmed that schools at Level 4 or 5 would have an LA SIP appointed and the school would receive in excess of the allocated 5 days. This would also apply to schools that are placed in categories whereby an external SIP is in place and an LA SIP would have to be appointed.
The group discussed the issues around SIPs attending Ofsted feedback. Jo confirmed that it was the Local Authority role to attend the feedback meetings not the role of the SIP. Jo also confirmed that it was not the role of the SIP to become involved in Headteacher appointments, again this is a Local Authority responsibility.
Jo reported that she will be establishing a group of Headteachers and SIPs to look at the focus of SIP visits. Jo will report the outcomes from those meetings to this group.
The group discussed the Annual Report to Governors and agreed that the report is a useful document for Headteachers but may not be fully understood by Governing Bodies. It was agreed by the group that the summary report would be more suitable reflecting the overall findings of the termly reports. Jo confirmed that this issue is on the agenda for review.
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6.
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SIP Allocation 08/09
Jo apologised for the list that had been published incorrectly on EDNet. This had been replaced with an updated version and a letter from Jo to all Headteachers.
Zena Connolly would be taking up her post as Headteacher of Anfirld Junior School in October 2008, and Pat Speed would be taking up post in the authority with effect from January 2009. Zena has covered a significant amount of performance management this term within schools to compensate for the period before Pat takes up her post.
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6 Cont.
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The group discussed performance management and pay enhancement for the Headteachers. Governors should be recommending that the salary is reviewed annually. The school SIP should raise any issues of responsibilities with the Governing body, and this procedure is clear in the pay policy guidance.
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7.
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Overview of the standards
Jacquie updated the group on various Key Stages and subject areas and the comparison between local and national data. Ultimately, the Local Authority’s achievement is higher than the national average. However, the data for 2007/08 indicates that results have decreased both nationally and locally in English, Mathematics and Science. The analysis was concluded from unvalidated data and it is uncertain as to the date that validated data would be published due to the re-marking of papers.
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8.
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Update on the National Year of Reading
Ken welcomed Barbara Gowans to the group. Barbara distributed copies of a document which detailed various projects and activities that have been/are due to be held in the city during the year. Barbara advised the group that funding was still available for schools to bid for activities such as lunch/break clubs that would raise children’s reading ability.
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9.
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Succession Planning Audit
Maureen Hints is currently working with schools and to date, there has been a more positive response in terms of returns from secondary schools.
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10.
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Primary Headteachers Conference
Jacquie advised the group that flyers had been sent to all Primary Schools, and booking forms would be sent via email to all Primary Headteachers within the next few days. Jacquie had secured excellent speakers and workshop facilities for the event and two schools would be performing on the final afternoon of the conference.
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11.
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Date & time of the next meeting
The date and time of the next meeting is 2nd February 2009 at 9.30am at Sacred Heart School. (Note: deferred until 18th March 2009)
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