MEETING OF THE CORPORATION OF COLLEGE

TUESDAY 21 MARCH 2017 – 9.30 AM

BOARD ROOM – M219 PART I

Clerk: Mrs R Clare

Present: Mr M Sharples Chair Mr K Cook Mrs M Grant Mr D Harrison Mrs V Herbert Mrs R Kay Mrs G Bell Mrs S Musgrave Mr N Schofield Miss A Sumner Prof A Sutcliffe Mrs C Trasler Mrs A Whittaker Dr K Williams Mr M Wright

In attendance: Mr P Sharples Mrs G Lagan

Minutes

Item Title Action 11/17 Welcome and Apologies for Absence The Chair welcomed Members to the meeting. No apologies for absence were received. The Clerk stated that Harold Davenport may be unable to attend the meeting due to a clash of meetings.

12/17 Declaration of Members’ Interest There was no declaration of Members’ interest.

13/17 The Macclesfield Academy The Headteacher of The Macclesfield Academy provided an update report on their current position. Members were informed that the validated dashboard was publicised earlier this

month and the summary of the dashboard will form the focus of an Ofsted inspection. The

Principal stated that the Progress 8 measure was at least average overall for each subject. The Principal highlighted the weaknesses within the summary, which included the

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Progress 8 measure in English and maths was significantly below average for disadvantaged pupils and attendance was low for students on Free School Meals. The Principal informed Members that the Academy is oversubscribed for the Year 7 intake in

September 2017, the planned numbers were 120 and the intake will be 125. The Principal

advised Members of the impact on the school of the changes to the National Funding Formula and increased employment costs.

The Principal notified Members of the discussions with and in the creation of a cross phase Multi Academy Trust involving up to six partner primary schools. The proposals have been discussed with Hannah Copp from the

DfE and will be carried forward to the Headteacher’s Board. Richard Hedge was hopeful

that the MAT will be established on or shortly after 1 January 2018.

The Chair requested an update on progress with the MAT at the next meeting. Richard Hedge explained that during the next 3 weeks the schools are on breaks and it may be the summer Corporation meeting when an update can be provided. The Principal of The Academy will liaise with the Clerk over timings. RH/MS/RC

The Chair updated Members on the position of the College. The Chair informed Members that the College has no legal requirement to continue the sponsorship arrangement of The Macclesfield Academy. A decision was made during the summer of 2016 to dissolve the relationship between the College and The Academy. The DfE has stated that they would like the College to continue the sponsorship relationship until The Academy is in a position to establish a MAT. The Chair stated that more work was needed to establish the boundaries between the Academy and the College and also the responsibility of the sports hall. The Chair asked Members to consider whether they would like to push for the dissolution of the sponsorship relationship to happen sooner or if they are happy to wait for the timelines of the MAT. A Member questioned the need to hurry the dissolution but understood that The Macclesfield Academy may add another layer to due diligence for the College in their future negotiations. Members agreed that the Academy is no longer in need of a sponsor with their current results and student numbers. The Vice Chair of The Macclesfield Academy reiterated that the Academy Local Governing Board and Trustees are progressing the MAT as fast as they can. The position of The Macclesfield Academy will be clearer by June/July when the College can consider their decision further.

It was stated that a decision had been made a number of years ago that tied the College into a 15 year agreement with the management company to maintain the sports hall. Members were informed that a breach of this agreement could be costly. The legal team are currently looking into the College’s position. It was confirmed that the sports hall is on the land of the Academy. The College will consider whether it is possible to have a shared agreement between the College and The Academy for the continued use of the sports hall.

14/17 Presentation on Marketing The Marketing and Learner Recruitment Manager was introduced to the Corporation and presented an overview of the Marketing Strategy. The Marketing and Learner Recruitment Manager was appointed in September 2016, 2 further appointments have since been made in the department. A full time prospectus has been created and two open days have been scheduled. From the first open day there were 700 visitors, there were 296 unique enquiries and 84 full time application forms received. Members were informed that from September 2016 the aim of the department was to create a robust Marketing strategy that focuses on the analysis of student numbers and opportunities to find students. It was reported that since another member of staff has been recruited to concentrate on the social media aspect of the department there has been 99% more engagement on Instagram, 1045 Facebook likes and a huge increase on Twitter. There has also been an increased

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PR focus. Members were informed that the College do not pay for PR space but they pay for the articles to be put together. The College has had the equivalent of £16,810 in financial terms for PR space.

It was reported that the Marketing and Learner Recruitment Manager has been working closely with the MIS Director to develop a central reporting system. The reporting system will allow the College to view and monitor applications, feeder schools and course enrolments. It was reported that there have been 601 new applications for 16-18 year olds and this was an 11% increase. The marketing department will also be concentrating on adult courses and GCSEs. Two weeks ago a school liaison officer was appointed. The role will support students in their decision making and build better relationships with the local schools. Members discussed the use of the website to advertise courses. The Marketing and Learner Recruitment Manager informed Members that the website required investment and updating. The website in the future needs to be a tool that students can use to find courses and enrol on.

The Marketing department are currently working on a piece of work with key stakeholders on perception and brand identity. This will inform future smarter recruitment targeted campaigns that can be measurable. The learner experience team have a new uniform and standards have been raised. There are now procedures in place to process new course enquiries and applications. Interviews now take place 1:1 with the personal tutors. The experience for the students has improved. A handbook is being created that can be shared amongst the learner experience team.

A governor commented that the timing of the appointments is very good and from discussions in their link governor meeting with a Faculty Head they can already see the impact the department is having on the rest of the College.

Q: Are the College looking north to recruit students? Yes, the College are building relationships with Hazel Grove and Poynton High Schools.

Q: How important is the website? The website is a reflection of the company and is a key tool for students to identify courses and enrol for courses on the website. The Principal stated that meetings have been arranged with companies to see if they can make improvements to the website. A staff Member stated that the website scores low on the student survey and students struggle to find what they are looking for. ELT recognise the need for the website to be updated but it is costly.

Q: Is the website optimised to mobile phones? Yes it is.

Q: Is the website created for students or parents? It is required for both, students tend to steer the discussion but the College receives a number of queries from parents about progression. Members were informed that MIS are currently creating a parent portal.

Members thanked the Marketing and Learner Recruitment Manager for his presentation and enthusiasm. Members recognised the importance of the role and strategy for the future planning of the College. The Principal stated that the commercial and FE background of the Marketing and Learner Recruitment Manager together with the understanding of the recruitment process has proved to be a vital appointment for the College.

15/17 Minutes of the meeting held on 17 January 2017 The minutes of the meeting held on 17 January 2017 were approved as an accurate record.

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16/17 Matters arising from the meeting held on 17 January 2017 The Chair confirmed that Alicia Whittaker has agreed to be the new Link Governor for Creative and Commercial. A meeting will be arranged with for Alicia Whittaker and Ian AW/RC Carten by the Clerk to the Corporation.

17/17 KPIs 2016/17 The KPIs for 2016/17 were presented by the Principal. The Principal highlighted a number of key points:  The College is down on EFA funding due to the removal of A Level courses and the decline in demographics  Both the Apprenticeship and Adult Apprenticeship funding targets have been achieved and the College is currently over contract value  It was stated that if the College hit the Adult Education Budget then the loan target should also be achieved  Lesson observations for Grades 1-2 are up on from 75% last year to 81% this year and the College is on target for the number of lesson observations completed  The value added target is as expected for this point of the year  The retention rate is as expected for this point of the year. There have been some positive reasons for withdrawals and the information has been analysed  Attendance continues to be a challenge with high risk students as we progress through the year. There have been a number of strategies to tackle attendance, including visits to home to encourage students to return and timetables are provided at Parents Evening  Sickness levels is currently at 2.2%  The staff survey has been launched using the Happiness Index Company. One question will be launched at a time. There was 62% engagement from the first question. The same question will be asked again next year. The first questions was ‘how happy are you at work’ the College was aiming for a 7 and received 6.9. A further report will be provided at the next meeting. 69 members of staff left detailed comments  92% of appraisals have been completed  EBITDA reflects the current financial position  Borrowing is at 19.8% as predicted  The College continue to plan to close the gap with the issue around demographics  It was reported that there are strategies in place and there have been two positives. The Calderdale ESF bid has been successful and the College is awaiting an amount. The College has also been successful with the RoATP bid and is awaiting confirmation of the amount to be awarded.

18/17 Principal’s Report The Principal’s report was received in advance of the meeting. The Principal summarised the main points from the report:  The continuous growth of the apprenticeship provision  The inaugural award for the top teacher was awarded to Adam Kelly  There was a summary report of the support and challenge visit from Ofsted on 24 January 2017  The full Ofsted letter was also attached to the Principal’s Report  There was information on the recent staff development event that took place to address the stretch and challenge elements of the letter  The Principal notified Members of the promotion of Martin Lonergan as Head of Faculty for Service Industries

Members thanked the Principal for the detailed report. Members discussed the current themes from the recent Ofsted inspections across the North West. It was noted that in recent Ofsted inspections it has been raised that Governors are not receiving the information they need and governors are expected to know the reasons why a certain area of the curriculum is underperforming. The Principal informed Members that an interim has been appointed to replace Jonathan Disley over the summer. The interim is an HMI

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inspector and will be able to provide governors with a development session over the summer.

19/17 Audit Committee Minutes of the Audit Committee on 14 March 2017 were received by the Corporation. The Chair of the Audit Committee informed Members that there have been four internal audits that have recently taken place of which three were judged as moderate and one was limited. The payroll audit was given limited assurance by the auditors. The Chair of the Audit Committee asked the Auditors in the Audit meeting if the management response dates given were acceptable and if not would the auditors challenge the dates. The Auditors reassured the Audit Committee that they would challenge the dates provided by management if they felt they were not timely but on this occasion the Auditors felt the management’s response was acceptable.

The Clerk informed Members of the new 16 Audit Code of Practice 2016 to 2017 that has been introduced and replaces JACOP. Within the new guidance it states: A minimum membership of three, a majority of whom must be governors, but must not include the Chair of the Corporation. The Clerk stated that this is to ensure that recommendations from the Audit Committee can be appropriately recommended and approved by the Corporation. With this in mind, it was recommended that the Chair will be formally removed from the Audit Committee and a recommendation was made to appoint Kevin Cook. Members approved the appointment of Kevin Cook to the Audit Committee. Paul Newell will be attending the May Corporation meeting as an observer, it was recommended that Paul joins the Audit Committee from September 2017. Paul Newell will bring expertise to the committee.

A recommendation was made for Alicia Whittaker to join the Search and Governance Committee.

20/17 Business College accounts for the period ended 28 February 2017 The Vice Principal informed Members that the college accounts are consistent with the

current financial position of the College and the shortfalls in income due to the fall in

demographics. Action plans are in place to address the shortfalls, particularly in HE where the student numbers are down. The pay to income ratio was confirmed as 67%. A Member stated that the risk table on the Financial summary should not have a £ in front PS of 1,061 as this reflects the student numbers. This will be removed. The Principal informed Members that Barclays will be visiting the College next week and this will help the College to understand the strategy for the Levy and Foundation Degrees and understand what companies are looking for. The Principal stated that the Foundation Degree had a good cohort.

The Funding Report The funding report was received in advance of the meeting and was consistent with the current financial position of the College.

Tuition Fee Proposals for 2017-18 The Tuition Fee Proposals for 2017-18 were approved by the Corporation. The tuition fee policy reflects the changes of titles in the College.

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The Mid-Year Review The Vice Principal presented the Mid-Year Financial Review. The self-assessment grade of ‘good’ from ‘satisfactory’ should support the re-inspection of the College. Members were informed that the College has been placed in the ‘Early Intervention Strategy’ because of the financial performance of the College last year. The Vice Principal stated that 18 Colleges in the region have been placed in the intervention. The College can be placed with a number of sanctions by being placed in the intervention but currently the SFA have only requested to see the College’s Management accounts. It was explained that to come out of the intervention the College would need to raise EBITDA. The Vice Principal felt that once the December Financial Statements have been viewed the College should come out of the intervention. The feedback from the SFA on the previous Financial Statements was that the College is ‘satisfactory’ and has no significant financial controls. The College sits just below the tolerances for the intervention. The Vice Principal informed Members that the College is predicted a trading loss of £150,000 but if the College can keep to £100,000 then they will be ‘Outstanding’. The Adult Education Budget and the change in funding rules is causing Colleges to struggle to meet targets.

The Chair stated that the aim for the Board is to keep an even budget.

Q: On page 3, the income from Learning Curve, has this been added yet? The Vice Principal confirmed the figures are not included yet. The apprenticeship growth is included but the ESF is not.

Funding Report The Funding report highlighted a reduction of £761,000 in the EFA contract charged to revenue account for 16-18 year old students. The main reason for the price difference is that there is a higher proportion of low funded students in the student number total. The financial planning for 2017-18 made the assumption that the College would not recruit for 40 students in September 2017 and due to lagged funding would have a reduced allocation for 2017-18 of £175,000. The funding of 19+ students who began their programme whilst under the age of 18 was in the past provided by the SFA. However, these students are now funded by the EFA. The College has been notified of an allocation of £94,220 for these students for 2017-18. However, this figure will be deducted from the SFA allowance. The bid for Learning Curve will hopefully bridge this gap along with the Calderdale ESF bid and the RoATP. The amounts for these bids have not yet been disclosed.

Members agreed that the withdrawal of A Level provision was the right decision for the College and the ELT continue to work hard to bridge the gap caused by the losses of those students.

The Vice Principal informed Members of their solvency responsibility and the importance of prioritising for the College in terms of capital, due diligence or staff pay rises. The cash position will continue to be managed.

21/17 Teaching and Learning Post Inspection Plan for 2016-17 The Post Inspection Plan for 2016-17 was received in advance of the meeting. The report

had been updated to reflect the comments of the recent support and challenge visit from

Ofsted on 24 January 2017. The plan continues to address the issues raised in the letter.

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Report on In Year Value Added Measures of Student Performance and Department for Education Value Added Performance Tables 2015-16 A report providing in year progress against minimum target for Level 3 Vocational Learners and information on the Department for Education Value Added Performance Tables was provided in advance of the meeting. It was reported that currently 77% of Level 3 Vocational Learners are working on or above their target grade, which is as expected for this stage in the year. The Vice Principal informed Members that students are aware of their assessment grades and it is important for staff to be accurate with their marking. It was reported that there can be challenges for the College by using agency staff.

The College has secured work placements for 100% of the students.

Q: Are the work placements all suitable? Do we provide challenging work placements for the students? The Vice Principal reported that a lot of work has been carried out to ensure that the students are work ready. A Member asked if the College works with the LEP to assist with placements. Partnerships already exists between the College and the LEP but the Vice Principal will remind the Chambers of areas that the College may need assistance with. GL

It was reported that in the DfE Value Added Performance tables, achieved a score of +0.2 for Applied General qualifications during the 2015/16 academic year. The score places the College in the ‘above average’ performance bracket. The academic value added score was below the minimum standards and confirms the decision to withdraw A Level provision.

Q: It looks like the Science results will drop, is this correct? No the grades in Science will go up, there is a staffing issue within the department that is being resolved.

Curriculum Offer The Curriculum Offer report was received in advance of the meeting. The report outlined the key changes to the Education and Training curriculum offer for 2017/18 in response to the changing Further Education landscape. The Curriculum offer contains both academic and technical level programmes alongside the reformed GCSEs. It was reported that the Curriculum offer is supported with improved information, advice and guidance for learners.

Analysis of Learning Evaluations for 2015-16 and progress to date in 2016-17 A report on the Analysis of Learning Evaluations for 2015-16 and progress to date in 2016-

17 was received in advance of the meeting. The Vice Principal summarised the main points from the report:

 An analysis of in-year data demonstrated that intervention following observation has improved the quality of performance by 6% from 76.3% to 82%  Members were requested to view ‘table 4’ that indicated only 2 assessors are below grade 2 or above. One of these staff has now left the College and the other one has been supported and has improved  Members reviewed ‘table 5’ which highlighted the steps that have been taken to

improve teaching and learning. This included intervention being placed quickly,

detailed action plans and a training event held by Bradley Lightbody focusing on ‘Outstanding’ lessons. A swivel reflection camera has been purchased to enable the capture and sharing of excellent teaching  An interim position has been created to replace Jonathan Disley when he leaves the College in May. The appointment has an HMI background and will continue to

work with Managers to improve practice across the College

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 The Vice Principal reported that maths and English positions are difficult to recruit but this is a national picture  The College is continuing to raise attendance through rewards

 A maths and English newsletter is now published each month

Equality and Diversity report for Autumn 2016-17

The Equality and Diversity report for Autumn 2016-17 was received in advance of the

meeting. The Chair of the Corporation had met with the Lead for Equality and Diversity prior to the meeting and there were no further comments raised.

Safeguarding report for Autumn 2016-17 The Safeguarding report for Autumn 2016-17 was received in advance of the meeting. The

Chair of the Corporation provided an update from his meeting with the lead for

Safeguarding, the main concern was for the growing mental health issues nationally. The College has secured funding to ensure that staff are fully trained to deal with mental health issues.

HR information report and HR strategy Action Plan The HR information report and HR strategy Action Plan were presented in advance of the meeting. Members were pleased that the staff survey has been launched using the Happiness Index Company. The Principal informed Members that there was 62% engagement from the first question. The first questions was ‘how happy are you at work’ the College was aiming for a 7 and received 6.9. A further report will be provided at the next meeting.

CC A Member requested for the colours on the action plan to be lightened.

22/17 Date and time of the next meeting The next meeting will take place on 16 May 2017 at 9.30am

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