| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| Nick |
Any school governors here, please?Anyone?Interested to know how much of what is said in meetings can be hidden from parents, wrt school policy, NOT pupils. Must minutes be made available? |
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| Jamanda |
I wish you'd posted this while I was still at work. I could have found out easily. I'm on a trip to the zoo tomorrow so it'll have to wait until Monday. But I'm pretty sure there should be minutes, and that it should be public. | ||||
| ian1 |
the wife is an ex deputy, so unless things have drastically changed in last couple of years.... there is no reason why minutes should NOT be made available....have you spoken to parent Gov rep? All school policy doccuments should be available for you to view in school office anyway! | ||||
| Nick |
Long story short.
They are changing our school uniform. Essentially on the whim of the new (acting) head, to match his other school. A letter was sent out in March saying We're going to change from red to blue, as red is such an angry colour. Anyone got any comment? Now, it's a done deal, and they're claiming there was a consultation process. I hear the head bludgeoned this through the governors, and they were not entirely convinced. I'd like to see the minutes of the meetings, I'd like to know what consultation ought to be, and what the comments they got were (if any). I'd also like to give the person a mild Chinese burn, but I'm not sure that's appropriate behaviour. I have, however, cut off his funding, as head of the PTA for this daft project. Grrrr! |
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| tahir |
Blimey, who's paying for all the new uniforms? Head funding it is he? | ||||
| Jamanda |
A head shouldn't be able to bludgeon anything past governors. At our place it's more the other way round. A couple of bolshy parent governors throw spanners into all sorts of works. |
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| cir3ngirl |
Someone asked my son recently who was incharge of his school. I said me as headteacher is always asking the Friends of the school for money so we must be powerful. | ||||
| ian1 |
no wonder you are fuming! Is it a primary? mrs Ian tells me uniforms are not enforcable! Have you spoken with other parents about this and are they equally unhappy? | ||||
| Mary-Jane |
Re: Any school governors here, please?
I'm pretty sure that the governing body must make available for inspection to 'any interested person', a copy of any agenda, signed minutes and reports or papers considered at the meeting as soon as is reasonably practical. I Any information relating to a named person or any other matter that the governing body considers confidential does not have to be made available for inspection, but the governing body will only be able to withhold information that constitutes personal data or confidential information within the meaning of FOI Act. |
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| hedgewitch |
Now Nick, are you wearing red? Try changing into something blue then revisit the idea.... 
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| Rob R |
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| Nick |
We have an acting head, because our peoper head is on long term sick (2 years). He's done an awful lot for the school, so the Governors, and staff and parents are grateful. However, tis possible things are going to his head.
Oh look. I'm wearing blue. Grrrrr! |
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| alison |
Short answer is , yes you can request to see them.
Governing Body The governing body must make copies of its agenda and minutes of its meetings available for inspection. This does not include information that is confidential. The governing body must notify the LEA of resignations and appointment of governors or ensure that the clerk does so. http://www.governornet.co.uk/publishArticle.cfm?contentid=732&topicAreaId=28&pageStart=1&sortOrder=title&searchWhere=all&searchString=minutes |
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| Nick |
Ta.
And DEFS guidelines about uniform are 1. Schools must consult widely. Now, clearly, widely is a pretty subjective term, but one question in a newsletter doesn't sound Widely to me. |
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| Penny |
What Alison said - and no that doesn't sound widely enough. | ||||
| alison |
I think it has to be a proper consultation, not just a quick letter of intent to the parents.- | ||||
| Belinda |
I was a school governor until recently and am currently in a similar role on a preschool management committee.
The minutes - apart from confidential items which would normally be about named individuals - are public documents and must be made available. 'Confidential' would not normally cover an item of school policy such as this. 'Consultation' is normally understood to include eg an agreed timescale, opportunities for discussion and to submit views, and a proper minuted discussion at a subsequent meeting. A oneliner in a parent newsletter sounds very inadequate - it's too easily overlooked. Changing the school uniform is a major issue because it has financial implications, particularly for lower income families. The Chair of governors normally plays an active role in this sort of thing - and if you don't get a satisfactory response from the headteacher, you have every right to take up with the Chair as to whether there has been a proper consultation process (in theory, you can even make a formal complaint, but probably more effective to proceed with honey rather than with an axe.......) |
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| Nick |
Aye, meeting with the Chair tomorrow. Looking to communicate more and have oil on troubled waters, rather than butt heads, I think. Just better all round.
Thanks for the inputs. |