Minutes
Full Corporation
7 May 2015
S81, FTC
Prevent Strategy
Prior to the meeting, Governors received a 30 minute briefing on the Prevent Strategy
including an overview of the strategy, duties and responsibilities of Colleges and Governing
Bodies, and how the College is responding to those duties. Mr Slack explained his role with
BIS was to support colleges and universities in the East Midlands to fulfil their obligations
under the new Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015. Colleges are now required to
conduct a risk assessment and produce an action plan, which will be monitored by Ofsted.
The revised Inspection Handbook due for publication on 12 June, would include details of
how Ofsted will be inspecting colleges in terms of the Prevent duty. The action plan would be
key for Governors in order to hold management to account.
If Governors or staff have any concerns about an individual, a referral should be made as a
safeguarding issue. Mr Slack explained the process following a referral, which would require
continued involvement of the college, as individuals are encouraged to complete their
studies whilst receiving support. The process is offered at no cost to the college, being fully
funded through the Home Office.
Following several questions from Governors, Mr Slack offered to provide a copy of his
presentation for circulation. Mr Slack praised the college on the progress made in responding
to the new requirements. The Chairman thanked Mr Slack for attending the meeting.
GCSE English and Maths
Referring to the GCSE English and maths resource, the Chairman requested that Governors
watch the short video and feedback any comments.
15.61 Membership
Ap
Ab
Mr L Allen
Mr C Bows
Mrs C Burn
Mr J Connolly
Mr A Elce
Mr C Fitzpatrick
Mr W Hanlon
Mr I Knowles
Ap
Ap
Ap
Miss L Marsh
Mr W Newill
Cllr D Pressley
Dr G Scott (Vice Chair)
Mr S Smith
Mr A Stott (Chair)
Mrs K Wood
In attendance:
Ms J Dallinson
Mr P Baylis
Mr G Adams
Ms D West
Mr D Barnett
Mr M Tolond
15.62
Clerk
Assistant Principal
Director of Finance and Resources
HR Director
Director of Quality
Governance & Clerking Advisor
Apologies for absence
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Apologies were received from Dr Scott, Mrs Wood and Cllr Pressley. The
Chairman reported that Mr Fitzpatrick had been granted a leave of absence
for 6 months due to work commitments.
15.63
Declarations of Interests
Mr Smith declared an interest in item 15.71; recommendations from Search
Committee.
15.64
Minutes of the Meeting held 12 March 2015
The minutes were agreed as an accurate record of the meeting and were
signed by the Chairman.
15.64.1 Matters Arising
15.64.1.1 Re 15.42:
In response to a query from Mr Allen, the Principal confirmed that short term
strategies were in place in terms of succession planning for key roles, and
agreed to produce a brief document to provide assurances to the Board that
the matter was being managed.
15.64.1.2 Re 15.46.1:
There had been no further progress on the Skills Bank project due to delays
nationally with the ESF programme.
15.64.1.3 Re 15.46:
It was confirmed that the NFPC Open Day had received local and technical
press coverage.
15.65
Confidential Minutes of the Meeting held 16 April 2015
The minutes were agreed as an accurate record of the meeting and were
signed by the Chairman.
15.65.1 Matters Arising
There were no matters arising.
15.66
Teaching, Learning and Assessment
The Assistant Principal presented the monthly report on key performance
indicators. Whilst retention rates were holding up well at 95%, there was
some concern over attendance rates, which were currently slightly above the
target rate of 87%. Curriculum teams were focused on securing achievement
rates, particularly in Functional Skills, to try to improve the previous year’s
position, however it was acknowledged that there were still issues within this
key area for Ofsted, which needed addressing.
In response to a question from Mr Knowles, the Assistant Principal explained
the activities taking place to try to improve attendance and increase the
focus on Functional Skills. Mr Newill said lecturers need to make Functional
Skills more vocationally relevant, however not all areas had yet managed to
achieve this.
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The national success rate tables (NSRT) recently published for 2013/14
indicated a decline in headline classroom based success rates for all colleges
in the region, due to the inclusion of Functional Skills data. However, the
reports reflected a greater decline for the College. Governors recognised the
challenge for all colleges, but looked forward to further reports indicating the
impact of the current improvement actions.
15.67
MiDES Reports and Feedback from External Observations
Governors received a report on the external observation of teaching and
learning, carried out by consultants during week commencing 23 March. The
team had consisted of part-time Ofsted Inspectors, and the process had
reflected as accurately as possible current Ofsted practice. Of the 96
observations undertaken during the week, a significant increase in grade 1
sessions had been achieved, but disappointingly, an increase in grade 3
observations compared to previous years. All staff had received individual
action plans and those staff receiving grade 3 or 4 would receive additional
support through CPD and coaching, and would be re-observed within 25
days. Good feedback had been received from Inspectors in terms of Prevent
awareness. Following a question from Mr Knowles, it was confirmed that 2 of
the 3 staff who were observed as grade 4 were no longer with the
organisation.
The Director of Quality presented a summary of the MiDES reports, which
provide an in-year comparison with national participating colleges, based on
ILR data submissions. Key areas from the reports released in March had
been RAG rated and had been discussed in detail by SLT and the Strategic
Quality Group. The full reports had been made available on the Governors
section of BlackBoard.
15.68
Performance Against Funding Contracts
The Director of Finance provided an update on performance against the
College’s various funding contracts, which indicated the EFA 16-18 contract
at 92%, 16-18 WBL slightly over contract at 105%, SFA adult funding at
94% and 19+ WBL at 98%. It was anticipated that any over delivery on WBL
would be funded. The under performance in SFA adult would be placed with
third parties where appropriate.
15.69
Commercial Activities
The Chairman and Mrs Wood had visited Charnwood Training on 24 April.
The visit had been very positive and Governors were happy with the
progress being made. Mr Scorer would be asked to attend the June Board
meeting to provide a report on the initial six months trading.
Following the request at the previous meeting, Mr Adams had provided a
monthly trading profile for Charnwood Training demonstrating the direction
of travel in turnover. Mr Knowles requested a comparison to original
expectations, which it was agreed would be provided after the year end. The
Principal explained that whilst direct income levels had been considerably
lower than anticipated, the acquisition had allowed the College access to
funding and subcontractors that would not have been available otherwise. Mr
Bows queried the reason for the unsuccessful tender to Star Pubs and Bars.
Verbal feedback on the presentation had been very positive but the reason
behind the decision was as yet unclear.
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The NFPC turnover forecast for the year had been reduced by £80k,
reflecting the recent downturn in the oil industry. Opportunities to access
new markets continued to be explored. Responding to a question from Mr
Allen, it was estimated about 50% of the revenue stream was currently
generated by the oil and gas market. Mr Savage had been asked to provide
a monthly analysis of income by sector, which would enable more accurate
tracking. Mr Smith suggested the Board would welcome a brief presentation
at a future meeting to further understand the business.
15.70
Principal’s Report
The Principal updated Governors on key strategic developments. KPMG had
been commissioned to undertake legal and financial due diligence for both
colleges at a cost of £87k. The process would commence 11 May with a view
to delivering the report by 22 June.
As a result of the business planning process, a number of curriculum areas
had been identified where resources were no longer matched to student
numbers. A 30 day consultation process had therefore commenced affecting
44 members of staff covering 20.5 FTE posts at risk. It was expected that a
number of staff would be redeployed in other areas, but around 12
redundancies were anticipated. The majority of proposals resulted from the
reduction in student numbers in those areas over the last 3 years.
In addition to the proposals set out in the report, the Principal informed
Governors of further proposed changes. In response to concerns that
progression tracking and individual target setting for learners was not
consistent across all areas, a new role of Progress Tutor had been proposed.
The team would support lecturers in tracking student progress and
monitoring attendance, together with the provision of mentorship and
support.
With the increased focus on English and maths, and the decline in success
rates as a result of Functional Skills, a review of that area had identified the
need for a stronger leadership role. It was therefore proposed that the two
existing Curriculum Leads be put at risk, to be replaced with a Programme
Manager, with greater experience and capacity to deliver the necessary
improvements.
All proposals had been presented to Trade Unions earlier in the day and
individual consultations would commence the following day. Lecturers had
been informed of the proposed changes following the panel meeting with
Trade Unions. Mr Newill said the process would require careful management
in order to retain good staff. Mr Connolly had arranged to meet with
Programme Managers again the following day, and planned to meet with
each of the curriculum teams throughout the following week.
In response to queries from Mr Allen, the Principal said several questions
had been raised by staff following the merger announcement, however it had
been made clear that the proposals were not about merger, but as a result
of the normal business planning process. He also confirmed that the net
effect of the redundancies would be in the order of around £300k after
reinvestment in the Progress Tutor roles. It was hoped to have an outline
budget available for discussion at the next meeting.
Governors raised several questions on the proposals, including the risk that
changes might impact on quality and outcomes. Following further
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discussions, the Board gave their approval and full support to the process
and changes proposed.
The report was received.
15.71
Recommendations from Search Committee
The Committee had met prior to the Board meeting to consider nominations
for membership of the Strategic Board, and to review membership of the
Audit Committee following Ms Needham’s resignation and Mr Fitzpatrick’s
leave of absence.
RESOLVED 15.71.1 That Dr Scott and Mr Smith be appointed to the
Strategic Board, together with the Chairman and Principal and
equivalent representation from Rotherham College
RESOLVED 15.71.2 That subject to his agreement, Mr Darby be coopted to Audit Committee for an initial period of 8 months
15.72
Minutes of the Audit Committee Meeting held 3 March 2015
Mr Knowles as Chair of Audit Committee, presented the minutes from the
March meeting. Mr Knowles had met with Internal Auditors to discuss
concerns in terms of their performance, however did not feel it appropriate
to re-tender at this stage due to the potential merger. The Committee would
meet again in June and would revisit the situation.
The minutes were received.
15.73
Equality and Diversity
It was noted that equality screening on the proposed redundancies would be
undertaken.
15.74
Governance Risk
Governors noted the potential impact of current consultations on staff
morale at a crucial time of year. The Senior Leadership Team would work
with teams to ensure the focus on key areas was maintained. The
consultation process would be progressed as quickly as possible in order to
mitigate any anxieties.
15.75
Confidentiality
The Principal’s report was deemed confidential, subject to review after 12
months. The report on the observation of TLA was deemed confidential due
to the inclusion of individual grades.
15.76
Date and Time of remaining meetings for 2014/15
Tuesday 9th June 2015 at 6pm
Thursday 2nd July 2015 at 6pm
Thursday 23rd July 2015 at 6pm
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Signed __________________________________ Chairman
Date ____________________________________
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