NEWSLETTER AUTUMN 2013 Contact the MPA: Post: 34 Perth Road, High Wycombe, Bucks. HP13 6XX E-mail: [email protected] |Tel: 07956 622 469 | visit our website www.mpawycombe.co.uk LONG SERVICE AWARDS FOR BUCKINGHAMSHIRE GOVERNORS Rafiq Raja, chairman of MPA is seated second from right. article on page 10 Welcome to the New School Year At the time of writing we are coming to the end of a very good summer. The New School Term has just started and despite the hype local schools appear to have bucked the national trend of underperformance at GCSEs. However, it is difficult to fathom the true picture because each school uses its own statistics for painting a rosy picture. Nevertheless, it is more than likely that the level of GCSE passes in five subjects including Maths & English at grades A* to C by the Black & Minority Ethnic pupils will not have changed dramatically. C P Message Highcrest Bucks Minority From Academy’s Education concern Steve new organise their third Baker MP admissions Page 3 policy annual conference Page 8 Page 11 MPA NEWSLETTER AUTUMN 2013 |Page 1 Whilst the MPA applauds all schools which are trying to cope with the hand given to them by the selective syste own workings especially whether or not they have the same expectations for all their children. There is now a determination on part of the parent groups to seek the reasons, from schools and education authorities, for the continued underachievement by the BME pupils and whether the extra funds provided by the central government under the Pupil Premium are making a difference. The MPA is aware that it is not something which can be addressed in a few years and yet when you look O ers of BME children have not only reached the national average for GCSE success but have even done better. So it is time the usual excuses were not so readily put forward to explain the gap in the levels of achievement of mainstream and BME, especially Pakistani origin, pupils. The MPA has joined hands with the Parents Forum for Children of African & Caribbean Heritage to set up the Bucks Minority Education Concern, which has planned its Third Annual Conference for parents on the Theme of T T S S C C S at 12.45PM for 1PM. The conference has Monica Austin, Headteacher at Ashcroft High School, Luton, (a mixed comprehensive which she has led from special measures in January 2005 to being judged as outstanding by Ofsted in March 2011) as the Keynote speaker, with a panel of local head teachers, governors and BMEC activists will answer questions from parents in Q & A session. A group of young professionals will relate their experiences of education, which hopefully will motivate the audience. The conference has also received a number of nominations, from Wycombe schools, for some of their pupils to receive special recognition for their contribution to school life and these pupils will receive awards on the day. The MPA would like all its supporters to join some very active people, working for raising educational standards for all our children. Please see the back page for more information. This year Ramadan came during the last few days of the summer term and with very hot days indeed. If the hot weather during the summer months continues then Ramadan 2014 will not only fall entirely in July, but will be hottest to date. We also wish to offer our good wishes for Eid ul Adha, which will be celebrated towards the end of October. The MPA vice chairman, Cllr Mohammed Shafique, MBE, completed a very successful year as Mayor of High Wycombe in May. His talents were recognised and he was appointed to lead the team organising the elections for the Mosque Management Committee, which his team successfully organised in early september; The MMC has been transformed by the elections. The MPA wishes the new team all the best for the future and thanks the outgoing team for all their efforts in the area of education. The World of Education/Taleem Ki Duniya (TKD) is a tremendous opportunity to discuss local and national educational matters (and dissemination of knowledge about other issues relating to health, diet, employment, taxation, etc) for the benefit of the Urdu/Punjabi speaking listeners and their children, who are the future for all of us. See bottom of page 3, for more information. MPA NEWSLETTER AUTUMN 2013 |Page 2 Advertise with us Message from Steve Baker MP Reach hundreds of interested people for a minimum outlay and place an advert in the next issue of this newsletter. To Place an Advert in our newsletter, please contact the MPA on 07956 622 469 Where possible, I continue to give support to a number of local community activities in the constituency, including Rates From: visiting primary and secondary schools. Quarter Page £20, Half Page £40, Full Page £60. (Black and white When I last visited Cressex School I joined its co-operative; only. Colour rates negotiable) the co- underpinned by a philosophy of everyone working together to govern the school, maintain the buildings and support the staff and teaching programme. I am a great believer in Would you like to get involved any organisation where people work together on a with the MPA? voluntary basis for the wider good, and that is why I was delighted to join and play a part in the life of the life of the Do you have an article you school. would like to submit? I should like to end by sending my best wishes to everyone. Then please get in touch via our website mpawycombe.co.uk L T W E - T K D E S H W Awaaz Radio (107.4FM) between 10AM & 12 NOON. World of Education tries to inform the members of the Asian community in general and the Pakistani community in If you are interested in taking part in a future programme or have some topics or ideas about raising educational achievement levels then get in touch with Rafiq Raja: [email protected] MPA NEWSLETTER AUTUMN 2013 |Page 3 THE ACCOUNTING OFFICER AND THE T A O NEW ACADEMIES FINANCIAL HANDBOOK personal responsibility for: - WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW? the propriety and regularity of the public finances for which they are answerable; The Headteacher or Principal clearly has the most important role in the running of a school, but in an academy the role of the Headteacher is more the keeping of proper accounts; important than ever. prudent and economical administration; T (FA) with the Department for Education requires the avoidance of waste and extravagance; the Headteacher to take on the role of Accounting Officer. ensuring value for money; The new Academies Financial Handbook was the day to day running of the school published in September 2012, and at 28 pages is including organisation, staffing and considerably shorter than the old 2006 version management; and and far easier to digest. It is vital that Headteachers read and understand the the efficient and effective use of all the implications of the Financial Handbook, indeed resources in their charge. we would recommend that it is read by all The new Financial Handbook expands on these governors, or certainly key individuals such as the and the responsibilities set out in the funding Chair of Governors and Chair of Finance. agreement, stating that the Accounting Officer must: The Handbook can be downloaded from: https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/ take personal responsibility (which must not be delegated) for assuring the board What responsibilities does the Accounting that there is compliance with the Officer have? Handbook, the FA and all relevant aspects of company and charitable law; The Accounting Officer has ultimate responsibility for all day-to-day financial matters, and is be able to assure Parliament and the responsible to the governing body for ensuring public of high standards of probity in the propriety, as well as efficient and effective use of management of public funds; available resources. Whilst in practice many, if not all, of these advise the board of trustees in writing if, responsibilities will be delegated, for example by at any time, in his or her opinion, any appointing a Director of Finance or School action or policy under consideration by Business Manager, the overall responsibility lies the governing body is incompatible with with the Headteacher. The Headteacher the terms of the Handbook or FA; therefore needs to be comfortable that the person to which matters are delegated is suitably advise the board in writing if the board experienced, trained and resourced, and should appears to be failing to act where work closely with them to ensure that required to do so by the terms and appropriate systems and controls are in place, conditions of the Handbook or FA; and operated effectively. MPA NEWSLETTER AUTUMN 2013 |Page 4 consider the reasons the board gives for auditors, and more questions of the Accounting its decision where the board of trustees is Officer! minded to proceed, despite the advice of the Accounting Officer and if the The Audit Committee and the risks to internal Accounting Officer still considers that the control action proposed by the board is in breach of the Handbook or FA, the Accounting Multi-academy trusts (MATs) must now have a O EFA dedicated Audit Committee, whose duties would accounting officer of the position. include reviewing the risks to internal financial control, and agreeing a programme of work that In 2011/12 the Accounting Officer had to sign a will address these risks. The programme of work formal declaration within the annual financial may be managed by the academy in the way statements that he or she had met their personal deemed most appropriate to its individual responsibilities, and that, amongst other things, circumstances.