Management Information Sheet
Developing Norfolk's School Clusters by Establishing Governance Arrangements for All School Clusters
Over the last few months we have been developing models to show how governance arrangements for school clusters could be developed. This is because significant amounts of funding are allocated through the current school clusters and representatives on the Schools Forum have raised some concerns that there is no proper governance of this expenditure which aggregates up to amounts in excess of £2m at present and under recent legislation will grow to considerably more than that.
Clearly governance arrangements need to ensure that the governing bodies in each cluster area:-
We have worked closely with a working group of governors from The Norfolk Governors' Network (NGN) to develop our proposals and these have been discussed with the Chairs of the Clusters at their regular briefing meetings with the Director and myself and, at their request, briefings were given at each of this term's Area headteacher meetings so that headteachers understand why we need such governance.
Following further discussions with NGN we are now in a position to ask all clusters to go through local discussions to set up appropriate local governance arrangements. We have opted for an open and flexible approach because we know that clusters vary considerably in their make up and activity and particularly so in relation to the current practices involving meetings between governors at cluster level.
The attached paper (Cluster Governance) outlines what kind of clusters we are talking about and what role we feel governance must play at cluster level. We have then provided three models for discussion. We would urge you to consider strongly the benefits of each model but we recognise that, the extent to which governors currently engage with cluster matters will shape the outcome of the discussion. Appended to the paper are draft terms of reference and proposed constitutional arrangements you can use to shape the short documents you will need for your cluster.
We think that the second model (or a local variant of it) would help governors gain most benefit from cluster activity but the decision should be made locally by the governing bodies in each cluster. We are not going to lay down how governors will decide which of the three models, or any variant of them, will best allow you to develop effective cluster governance.
As one Chair of Governors put it; - "Putting in place a cluster governance arrangement within your cluster is clearly quite a complicated thing to co-ordinate, not least because you will need to settle on an arrangement which is agreed by all the relevant governing bodies. It is very much up to you how you do this but a number of clusters across the county have already started on this process and where we have seen most success is where all the headteachers and chairs of governors within the cluster get together early on in the process to agree a proposed approach. This proposed approach can then go to all the governing bodies in the knowledge that is already some level of consensus. A case study, which you may find useful, for one such cluster can be found on the NGN website)."
We hope that in the vast majority of clusters the process will be carried out as effectively as in the two descriptions we have provided but we recognise that in a few places clusters are not well developed. We have said to Chairs of Clusters that if the cluster would like our assistance in setting up governance arrangements we would be prepared to facilitate that.
When we started to look more deeply at this issue we recognised that the clusters, which have evolved over several years are highly variable in size and activity. Clusters range from student populations of as small as 1000 to over 6000 and with great variations in the number of schools and geographic area covered. Some clusters seem to have very obvious coherence and serve identifiable and fairly coherent geography. If schools in any cluster feel they are in the wrong cluster or that their cluster should be reconfigured in some way then we would like that feed back too on the attached form and we will then engage with you in a review of the make up of the cluster.
We would like a response from every cluster chair outlining where they are in establishing these arrangements by the end of the Spring Term in 2010 and we will seek to resolve any changes needed to cluster membership or area by the end of the Summer Term.
Thank you in anticipation for your engagement with this important piece of work, if you would like to discuss it or require some help with developing your process please contact Tim Newton on 01603 222572, Peter Simmonds on 01603 638092, Sue Platt at the Governor Services Team on 01603 433276 or myself, or one of the Norfolk Governors Network Committee members (names and contact numbers below) who have offered to act as an advisory group to help with the implementation of cluster governance.
Fred Corbett
Deputy Director of Children’s Services
Attachments:
1. Cluster Governance
2. A copy of the proforma we will want only from the Chair of the Cluster confirming the decision of the cluster, that all governing bodies in the cluster have signed up to the model chosen and that you have an agreed Terms of Reference document lodged with each governing body.
Clearly governance arrangements need to ensure that the governing bodies in each cluster area:-
| Are aware of the funds that have been provided to the cluster each financial year; the purposes for which they are intended and the intended outcomes | |
| Collectively approve the arrangements for using and accounting for such funds within the cluster. It is particularly important that governors satisfy themselves that proper arrangements are in place for the employment of staff financed by cluster moneys | |
| Receive reports which satisfy them that the funds have been used and accounted for in the way agreed and that the outcomes have been achieved |
We have worked closely with a working group of governors from The Norfolk Governors' Network (NGN) to develop our proposals and these have been discussed with the Chairs of the Clusters at their regular briefing meetings with the Director and myself and, at their request, briefings were given at each of this term's Area headteacher meetings so that headteachers understand why we need such governance.
Following further discussions with NGN we are now in a position to ask all clusters to go through local discussions to set up appropriate local governance arrangements. We have opted for an open and flexible approach because we know that clusters vary considerably in their make up and activity and particularly so in relation to the current practices involving meetings between governors at cluster level.
The attached paper (Cluster Governance) outlines what kind of clusters we are talking about and what role we feel governance must play at cluster level. We have then provided three models for discussion. We would urge you to consider strongly the benefits of each model but we recognise that, the extent to which governors currently engage with cluster matters will shape the outcome of the discussion. Appended to the paper are draft terms of reference and proposed constitutional arrangements you can use to shape the short documents you will need for your cluster.
We think that the second model (or a local variant of it) would help governors gain most benefit from cluster activity but the decision should be made locally by the governing bodies in each cluster. We are not going to lay down how governors will decide which of the three models, or any variant of them, will best allow you to develop effective cluster governance.
As one Chair of Governors put it; - "Putting in place a cluster governance arrangement within your cluster is clearly quite a complicated thing to co-ordinate, not least because you will need to settle on an arrangement which is agreed by all the relevant governing bodies. It is very much up to you how you do this but a number of clusters across the county have already started on this process and where we have seen most success is where all the headteachers and chairs of governors within the cluster get together early on in the process to agree a proposed approach. This proposed approach can then go to all the governing bodies in the knowledge that is already some level of consensus. A case study, which you may find useful, for one such cluster can be found on the NGN website)."
We hope that in the vast majority of clusters the process will be carried out as effectively as in the two descriptions we have provided but we recognise that in a few places clusters are not well developed. We have said to Chairs of Clusters that if the cluster would like our assistance in setting up governance arrangements we would be prepared to facilitate that.
When we started to look more deeply at this issue we recognised that the clusters, which have evolved over several years are highly variable in size and activity. Clusters range from student populations of as small as 1000 to over 6000 and with great variations in the number of schools and geographic area covered. Some clusters seem to have very obvious coherence and serve identifiable and fairly coherent geography. If schools in any cluster feel they are in the wrong cluster or that their cluster should be reconfigured in some way then we would like that feed back too on the attached form and we will then engage with you in a review of the make up of the cluster.
We would like a response from every cluster chair outlining where they are in establishing these arrangements by the end of the Spring Term in 2010 and we will seek to resolve any changes needed to cluster membership or area by the end of the Summer Term.
Thank you in anticipation for your engagement with this important piece of work, if you would like to discuss it or require some help with developing your process please contact Tim Newton on 01603 222572, Peter Simmonds on 01603 638092, Sue Platt at the Governor Services Team on 01603 433276 or myself, or one of the Norfolk Governors Network Committee members (names and contact numbers below) who have offered to act as an advisory group to help with the implementation of cluster governance.
Fred Corbett
Deputy Director of Children’s Services
| Stephen Adamson | stephen.adamson@ngn.org.uk | 01603 623336 fax 01603 624767 | Sprowston High |
| Neil Collins | neil.collins@ngn.org.uk | Long Stratton High School | |
| Mike Grimble | mike.grimble@ngn.org.uk | 01603 456721 | Avenue Junior School |
| Lucinda Poliakoff | lucinda.poliakoff@ngn.org.uk | 01603 506242 | Recreation Road Infant and City of Norwich School |
| Martin Sale | martin.sale@ngn.org.uk | 01553 675583 | Fairstead Primary (IEB) |
| Sue Platt | sue.platt@norfolk.gov.uk | 01603 433276 | Governor Services at NCC and Chair of Governors at Aylsham High School |
Attachments:
1. Cluster Governance
2. A copy of the proforma we will want only from the Chair of the Cluster confirming the decision of the cluster, that all governing bodies in the cluster have signed up to the model chosen and that you have an agreed Terms of Reference document lodged with each governing body.