Minutes of the Meeting of the Governing Body of
THE CITY LITERARY INSTITUTE held on 14th May 2013 at
Keeley Street, London WC2
Present:
GOVERNORS
Ms. P. Allen+
Mr. K. Moffitt+
Mr. J. Armour*
Ms. A. Bennett* (Deputy Chair)
Ms. J. Cooper+
Mr. J. Flowers+
Mrs. B. Foulds+
Mr. C. Galleymore+
Dame M. Gibb+
Key:
+ Present
*Apologies tendered
In Attendance:
Nick Moore (Deputy Principal)
Joe Manifold (Vice Principal)
Liora Ives (Director of Marketing and Student Services)
Clerk:
Denise Gill
PART ONE:
13/28
Mr. T. Hope+
Mr. M. Macchitella+
Mr. M. Malcomson+
Mr. T. Mitchell+ (until 13/40)
Mr. S. Pfeifer+
Mr. R. Parkash+
Ms. J. Reynolds*
Ms. C. Stott+ (Chair)
STANDING ITEMS
Declarations of Interest
There were no declarations of interest.
13/29
Minutes of Previous Meeting
The minutes of the meeting held on 19th March 2013 were approved as a correct
record and signed by the Chair. Two minor typographic errors were noted.
13/30
Matters Arising
There were no matters arising not appearing elsewhere.
13/31
Principal’s Report March to May 2013
Members received a report from the Principal outlining achievements against the
Institute’s Vision, Mission and Strategic Objectives. Amongst items highlighted were:
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A brand new Summer School offer, with over 1,000 courses was launched,
with a significant percentage of new products. Simultaneously City Lit also
trialled an early online launch of the offer to increase convenience to existing
students. There was a very strong start to enrolment.
Health and Movement completed significant management of change with the
aim of reducing the number of unprofitable courses. Music was still in the
process.
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Discussions about a potential merger with Kensington and Chelsea College
continued but ultimately they decided to remain independent. The Senior
Management Team felt the six months of discussion had been worthwhile, as
it showed our commitment to working to further adult education across
London.
The Institute formally entered into a joint venture with Blackheath
Conservatoire with regard to delivering programmes with them in Visual Arts
at their campus from November. Twelve members of the Executive and Arts
Faculty attended their re-launch party where Joe Manifold delivered a keynote address to over 200 of their guests.
Pearson was withdrawing from its adult education online business “Love to
Learn”. Despite working with a number of high profile partners like City Lit,
they were unable to find a way to produce a viable business model. The
Institute was in negotiations around winding down the agreement.
The new Teaching and Learning and Student Experience Strategies have
been launched. A new role of Student Experience Manager had been
established.
Two City Lit learners won NIACE Adult Learners’ Regional Awards. Usman
Choudhry (Speech Therapy) and Jason Putman (Certificate in Supporting
Vulnerable People - Community Outreach) were celebrated at the Adult
Learners’ Celebration and would be presented at the NIACE ceremony at the
Museum of London. Post meeting note: A third Regional Winner was notified,
James Heath who won the Imperial College Health Award.
A new agency was recruited to develop a significant brand awareness
positioning. The new campaign, ‘Where London learns…’ would roll out
across London from May-September. Advertising would include the London
Underground, The Guardian, events and online activity to name a few. The
financial forecast was considered to be in line with the one submitted in
March.
Finally the Principal informed the Board that Marco Macchitella had been appointed
as Deputy Principal at Morley College. Members congratulated him on the
appointment and commented that it reflected well on City Lit that competitors took the
best from the best.
Members requested an update on the review of the Music department. The Principal
advised that improvements in the space available were being sought and the
curriculum was being retrenched to improve quality. A new Head of Music was being
recruited.
The Principal was asked whether the withdrawal from the education online business
‘Love to Learn’ would create an opportunity for City Lit. He responded that Pearson
had experienced price point difficulties and therefore it was unlikely that City Lit could
find a viable business model to make it profitable.
The Governors congratulated the staff on the excellent Adult Learners’ Celebration.
It was a very moving occasion and had showcased the difference that City Lit made
to individuals’ lives. Members also expressed appreciation on being able to invite a
guest which enabled them to bring someone who did not know about City Lit and the
excellent work it does.
It was noted that the Chair had been abroad and therefore there was no Chair’s
report on this occasion. However she had attended the Adult Learners’ Ceremony
and had held meetings with the Principal and Dame Moira.
The Principal was thanked for his report.
13/32
Date of Next Meeting
The date of the next meeting was confirmed as 9th July 2013 at 5pm.
PART TWO:
13/33
MATTERS FOR DECISION
Admissions Policy
The Board received a copy of a proposed Admissions Policy for Accredited Courses.
The Deputy Principal advised that the successful peer review processes established
in the ESOL area had revealed that an admissions policy was an important element
of a college’s accredited provision and it is commonly considered good practice. City
Lit had, so far, not had an agreed admissions policy – though different departments
already applied different elements of the proposed policy as part of their recruitment
and their own understanding of good practice.
One of the recurring problems had been an inconsistency in ascertaining applicants’
English, maths levels and any additional support needs. This had the potential to
impact negatively on student retention and achievement. In developing the policy it
was essential that, across the College, agreed and transparent procedures should be
followed when recruiting students for accredited provision. The Institute needed to
ensure that students were given the opportunity to feedback on their experience with
the process. Moreover, an agreed policy would enable the monitoring of the
processes as it would provide a common framework of reference. The suggested
policy had been discussed by the College’s Quality Committee and had been
supported by all relevant departments.
Nick added that the policy had been discussed and amended at meetings of the
Quality and Standards Committee and that:
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The policy would support equality and diversity as it ensured procedures were
transparent and applied equally.
Publishing and enforcing the policy would contribute to the delivery of
outstanding teaching and services.
The policy would provide a framework against which quality can be
measured.
Members discussed the policy and the Deputy Principal confirmed that mandatory
training for relevant staff would be implemented.
The Governing Body approved the Admissions Policy for Accredited Courses.
13/34
Teaching and Learning Strategy
The Deputy Principal introduced the proposed Teaching and Learning strategy. He
informed Governors that in July 2012 the first draft was published and following
debate in the Quality and Standards Committee, the strategy was revised and a new
draft published. Further consultation took place with all College managers between
November 2012 and February 2013 and the current draft was the result of several
iterations and incorporated feedback from a variety of sources.
Nick advised that City Lit aspired to be an outstanding and continually improving
provider of teaching and learning for adults. The Teaching and Learning Strategy
directly linked to, and supported, City Lit’s vision and its key strategic objectives. In
doing so the strategy set the overall direction in which teaching, learning, teacher
development and curriculum design at City Lit would move forward. It also provided
curriculum areas with the foundation to develop their local plans in line with the
overall college strategy for teaching and learning.
The Teaching and Learning Strategy document attached to the report included 7
sections which were set out in detail. Nick informed Governors that the Director of
Learning would have overall responsibility for the Teaching and Learning Strategy
and would be accountable to the Deputy Principal. A cross-college Teaching and
Learning Strategy Group would be accountable for the strategy implementation.
Heads of Programme would also be accountable for strategy implementation within
their own areas. The Director of Learning would consult with Institute Managers
ahead of the launch of the strategy to refine the final details. Finally all staff would be
informed and it was envisaged that the strategy would be launched during the current
academic year.
Governors discussed the Teaching and Learning Strategy and recognised that this
was an important responsibility of the Governing Body: it could make the difference
between an outstanding college and a non-outstanding college. There should be a
relentless focus on investing in teachers, training and sharing best practice days.
Members raised the cost implications of this and the Deputy Principal advised that
funding would be included in the budget to allow for mock inspections, staff
development and payments to part-time sessional staff to enable them to attend
training events. Moreover, teacher observations sessions would be filmed so that
teachers can be advised on how best they can improve their performance.
The Governing Body approved the Teaching and Learning Strategy.
13/35
Student Experience Strategy
Liora Ives presented the draft Student Experience Strategy which had been referred
for comment from the Quality and Standards Committee. She advised that City Lit
had a strategic objective to deliver an outstanding teaching, learning and student
experience. The Student Experience Strategy, together with the Teaching &
Learning Strategy, would help ensure we achieve this objective.
The draft strategy was offered for comment, following feedback from colleagues
across the College. The action plan would be completed once the strategy was
approved and a new member of staff was in place. Liora explained that essentially
City Lit would build its understanding of what it meant/students expect from an
‘outstanding experience’; ensure that this was built into its culture supported by
induction and training and elevate the importance of investing in the wider student
experience alongside the priority given to investing in teaching and learning.
Governors welcomed the strategy and recognised that this appeared to be a unique
initiative in the further education sector. Liora was asked about how the strategy
would be implemented and she advised that students would be asked what they
would want from their experience at City Lit. Feedback so far had indicated that
‘sense of community’ was high up on the priority list. It was suggested that the
quality of peer groups could make a fundamental difference to a student’s learning
experience and the Deputy Principal advised that training sessions were offered on
teaching mixed ability groups. It was recognised that students have different
experiences on different courses and a weak link in the chain can let City Lit down,
for example, by not answering the telephone. The loyalty of students was discussed
and members were informed that much depended on the range of interests of
individuals and progression opportunities as to whether they would be repeated
buyers. Liora emphasised that there was considerable work to do in achieving
‘brilliant basics’ and moving to an outstanding experience.
The Governing Body agreed the direction of travel for the strategy and requested that
it be brought back to the Board in a year’s time.
13/36
Membership
The Clerk presented a report requesting the Governing Body to consider granting a
sabbatical and to make some appointments and a re-appointment to the Board. The
Clerk informed members that Joanna Reynolds had been a Governor of City Lit since
July 2008 but her partner was seriously ill and she had requested a sabbatical from
the Board for six months to care for him. She was committed to City Lit and did not
wish to stand down from the Board but, for obvious reasons, was finding it difficult to
attend meetings of the Governing Body at the current time. The Clerk also advised
that the Search and Governance Committee had met on 30th April and was
recommending that Dame Moira join the Search and Governance and Quality and
Standards Committees with immediate effect. It was also recommending that Dame
Moira should take over as Chair of both committees when Carole Stott stands down
in July 2013. The Search and Governance Committee had also recommended that
all the committee chairs join the Search and Governance Committee and therefore
was proposing that Christopher Galleymore join the Committee. Lastly, the first term
of office of Tim Mitchell who was the nominee of Westminster Council would end on
7th July 2013 but the Council had re-nominated him for a second term of office.
Governors discussed the report and agreed that:
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That Joanna Reynolds be given a six month sabbatical until
November 2013 with the proviso that she may return before this time if
circumstances allow.
Dame Moira be appointed to the Search and Governance and Quality
and Standards Committees and take over as Chair when Carole Stott
stands down in July 2013.
Christopher Galleymore be appointed to the Search and Governance
Committee.
Tim Mitchell be reappointed for a second term of office of four years
wef 7th July 2013.
PART THREE:
13/37
MATTERS FOR REPORT
Management Accounts
The Board received the management accounts which showed the position for the
eight months ended 31st March 2013, and included a forecast for the year to 31st July
2013. Members were advised that at the time of the Finance & Employment
Committee meeting in November 2012, management were reporting a student fees
shortfall to date of £810k. This had turned into a forecast fee shortfall for the whole
year of £548k. Whilst this would still be significantly below budget it would still
account for a 14% growth of fee income compared with the previous year. It was
believed that there was still room to improve on this number over the next few
months. The improvements had been achieved the following actions:
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Increased promotion and marketing both at a micro and macro level e.g. the
Evening Standard, Time Out, Guardian, etc.
Significantly changing staffing and support patterns to ensure the maximum
access for students to enrol.
Use of incentives and offers, which appears to have had significant financial
benefit as well as creating goodwill with our students.
More than doubling this year’s Summer School offer.
The Board was also informed that it was forecast that there would be a favourable
variance of £147k on grants and contracts, mainly due to strong performance of
Community Outreach and Deaf & Disabled Support income. This was the result of
several new funded projects being undertaken.
On pay, costs overall were showing an over spend of £75k for the eight months to
31st March. This is expected to reduce to £7k by 31st July and underlying this was a
forecast sessional pay saving of £125k relating to courses. These pay savings were
being offset by overspends in Community Outreach and Deaf Support which were
directly related to the over performance of contract income in these areas. There was
also permanent pay restructuring costs which were offsetting the sessional pay under
spend.
On non-pay costs, there were a number of significant favourable variances which
were due to the timing of expenditure. The main variances relate to the timing of
Game Change expenditure and was split across Marketing, Management Information
Services and Staff Development. There was also an under-spend to date on
Premises expenditure due to the timing of repairs. This non-pay under-spend to-date
was expected to become eroded as expenditure takes place later in the financial
year.
The report also advised that City Lit had bank and cash balances of £4.8m as at 31st
March and a list of the deposits being held were detailed.
Members discussed the management accounts and noted that whilst the Institute
would not hit budget, it was an improved situation.
13/38
Advanced Learning Loans
The Board received a report advising that from September the government would no
longer subsidise level 3 and 4 courses for those aged 24+. The funding would come
via a new 24+ Advanced Learning Loan (ALL), applied for by the student but paid to
the Institute on a monthly basis. If the student dropped out funding was
discontinued. As a consequence of the changes, fees would be more expensive
than in previous years for students who were over 24 years of age. Uptake was an
unknown factor and a major concern and provision would be at risk if adult learners
did not want to take out the loan or pay the full, higher fee. It was estimated that
£630K loan-type funding was at risk in the College.
Management of the risk was described in the report and members were informed that
a working group comprising the MIS Manager, Registration Services Manager and
IAG Manager in consultation with SMT had been planning and preparing for the
implementation of loans since September 2012. A number of steps had been taken
to manage the risk of underperformance. These were financial and regulatory, staff
and learner communications and systems and process. Details of the planned
actions were outlined in the report.
Governors discussed the report and the implications set out in the report. It was
queried whether AL loans had been included on the risk register and also whether
the curriculum reviews taking place were considering the implications of the new
policy. The Deputy Principal confirmed that AL loans had been included on the risk
register and was being discussed at the review meetings and there was concern that
Access provision would be killed off nationally. Only four loans in a life-time could be
taken out and therefore progression to higher levels might be difficult for some
students. One Governor commented that administration costs were likely to be high
for the Institute and management agreed with this.
Members queried whether there might be co-funding opportunities and the Deputy
Principal advised that it was too early to know at this stage. Governors asked that
impact of loans be monitored and the results reported back to the Board at a later
date.
13/39
Accountability Reviews
The Board received the Executive Summary of the SFA publication ‘Guidance on
Accountability Reviews’. The Clerk advised that last year the SFA removed the
requirement to complete and submit an annual Financial Management and Control
Evaluation Return but did make it clear that it was its intention to still undertake
reviews of financial management and control arrangements in order to ensure that
colleges had effective systems in place to manage and monitor the funds allocated to
institutions. These Accountability Reviews would cover governance and strategic
oversight arrangements, financial management and internal control arrangements.
The Clerk advised that on first reading it would seem that it would require City Lit to
undertake very little additional work as it was already carrying out the requirements,
however the instructions remained prescriptive. It would however serve as a useful
checklist. Specific information on the guidance would be submitted to the relevant
committees in due course.
Members noted the publication.
13/40
Minutes of Meetings
The unconfirmed minutes of meetings of the Quality and Standards Committee held
on 12th March 2013 and the Search and Governance Committee held on 30th April
2013 were received and noted.
13/41
KPI Dashboard
The Deputy Principal presented a report detailing progress made on the development
of KPI Dashboard. He advised that the work-in-progress Dashboard has been
presented and discussed at the Quality and Standards Committee and the Finance
and Employment Committee. The following changes had been made as a result:
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The way in which OTL targets were reported had been changed.
It showed lesson grade profile by teacher tenure.
The accredited and non-accredited success rate targets had been
updated.
It had been agreed to remove BAME targets and focus on trends.
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A Non-pay expenditure and surplus KPI instead of Other income against
plan would be reported
The way in which Bank and cash reserves were represented had been
changed.
The Deputy Principal invited feedback on the revised presentation and he was
advised that it was important to monitor trends especially as some KPIs were only
being reported on annually. Moreover, it was felt that the observation of teaching
was a key KPI to monitor as this was a real risk to the Institute’s quality processes.
The number of teachers holding a teaching qualification was also discussed and the
impact of tutors teaching under 50 hours not being required to hold a qualification
was debated. Members asked if a short commentary could be included about each
KPI in future and queried whether it could be made available electronically.
Chair……………………………………………….
Date……………………………