Westminster Diocese Education Service

Reg Charity 233699

Bulletin 5/97

To all Chairs and Heads of Roman Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Westminster. NB. Items marked * do not apply to independent Catholic schools.

5 September, 1997.

Dear Colleague,

1. Governors’ Annual Commitments. *

Several governing bodies have commented that they find this reminder in the first Bulletin of the year useful. Apologies are offered to those who find it repetitive.
1. At the first full meeting of the year, the governing body must elect its chairman and vice-chairman. Every governor is eligible to stand for election to these offices unless he or she is employed at the school.
2. The governing body is required to meet at least once in each school term. In practice, most now meet twice, although those with well-developed and effective committee structures may not find this necessary. It is strongly recommended, in the interests of good planning, that the dates of these and other key meetings are set at least a year in advance. Meetings should be planned to synchronise with other key activities of the governing body, in particular,

approval of the budget
approval and publication of the annual report to parents
approval and publication of the prospectus, including the annual review of admission arrangements.

Time invested in mapping out the work of the governing body, including decisions about what tasks should be devolved to committees and/or working parties and how they relate to the governing body is time well spent and frequently avoids the need to call emergency meetings at inconvenient times to deal with matters which could have been foreseen. WDES officers are always willing to work with governing bodies or committees which carry out evaluative or review work of this kind.

3. Particularly this term, when there may be several new foundation governors, the opportunity should be taken to review the composition of committees and their terms of reference. A quorum of two thirds rather than the usual one third is required for this task. It is worth bearing in mind when appointing members to committees that some committees are required even though they may never meet, or may be required to meet at short notice during the day (e.g. committees to deal with the governors’ functions as employers; appointment; staff and pupil discipline; appeals against disciplinary warnings; staff grievance; parental complaints;) whilst others will have a regular planned workload (e.g. Finance, Information/Publications, Pay and Performance Review). (Further advice from Joan Leith or Ian Beck on 0171 798 9005).

2. The Education (School Government) Regulations, 1989. *

The DfEE’s Technical Consultation Paper, Framework for the Organisation of Schools, promises an updated and consolidated set of school government regulations. Until these are published, we must do what we can to keep abreast of the Education (School Government) Regulations 1989, as amended in 1991, 1993 and 1996. The 1996 amendments, of course do not appear in the 1994 edition of School Governors; A Guide to Law. There is consequently much scope for confusion as governors and clerks quote from supposedly authoritative texts.
The following changes, which took effect from 1 September, 1996, should be noted alongside the version of the Regulations published in School Governors; A Guide to the Law (1994 Edition) Regulation 9. Chairmen and vice-Chairmen of governing bodies and meetings.
After 9(3)(b) add ‘(bb) he is employed as a teacher or otherwise at the school in question’. [Effect; If the chairman or vice-chairman takes up employment at the school, he or she must immediately resign from the office of chair/vice-chair, but not necessarily from the governing body. Foundation governors should note, however, that the Diocesan Trustee expects any foundation governor, who is subsequently employed by the governing body of the school where he or she is a governor, to resign from governorship of the school.]
Regulation 10 applies to temporary governing bodies and should be amended as above.

Regulation 13. Quorum. Substitute the following for paragraph (1) as printed ‘(1) Subject to paragraphs (2), (3) and (4), the quorum for a meeting of the governing body of a school and any vote on any matter thereat, shall be any three members of that body or, where greater, any one-third (rounded up to a whole number) of the membership thereof when complete.’ At the end of paragraph (2), add ‘...and any vote on any matter thereat, other than a matter specified in paragraph (3).
[Effect; Clarification.]

Regulation 14. Proceedings and Minutes. At the end of paragraph (2), delete (b) and © and replace with ‘and (b) in the case of a member, not vote on any question with respect to a specified matter. [Effect; This needs to be read in conjunction with the Schedule (see below)]

Regulation 23. Power of chairman or vice-chairman of governing body to act in cases of urgency.
Add, after paragraph (3), ‘(4). Where any function of the governing body of a school has been exercised by the chairman or vice-chairman of the governing body of the school in exercise of the power in paragraph
(1) above, the chairman, or vice-chairman, as the case may be, shall report any action or decision taken in relation to that function to the next meeting of the governing body. [Effect; Anything done under ‘chairman’s action’ must be reported to the next full governors’ meeting.
Please note that chairman’s action is very limited.]

Schedule. Withdrawal from meetings. (Regulation 14)
Delete paragraph (2)(1) and substitute ‘(2)(1). Subject to sub-paragraphs (4) and (5) if a person has any pecuniary interest, direct or indirect, in any contract, proposed contract or other matter and is present at a meeting of the governing body at which the contract or other matter is the subject of consideration, he shall, at the meeting and as soon as practicable after its commencement disclose the fact and withdraw from the meeting during the consideration or discussion of the contract or matter and he shall not vote on any question with respect to the contract or matter.
At the end of the same paragraph, add, (5). No provision in this paragraph shall prevent members of the governing body considering and voting upon proposals for the governing body to take out insurance protecting its members against liabilities incurred by them arising out of their office or the governing body obtaining such insurance and paying the premiums. [Effect; The governing body no longer has the option of allowing a governor who has declared a pecuniary interest in a matter to remain in the room to listen to the discussion. He or she must declare the interest and leave the room. Questions relating to governors’ liability insurance are not classified as ‘pecuniary interest’.
(Further information from Joan Leith orIan Beck on 0171 798 9005)

3. New Deal For Schools. *

You will have received a letter from the DfEE dated 18 July setting out the arrangements for bidding for funds made available under the New Deal For Schools (NDS) initiative. The School Buildings Co- ordinating Surveyor, John Button, has submitted nineteen bids to LEAs on behalf of voluntary aided and special agreement schools. The schools concerned will be notified under separate cover in due course. The bids put forward were those which had been submitted to the trustee earlier this year, which had received the trustee’s support and which met the NDS criteria, i.e. capable of completion by the end of March, 1998 and directly related to raising standards of pupil achievement. Bids which were not supported by the trustee or which had not previously been put forward by schools were not submitted. Schools are requested to contact John Button if they submitted bids directly to the LEA during July and August and/or they wish to work up new schemes for submission in subsequent years. (Further enquiries to John Button on 0171 798 9000)

4. White Paper Excellence in Schools. *

The headteachers and chairmen of governing bodies of grant maintained and special agreement schools are reminded that they are invited to a meeting with Bishop Nichols on Friday, 19 September at 2pm at Vaughan House. Notice of your intention to attend has been requested by Monday, 15 September. Despite what you may have read in some parts of the Catholic press, the potential implications for voluntary aided schools whilst significant, are very much less draconian than those for GM and SA schools and, in consequence, it has not been considered necessary to call a similar meeting for VA schools. The implications for all Catholic schools are being addressed by the Catholic Education Service and you will be kept informed of progress.
It appears that whilst the White Paper was circulated to all schools, the technical consultation paper, which contains more detail, was not. Copies are available, free of charge, from the DfEE Publications Centre, on 0171 510 0150 (fax 0171 510 0196). Responses should reach the DfEE by Tuesday, 7 October.
(Further enquiries to Tony Mackersie on 0171 798 9005)

5. New Term of Office for Foundation Governors in VA and SA Schools in Diocesan Trusteeship. * In the last week of August, deeds of appointment with supporting information were sent to all foundation governors in voluntary aided and special agreement schools in diocesan trusteeship. Clerks to the governing body of such schools have been sent the list of governors. A further copy for headteachers is enclosed with this bulletin.
The chairman, clerk and headteacher are reminded that only those foundation governors listed possess a deed of appointment from the Trustee and are eligible to attend and vote at meetings of the governing body. Any queries regarding the appointments should be directed to the area bishop, or Episcopal vicar’s office.

6. Supply of Professional Services.

As you know, the Education Board is concerned to maintain its advisory service to support all Catholic schools in the Diocese of Westminster. In view of the ever-increasing cost of maintaining this service, the Board two years ago initiated a scheme for requesting a subscription of each. This innovation has received very wide assent from schools. The purpose of this note is two-fold; first, to advise you that the school will shortly be invoiced for this year’s subscription. The rate remains unchanged at £20 per 100 pupils, or part thereof. Second, to encourage those schools which did not subscribe last year to consider doing so. If any chairman has reservations, he or she is invited to discuss them with either of the service directors. (Further enquiries to Tony Mackersie on 0171 798 9005 or Anthony Clark on 0171 798 9006).

7. Clerking of Governing Bodies *

There are several schools in the diocese where the governing body is anxious to appoint a skilled clerk. As you know, the clerk is a critically important appointment; the effective clerk is much more than a note- taker. Some understanding of the matters under discussion is essential, as well as a good working knowledge of the School Government Regulations and the Instruments/Articles of Government. The skilled clerk is able to make subtle interventions in meetings to remind those present of their responsibilities and assist the chair in keeping the proceedings in sharp focus. The clerk will keep accurate records and be able to remind governors of their own policies and precedents. Some governing bodies are fortunate in being able to appoint retired administrators or persons with committee experience to the position, who serve without remuneration or in return for a modest honorarium. Others include the role within the job description of an administrative officer already employed at the school. Others have been required to appoint educational consultants at considerable cost whilst some have a service level agreement with the LEA to perform the role. Whatever the clerk’s background, it appears that there are insufficient suitably skilled and experienced people currently available to meet the needs of all our schools. It is timely, therefore, to make a general appeal for volunteers, or persons willing to serve in return for payment. Recruits may be found, for example, amongst the ranks of those recently retired from teaching, local authority work or administrative work in other walks of life. Schools are urged to do what they can to identify suitable clerks, even if their own needs are currently met. Training will be provided by the WDES and support for clerks is often provided by LEAs. Many teachers who have recently taken early retirement might be willing to undertake this task, given appropriate remuneration. Training would also be made available through WDES. (Should you know of anyone who is prepared to consider such an appointment or if your governing body requires a clerk, please contact Ian Beck on 0171 798 9005.)

8 WDES Guidance on School Admissions. *

You may recall from Bulletin 2/97 (11 April, 1997, that we reminded governing bodies of the central importance of the Codes of Practice which govern the proceedings of independent appeal committees. We also explained in that item that whilst the proceedings of the independent appeal committee were subject to the scrutiny of the Local Ombudsman, the proceedings of the governing body currently are not. The Ombudsman has requested that we point out to you that the model letter attached as annex 4(iv) to the WDES guidance does not make this distinction sufficiently clear. You are therefore requested to state that complaints about the governors’ procedures should be directed to the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, Sanctuary Buildings, Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BT and complaints about the independent appeal committee’s procedures to the Commission for Local Administration in England, 21, Queen Anne’s Gate, London SW1H 9BU. We wish to apologise for the difficulties this lack of clarity has caused for governors, parents and the Ombudsman. (Enquiries to Ian Beck on 0171 798 9005)

9. Training and Support for Clerks and others involved in Admission and Exclusion Appeals. *

A meeting has been arranged for Monday, 3 November, at 7pm in the meeting room at Vaughan House for clerks to independent appeal committees, governors involved in presenting the school’s case to the committee, committee members and any others who might be interested in learning more about this aspect of governors’ work. Anyone interested in attending should write to the School Administration Department’s Secretary, Carol Campbell at Vaughan House, telephone her on 0171 798 9005 or fax 0171 798 9013 giving their name and the name of the school or organisation. Please do not turn up unannounced. The Local Ombudsman has been invited to attend, to discuss recent relevant cases, but we cannot confirm at the moment that he, or a representative will attend.

You may have noticed that the first annual Digest of Cases has been published by the Ombudsman and it contains much interesting reading. For example ‘...(appeal committee)...members were not aware that the Code of Practice applied to voluntary aided schools’ and ‘All three committee members were not aware that there was a two-stage decision making process, or that the appeal committee should have the services of a clerk.’ The majority of you will find this astonishing. Sadly, several of our schools continue to hold these views, despite regular reminders. (The Digest of Cases, 1996, is available from the Commission for Local Administration in England and Wales (the Local Government Ombudsman) 21, Queen Anne’s Gate, London SW1H 9BU Tel 0171 915 3286. Price £2.00)

(Further advice from Ian Beck on 0171 798 9005)

10. Senior Appointments Pending.

Will headteachers please draw the following vacancies for senior appointments in primary schools to the attention of anyone they consider appropriate. With very few exceptions, all these posts will be advertised during the course of the Autumn term with a view to making an appointment with effect from 1 January 1998.

Primary Headship
H St Augustine’s (Hoddesdon)
H St Thomas More (Letchworth)
C St Mary’s (Hammersmith and Fulham)
C Sacred Heart Junior (Hammersmith and Fulham)
C St Mary of the Angels (Westminster)
E St Monica’s (Hackney)
E Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (Islington)
E St Joan of Arc (Islington)
E St John the Evangelist (Islington)
N St Mary Infants (Brent) [in abeyance pending amalgamation discussion]
N St Margaret Clitherow (Brent)
N St Joseph’s Infant (Brent)
W St Bernadette’s (Hillingdon)
W Our Lady of the Visitation (Ealing)

Primary Deputy Headship
E St Anne’s (Tower Hamlets)
E St Edmund’s (Tower Hamlets)
E St Mary & St Michael Infants (Tower Hamlets)
E St Patrick’s (Tower Hamlets)
E Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (Islington)
N St George’s (Enfield)
N St Margaret Clitherow (Brent)
N Our Lady of Lourdes (Enfield)
W St Raphael’s (Yeading
W Rosary Infant (Heston)
W St Bernadette’s (Hillingdon)
W Our Lady & St John’s (Hounslow)

11. Diocesan Conferences and Courses.

Please make a careful note of the following dates and use your best endeavours to encourage the participation of appropriate staff in what is probably the only Church-led in-service available to them;
Secondary headteachers 25-26 September, 1997.
Secondary heads of RE 6-7 November, 1997.
Primary deputy headteachers 3-4 February 1998
Secondary deputy headteachers 3-4 March 1998
Primary headteachers 6 7 May 1998
Primary RE Co-ordinators 17 June or 19 June, 1998 (choose one)
Secondary Heads of RE 5-6 November 1998

South East Region Courses. (Dioceses of Westminster, Brentwood, Northampton and East Anglia)

1997
Aspiring Headteachers Monday 24th-Thursday 27th November 1997 (Primary & Secondary) at All Saints, London Colney

1998
Aspiring Deputy Headteachers Monday 19th-Thursday 22nd January 1998 (Primary & Secondary) at All Saints, London Colney

These courses are heavily subscribed but Joan Leith is holding a few reserve places for Westminster Diocese).

Twilight Course on Leadership in Catholic Education
Those who reserved places and paid the course fees were notified in late July of a reorganised programme due to the number of applications. Details of the revised course are enclosed with this bulletin (for headteachers only) (pink sheet).
Since some places remain on the course, would you kindly post this information on the staffroom notice board. (For information on any of the above please contact Joan Leith on 0171 798 9005.)

12. Catholic Certificate in Religious Studies (CCRS) Study Day

The current study day for the CCRS is on Saturday 13th September 1997 at Westminster Cathedral Hall. The topic is The Church which is Module 4. Fr Mark Langham is the opening speaker. The day begins at 10am, ending 4pm. The subsequent module is on The Sacraments on Saturday 17th January 1998. It costs £15.00 for a module but £6.50 for the day only. Registration is possible on the day but advance booking is preferable.
(Contact Moira Wilson on 0171 798 9006 for further details and booking form.)

13. Heads of RE Conference.

The secondary Heads of RE conference is from Thursday morning to Friday afternoon, the 6 and 7 of November 1997. Further details and application forms will be sent to the Heads of RE in late September. (For further details contact Anthony Clark at 0171 798 9006.)

14. Address of Catholic Internet Directory The address of this vast international website, together with links to other Catholic internet libraries, i.e. the Fathers of the Church, the Summa Theologica etc are all listed in the section called Texts of the Catholic Church in the web page of the RE and Catechesis Department - http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/wdes/

15. National RE Festival Week The week beginning 6th October 1997 has been declared National RE Festival Week. All schools are encouraged to do something special to celebrate RE that week - county schools may well want to find out what goes on in RE in Catholic schools and some local sharing may be a possibility. There is a no diocesan plan beyond encouraging schools to both think up and take part in local initiatives.

16. Preparing for the Millennium

Sr Sheila Gosney RJM is working on ideas and projects to help prepare young people for the coming millennium. Based on the Pope’s document Tertio Millennio Adveniente she has developed a handbook of ideas, using as sources scripture, the Pope’s letter and this country’s heritage. As a competent artist, she is developing resources containing graphics and art. The first edition of the booklet of ideas on the Millennium, for use both in schools and in parishes is available from her for £3.50. She is currently working on an expanded second draft. Schools and parishes may wish to arrange for an afternoon with her to develop ideas and projects. (She can be contacted at her convent at 58 Wrentham Ave, London NW10 3HG, tel 0181 960 7128, fax 0181 964 8377.)

17. Walk with Me - Year 2 Now Available

Last year in September the programme Walk with Me, a parish programme for Catholic children not in Catholic schools, was published by McCrimmons. Year two materials are now available. Its structure has elements in common with Here I Am. There is an occasion towards the end of each term when all the children of a parish could come together for a joint celebration of a topic which is common to both programmes. The topics in year 2 of Walk with Me are the same as those in Year B in the cycle of the ‘whole school’ approach (Approach 1) to Here I Am. For further information contact your Area Catechist, Primary RE Adviser or Anthony Clark at 0171 798 9006.

18. Youth Sunday - 23rd November 1997

The Youth Sunday pack has been sent to all parishes to prepare for Youth Sunday, celebrated on the Feast of Christ the King. The theme this year is Disability. The booklets in the pack contain a) ideas about preparation for Youth Sunday, b) possible texts for use in the liturgy that day, c) and on-going youth work during the year. (Further enquiries to Moira Wilson on 0171 798 9006.)

19. 6th Annual Conference for all in Youth Ministry

The sixth annual conference for Parish Youth Workers and all involved in Youth Ministry in the Westminster Diocese is entitled “Come to the Feast”. It will take place on Saturday 8th November 1997 in the Cathedral Hall, Ambrosden Ave. Further details will be sent to each parish by the end of September. ((Further enquiries to Mrs Moira Wilson on 0171 798 9006.)

20. West Area Mass for School Governors.

Bishop O’Donoghue will celebrate Mass for school governors on Wednesday, 8 October at 8pm at the church of Our Lady of Sorrows and St. Bridget, Twickenham Road. (Opposite Gumley House). All governors able to attend are warmly welcome.

Yours sincerely,

Mr Tony Mackersie (Director, Schools Administration Dept)
Mr Anthony Clark (Director, RE and Catechesis Dept)