BASG Newsletter No. 1 February 2020
Bringing you a round-up of news and updates on BASG activities this first half term of 2020. And there is plenty to report on! January kicked off with the Buckinghamshire County Council Executive Director’s Briefings, where governors and headteachers gathered at County Hall and at Millbrook Combined School to hear updates on education and social care from the senior leaders in Children’s Services. The Chair of BASG, Paul Randall, made the most of his slot on the agenda to highlight the work BASG is doing with the Local Authority to keep governance in the spotlight and high up on the agenda in current and future planning. Click here to see the presentation slides from the briefings.
http://www.bucksgovernors.org/basg-news/executive-director-briefing-presentation-january-2020/
Keep an eye on our website for dates of the next briefings: http://www.bucksgovernors.org/
In February we have seen this term’s round of local Governor Network meetings, where governors from schools across the local area (or sometimes across the county!) come together in an informal setting to discuss wider issues around school governance and education and to share thoughts and concerns on local and national agendas. Feedback is gathered and the key points – safeguarding, SEND, governor training, funding and school improvement support – are escalated to the County Council Member for Education & Skills via the School Governance Consultative Board. Local Governor Network meetings are held termly in the following areas, usually over an abundance of coffee and cake!
• South Bucks
• High Wycombe
• Marlow
• Great Kingshill
• Aylesbury
• Amersham & Chesham – starting soon!
Please check the BASG website http://www.bucksgovernors.org/ for dates of next term’s meetings and do come along and join in. Here is a snapshot of South Bucks governors in action at the meeting held on 8 February 2020 at the Quaker Meeting House in Jordans.
Meanwhile, the BASG Committee continues to meet monthly, keeping an oversight of the whole governance picture across Bucks, attending meetings with the LA and, most importantly at the moment, planning the BASG Spring Event, to which every governor in Buckinghamshire is invited! Here we are during half term, organising final details:
Do come along to hear Sam Henson of the National Governance Association talk about Spotlight on Disadvantage. The NGA’s Spotlight on Disadvantage campaign is informed by research undertaken to explore the Governing Board’s role in spending, monitoring and evaluating the Pupil Premium since its introduction in April 2011. Tickets are going quickly – get yours here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/spotlighton-disadvantage-sam-henson-director-of-policy-information-nga-tickets-91813507673
A subject close to all our hearts – governor training. A reminder that the County Council is hosting a series of twilight workshops, which are free of charge to all Buckinghamshire governors. All sessions are delivered by BCC specialists and held in the Mezz rooms at County Hall in Aylesbury from 18:30 to 20:00 unless otherwise stated.
• 17 March 2020: Safeguarding, led by Georgina Masefield and ESAS
• 2 April 2020: Ofsted, led by Naureen Kausar
• 29 April 2020: Safer Recruitment, led by Pat Stappard
• 5 May 2020: Equalities, led by Yvette Thomas
• 12 May 2020: PSHE, led by Carol Stottor
• 3 June 2020: SEND, led by Hero Slinn and Belinda Nunn
• 9 June 2020: Schools Finance, led by Janaki Try
• 18 June 2020: Educational Visits, led by Mike Harwin
The first 2 dates are available to book now:
Safeguarding: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/safeguarding-training-for-governors-tickets-92891042609?utm_term=eventname_text
Recommended reading: as governors we are all pressed for time, but this article on the NGA website really is worth a read: https://www.nga.org.uk/News/NGA-News.aspx If we needed further confirmation on the importance of what we do, it is heartening to hear Ofsted acknowledge that “Improving governance helps break the cycle of ‘stuck’ schools”. Something we would all 100% agree with, and to have Ofsted validating our work as we move into the next half term is reassuring.
Thank you to everyone who responded to the DfE consultation on the Removal of the Outstanding Exemption. The overwhelming consensus was that the exemption should be removed and BASG have sent a collective response to the DfE confirming this.N
Buckinghamshire Association of School Governors