Governing Body of Temple Learning Academy

3 October 2016

GOVERNING BODY OF TEMPLE LEARNING ACADEMY

Minutes of proceedings at the Annual meeting of the above Governing Body held at the Temple Learning Academy on Monday, 3 October 2016 at 6.00 pm.

PRESENT Matthew Browne, Martin Cosgrove, James Firth-Gieben, Nneka Ikeogu,Tim Kitching, Olwyn Moss, Andrea Smith, Helen Stout and Nigel Wood.

IN ATTENDANCE Andrea Mannion (TNLP Trust Governors’ and Schools’ Support): Dave Noble (Business Director and Company Secretary).

1. WELCOME BY THE CLERK The Clerk welcomed everyone to the meeting.

2. ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE ELECTION OF CHAIR AND VICE-CHAIR Governors noted that the School Governance (Roles, Procedures and Allowances) (England) Regulations 2013 allow governing boards to be flexible in relation to the election of the Chair and the Vice-Chair. However, the Clerk reported that governors must agree on the election process, including the term of office of the Chair and Vice- Chair before receiving any nominations. Resolved 1 That the term of office of the Chair and Vice-Chair be for 1 year; and that elections take place at the first meeting in each Autumn Term.

Resolved 2 That nominations and self-nominations for Chair and Vice-Chair be received prior to and at the meeting; and That written nominations to the Clerk be accepted from candidates who are unable to attend the meeting.

Resolved 3 That contested elections be decided by secret ballot and those standing for election should withdraw from the meeting when the vote is taken.

The Clerk informed members that Tim Kitching had expressed an interest in the position of Chair and Tim reported that Drew Rowlands had expressed an interest in the position of Vice-Chair. The Clerk asked if there were any additional nominations for both positions. There were no further nominations.

3. ELECTION OF CHAIR

Resolved 4 That Tim Kitching be elected Chair for a 1 year term of office.

Tim Kitching thanked members for having the trust and confidence to re-elect him.

4. ELECTION OF VICE-CHAIR Resolved 5 That Drew Rowlands be elected Vice-Chair for a 1 year term of office.

5. APOLOGIES Apologies for absence were received from Drew Rowlands, Lauren Schofield and Richard Hadfield. Governors consented to the absences.

6. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST There were no declarations of interest.

7. MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 4 JULY 2016 The Chair reminded members that the minutes of the last meeting had been uploaded onto the Academy website for a number of weeks now and that everyone had had the opportunity to consider them prior to the meeting. Resolved 6 That the minutes of the meeting held on 4 July 2016 be agreed as a correct record; and that, having had the reason for absence explained, members consent to Nigel Wood’s absence from that meeting.

8. MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES There were no matters arising from the minutes.

9. CONSTITUTION One Trustee Vacancy The Chair felt that the vacancy needed further consideration in the light of the skills audit undertaken in the Summer Term, but that steps should now be taken to fill it. Resolved 7 That the vacancy be filled and that recruitment be delegated to the Chair, Principal and Clerk.

10. ATTENDANCE AT GOVERNOR TRAINING & 2016-2017 TNLP TRUST GOVERNOR TRAINING The Chair asked members if they could report on any Governor Training that they had attended. They reported as follows:

Course Name Date Governor Induction/Refresher (Part 1) Martin Cosgrove 28 September 2016 Governor Induction/Refresher (Part 1) Nneka Ikeogu 28 September 2016 Governor Induction/Refresher (Part 1) Andrea Smith 28 September 2016

Forthcoming Training Matthew Browne and Helen Stout reported that they had booked onto the Child Sexual Exploitation Training on 20 October 2016.

Core Strategic Function: Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction

11. APPROVAL OF COMMITTEE TERMS OF REFERENCE The Chair explained changes that had been made in the draft terms of reference for the Appraisal and Rewards Committee, the effect of which was to extend the committee’s remit to include oversight of the effectiveness and fairness of the Academy’s appraisal process and decisions of teachers’ pay progression. This meant consequent changes had been made to the terms of reference of the Resources and Risk Committee. Mrs Stout asked that references be made to Pupil Premium and PE Premium in both the Resources and Risk and Curriculum Committee Terms of Reference. Resolved 8 That subject to the minor amendments above and taking into account the Scheme of Delegation, all the Committee Terms of Reference that had been sent out in advance of the meeting be approved.

12. CONFIRMATION OF COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP Resolved 9 That the confirmation of committee membership be as follows:

Resources and Risk Committee Martin Cosgrove James Firth-Gieben Tim Kitching Matthew Browne Vacancy - New Trustee In attendance: Dave Noble

Curriculum Committee Drew Rowlands Helen Stout Matthew Browne Olwyn Moss Lauren Schofield Nigel Wood Nneka Ikeogu Andrea Smith

Appraisal and Rewards Committee Drew Rowlands Martin Cosgrove James Firth-Gieben

13. APPOINTMENT OF COMMITTEE CHAIRS Resolved 10 That confirmation of Committee Chairs be as follows:

Resources and Risk Committee – Martin Cosgrove Curriculum Committee – Drew Rowlands Appraisal and Rewards Committee – James Firth-Gieben with support from Drew Rowlands as Vice-Chair.

14. POLICY FRAMEWORK Governors are asked to formally adopt the draft policies which had previously been uploaded onto the website inviting challenge/comments prior to this meeting. Resolved 11 That Governors formally adopt the following policies: Admissions Policy Admissions Policy 2017-2018 Attendance Policy Business Continuity Plan – September 2016 Safeguarding Supervision Policy Treasury management Policy – September 2016 Safeguarding Policy Child Protection Policy

Nigel Wood agreed to provide the Principal with an example policy from the NHS on Access for Information. Q: Do we comply with the DfE’s Statutory Policy List? A: Yes.

15. ACADEMY DEVELOPMENT PLAN Matthew Browne referred to the Academy Development Plan which had been sent out in advance of the meeting and he talked through the priority areas. The Chair said that the SEF Actions had been dropped into the Academy Development Plan and would adapt over the coming weeks.

Core Strategic Function: Holding the Principal (Senior Leadership Team) to account

16. PRIMARY PRINCIPALS UPDATE Matthew Browne talked through his Principal’s Report which had been sent out in advance of the meeting and included information on the following items: Achievements during the term to date. Issues Governors need to be aware of, Headline Data, Attendance, Pupil Management, Curriculum, Pupil Attainment and Progress, Closing the Gap, including Pupil Premium, Budget and Finance Update, Staffing Update and Wider Community.

Questions Arising from the Principals Report Q: Why do some of our pupils not stay at the Academy for very long? A: We are currently the only school with spare places and some of the children that come here are waiting for appeals to take place or are on a waiting list at another school. Q: What happens to the 13 pupils who were offered places but had not started? A: Despite phone calls, letters and home visits there has been no contact and have been reported to the LA Admissions Team and to the CME (Children Missing from Education) Team. Q: Are the missing children non-statutory school age ones? A: In the main yes, with one from Year 1. Q: Could this affect attendance? A: Yes because some are still on the school roll. Q: Are any of these traveller children? A: No.

Q: Do this year’s reception children have the same speech and language needs as last years. A: There appears to be fewer children with severe speech and language needs than last year and baseline is very comparable. Assessments started immediately during nursery visits. Q: There appears to be a big difference of GLD between boys and girls, were the boys from the summer starters? A: No, they were not. This is a national trend also. Provision for boys was a focus last year and will remain so this year. Boys made better than national averages for progress in every area however so too did girls so our gap remained. Members were informed that Mrs Warmsley had booked onto some Gender Gap training which would hopefully identify good practice which will help in closing the gap between boys and girls. Q: Do we know if we have made any impact on families? A: We have had amazing feedback from parents which was identified in Mark Wilsons report and by Tom Megahy from the DfE. We have also appointed a part-time learning mentor which can only improve relationships with our families. Q: Regarding the child who continues to require physical intervention – what needs have been identified? A: Suspected autism and a high number of other complex needs. Currently working with a range of external agencies and preparing to submit and EHCP in Spring Term. Q: Are the building contractors on a penalty if they do not complete on time? A: Not sure, but they have been fantastic - the walls will soon be in which means that progress should not be disrupted by inclement weather. Regular meetings at least every 2 weeks ensure that progress is on schedule and any risks can be mitigated. Q: Is Mrs Thickett’s one day per week secondment to Extended Services impacting on the Academy? A: No. Mrs Thickett is very efficient and experienced in working in much bigger schools. Her work with Extended Services will be organised around Academy needs. Mrs Thickett was thanked for her commitment and enthusiasm. Q: Do all children take up universal free school meals? A: Yes. 100% of children have school dinners. This was an expectation, given that free school meals were available to all children.

The Principal was thanked for his very comprehensive report.

17. SELF-EVALUATION FORM (SEF) Matthew Browne referred to the Self-Evaluation Form which had been sent out in advance of the meeting. He said that that SLT members had been involved in drafting the SEF through “where do we think that we are” discussions and that it had been a very useful and focussed exercise for all involved. The Chair referred to the Effectiveness of Leadership and Management section and in particular to two next steps identified for Governors around appointing designated roles; and to strengthen Governor Links with classes, phases or subjects. It was agreed that these be included on the agenda for the next meeting. Q: Will these visits support the monitoring and strategic overview of the ADP? A: Yes and we will plan these at the next meeting. Q: Why do you consider the curriculum to be good and not outstanding? A: Because we are still setting up the processes. This year we have a new curriculum to put in place, ensure staff are confident in delivering it, moderate and assess it to ensure it is fit for purpose. Governors thanked the Principal and they all agreed that the content, colour coding and format was excellent and easy to follow.

18. PRINCIPAL/STAFF APPRAISAL CYCLE Resolved 12 That the 12 month appraisal cycle be 1 September 2016 to 31 August 2017; That Drew Rowland, Martin Cosgrove and James Firth-Gieben form the Performance Management/Appraisal Committee; and That the Committee meet to set objectives and then to review the objectives each term.

Core Strategic Function: Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent

19. 2016/2017 Budget Dave Noble presented the 2016-17 Budget Report for the Academy which had been sent out in advance of the meeting. Governors noted that there was a carry forward of £91.440k. Members were reminded that an amended budget had been sent out at the end of last term due to Pupil Premium funding and a query around the post opening grant. Dave Noble reported three significant risks to the Academy’s financial forecast: 1. Funding had been based on 110 children and today’s number was 100 with the census being Thursday 6th October. The January 2017 census would be fairer time to base funding on as this represented a more stable situation. Dave Noble reported that EFA would ‘claw back’ the funding for any number lower than 110 pupils. This would take place in 2017/18 financial and it was unclear how the EFA would do this i.e. all at once or per month? DN to investigate with EFA. Q. Given the possibility of clawback in future years, would it be possible to include a line in the three-year budget projection, to clearly show the amount of clawback which might be anticipated in each year in order to ensure that this was always taken into account and we do not over-commit? A. Yes, this will be included in future. 2. With Year 7s recruitment currently taking place for September 2017, the financial forecast is based on 90 pupils starting at the Academy. Achieving this number will be critical to ensure viability and will greatly impact on the levels of staff the Academy can recruit for September 2017. The number of potential Year 7’s will have to be continually reviewed with additional marketing activity constantly taking place. Q: When is the deadline for Year 7 applications? A: At the end of October with offers being made first week of March next year. 3. With the decant to the new building in May 2017 it has been established there is no funding included in the capital build budget for various items e.g. door signage, fire extinguishers, evacuation chairs, internal CCTV provision and remote monitoring of external CCTV etc. These will have to be met from the Academy budget, hence the reason for the need to manage cash reserves carefully to meet unbudgeted costs. Resolved 13 That the 2016/2017 Academy Budget be formally approved.

Dave Noble asked if Martin Cosgrove – Chair of Resources and Risk Committee could again complete the Financial Management & Governance Standard by the end of December deadline for the EFA. Martin Cosgrove asked if monthly management accounts were able to now be reported. Dave Noble agreed to issue these but were work in progress.

20. FMGS REQUIREMENTS Resolved 14 That Governors note and approve the following documents that had been emailed out in advance of the meeting (20 September 2016).

1. Annual FMGS Reporting requirements 2. Academies Financial Handbook 2016 3. Business and Pecuniary Interest Form 4. Confirmation of RPA insurance scheme for 2016 5. Letter of engagement for external auditors (Saffery’s) for 2015/16 audit 6. TLA Scheme of delegated authority 7. Confirmation of authority levels with scheme of delegation 8. TLA Financial Procedures Manual 9. TLA Risk Management policy 10. TLA Risk Register 11. TLA Treasury Management Policy 12. TLA Business Continuity Plan 13. Letter of engagement and schedule of internal audit at TLA 14. TLA Procurement and Tendering Policy 15. Finance Report stating 2015-16 year end out-turn and 2016-17 final budget

Academies Financial Handbook (AFH) – Annual Financial Management and Governance Requirements: Summary of requirements:

GOVERNORS QUESTIONS ANSWERS Financial oversight: 1. Has the Board appointed a Principal or Chief Yes, Matthew Browne Executive? 2. Do the Board members fully understand their Links to advisory guidance duties as company directors and charity within page 7 of AFH issued trustees? and noted by Governors on 3 October 2016 - Agreed

3. Has a named individual been designated as Yes, Matthew Browne Accounting Officer? 4. Has a chief financial officer, with appropriate Yes, Dave Noble qualifications and/or experience, been appointed to the board? 5. Has the board approved a written scheme of Scheme of delegation delegation of financial powers that maintain issued to Governors on 3 robust internal control, arrangements? October 2016 - Approved Financial Planning: 6. Has the board approved a balanced budget for Budget presented on 3 the financial year and approval been minuted? October 2016 - Approved 7. Are the board aware of considerations when Treasury Management making investments? Including having an policy presented to investment policy. Governors on 3 October 2016 - Approved 8. Has the board been made aware of the Section 3.4 of the AFH requirement to obtain approval from the EFA issued to Governors for where it is considering borrowing funds or awareness at 3 October

entering into liabilities such as leases or 2016 meeting - tenancies beyond delegated limits? If any Noted payments have been made beyond delegated limits, full details must be provided to the EFA. Internal control 9. Has an appropriate internal control framework Financial procedures been established? document issued to Governors on 3 October 2016 - Approved 10. Has a contingency and business continuity plan Contingency and business been prepared? continuity plan issued to Governors on 3 October 2016 - Approved 11. Have risks arising from the Academy’s Updated risk register issued operations been assessed? to Governors on 3 October 2016 - Noted 12. Has adequate insurance cover been obtained? Certificate of RPA scheme issued to Governors on 3 October 2016 - Approved Financial monitoring and management 13. Has the board been informed of the delegated Section 3.7 of the AFH authority limits for the categories of transactions issued to Governors for set out in the AFH? awareness 3 October 2016 - Noted 14. Has the board been informed of the requirement Section 3.1 of the AFH to act prudently in ways that command broad issued to Governors for public support and the requirement to report on awareness at 3 October how the Academy has secured value for 2016 meeting - money? Noted 15. Has the board been made aware of the Section 3.3 of the AFH requirement to obtain approval from the EFA issued to Governors for before making any novel and contentious awareness on 3 October payments? 2016 - Noted Proper and regular use of public funds 16. Have all Trustees completed the register of Register to be issued and business interests? completed by Governors on 3 October 2016 - Completed 17. Has the academy trust published on its website Agreed Website to be the relevant business and pecuniary interests of updated after confirmation of trustees and members? business interests on 3 October 2016 18. Has the board approved a competitive tendering Policy to be approved on 3 policy? October 2016 - Approved 19. Has the board been informed that goods or Section 3.2 of the AFH services provided by individuals or organisations issued to Governors for connected to the trust must be provided at ‘no awareness at 3 October more than cost’, on the basis of an open book 2016 meeting - agreement and support by statements of Noted assurance, in accordance with requirements of the AFH?

Audit requirements 20. Has a set of accounting policies been agreed? Relevant policies to be agreed at 3 October 2016 - Agreed 21. Has an external auditor been appointed? Letter of appointment of Saffrey Champness on 3 October 2016 - Agreed 22. Has a process of independent checking of Appointment of LCC financial controls been implemented? Financial Services as internal audit and approval of audit schedule to be agreed by Governors on 3 October 2016 - Agreed 23. Has the board been informed of the requirement Section 4.8 of the AFH to report to the EFA any instances of fraud or issued to Governors for theft above £5,000 against the trust whether by awareness at 3 October employees, trustees or third parties; or where 2016 meeting - fraud is unusual or systematic in nature? Noted

21. ANY OTHER BUSINESS Items for the next Agenda  Self-Evaluation Form  Governor links  Protocol/plan for governor visits to the Academy

22. CONFIRMATION OF DATE OF NEXT MEETING It was confirmed that the next meeting would be held on Monday, 5 December 2016 at 6.00 pm.