ACADEMIC YEAR 2008/09 Minutes of the Meeting of the Policy Committee Monday 16th March 2009 Present:

In attendance:

Mr J Jones Mr A Hoggard Mr C Fitzpatrick Mrs S Dimmock Mr P Cummings

Mr B Robson Mrs J Walker Mrs A Morgan

Mrs E Cresswell Mr G H Soles Mr G Richardson

1. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING The minutes of the meeting held on 19th January 2009 were read and approved. 2. GOVERNORS’ INTERESTS No governors declared any interests in the items on the agenda. 3. GOVERNOR REPLACEMENT STRATEGY Governors requested the clerk to approach the vicar of Southowram with a view to inviting him to join the governing body. A letter has been written to Mrs Brearley enquiring whether she would like to continue in office and a reply is still awaited. 4. PUBLICATION OF MINUTES OF GOVERNORS’ MEETINGS School governing bodies are now under a legal requirement to publicise all minutes of governor committee meetings. The clerk was asked to make arrangements for such minutes to be put on the school’s website as soon as they have been signed off. 5. STAFFING ISSUES Mrs Cresswell outlined the measures that are being taken to make all interested parties aware of the change in the School’s headship arrangements as from the summer term 2009. She listed a number of leaving celebrations and referred to the good wishes sent by Calderdale Council for Mr Soles. Mrs Cresswell identified that the change from co-headship to single headship, coupled with impending retirements of certain members of staff, would signal some changes in the staff management structures and the distribution of senior management responsibilities. Mrs Cresswell is currently working on new arrangements which she plans to lay before governors at their next meeting. 6. RETIREMENT AT 65 For the first time in memory, a teacher is to remain teaching at the school until reaching the age of 65. Governors were invited to discuss issues surrounding retirement and to determine a policy thereon. It was decided that any teacher employed by the School be obliged to retire at 65. Decisions on nonteaching staff are to be made after further review of their conditions of service. 7 ADMISSIONS UPDATE Applications to this School for the intake at Year 7 in 2009 have numbered 683, of which 250 represent Brighouse High as first choice. The number of appeals that may have to be heard will not be known until the beginning of April. If numbers of appeals are relatively small, the School will look to discuss with Calderdale some minor waiving of the PAN to the extent of the number of VI and SEN pupils admitted.

Authorised by………………………………………………………………..

Date…………… Page 1 of 2

C:\DOCUME~1\EASYPD~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\BCL Technologies\easyPDF 6\@BCL@B81F0167\@[email protected]

8. GOVERNOR MARK Those governors carrying out the GovernorMark exercise asked if governors could be given regular information about the quality of teaching. The co- headteacher stressed that the key indicator of a school’s success is pupil improvement and that teaching quality is only one element required to enable these achievements. However, she undertook to decide upon ways as to how best provide feedback to governors on teacher quality through the termly headteacher’s report. 9. PAY POLICY The clerk was asked to bring this item to the next Policy committee meeting 10. GOVERNOR TRAINING Calderdale’s governor training programme for 2009/10 has not yet been issued, but when dates for training for new governors become available, the clerk will let new governors know. An in-house training session on safeguarding for all governors has been arranged for 8th June at 7:00pm. At a different date, the headteacher will deliver a short course tailored for governors on Safer Recruitment 11. INDEPENDENT SAFEGUARDING AUTHORITY This will take over from the current List 99 and CRB checks as from October 2009. All persons working with vulnerable groups or in vulnerable occupations will be obliged to register. Further details still being awaited. 12. BHSA UPDATE Following the postponement of a meeting to re-form the BHSA because of snow, a revised date is now 30th March at 7:00pm 13. FUNDING FOR YEAR 7 LAKES TRIP 2009 The organiser of the trip has signalled that owing to late withdrawals, the planned lakes trip will overspend and also use up reserves brought forward. A request was made for back-up funding from other sources. Governors were reluctant to make a commitment. The headteacher is to speak to the organiser for further details before pursuing the matter further.

14. ACTION POINTS & RESPONSIBILITIES To approach the vicar of Southowram with a view to inviting him to join the governing body. To make arrangements for governors committee meeting minutes to be put on the school’s website as soon as they have been signed off. To provide feedback to governors on teacher quality through the termly headteacher’s report. To bring pay policy to the next Policy committee meeting To deliver a short course tailored for governors on Safer Recruitment To speak to the Lakes trip organiser for further details before pursuing possible further funding

Clerk Clerk HT HT HT HT

15. DATE OF NEXT MEETING The date of the next meeting is to be 6th July 2009.

Authorised by………………………………………………………………..

Date…………… Page 2 of 2

C:\DOCUME~1\EASYPD~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\BCL Technologies\easyPDF 6\@BCL@B81F0167\@[email protected]