County Consultative Committee - Minutes

Meeting: County Consultative Committee comprising of Councillors and East Sussex Governors’ Forum (ESGF).

Date: 29^th March 2023

Present: Councillors – Bob Standley (Chair), Colin Belsey, Roy Galley, Alan Shuttleworth.

ESCC Officers: Jessica Stubbings (JS), Clare Cornford (CC), Rosie O’Brien (RO) – Minutes.

Members of the ESGF: Karen Marr (KM), Stuart Ford (SF), Monica Pell (MP), Monica Whitehead (MWH), Denise Kong (DK).

Item	Decisions and Outcomes	Action
1	Minutes of the Previous Meeting – 30^th November 2022 The minutes were noted as a true record with no further comments.
2	Apologies for Absence No apologies received.
3	Disclosure of Interests No interests were declared.
4	Urgent items No urgent items.
5	Academies Update (standing item) Verbal update from JS. Since the last meeting: · The Haven CE Methodist Primary School joined the Diocese of Chichester Academy Trust (DCAT) from 1^st March 2023. · Ninfield Church of England Primary School are in the process of joining DCAT and should have joined by 1^st May 2023. There have been information sessions for school governors to give more information on academisation. These sessions included presentations by representatives from academy trusts. More sessions are being planned for the summer term. ESCC will work with the Primary and Secondary boards regarding the input they wish to receive regarding more contact with academy trusts who have the potential to expand. There is potential for a larger event for schools with trusts who are considering expansion. ESGF Members added that they are aware of other trusts who are looking to expand into East Sussex, this included Kings Academies and United Learning Trust.
6	Local Authority Governor Appointments and Governor Services Update Update from CC. Since the last meeting there have been 3 Local Authority Governor appointments. All appointments were new applicants and included some strong applications. The Governor and Clerking Service has been working on embedding the new GovernorHub system for schools to book training and record governor details. There have been 42 new governors appointed since 1^st January 2023. There has also been success with the governor recruitment campaign as 12 people have come forward expressing an interest in becoming a governor. JS added that the online training is more accessible which is helpful in improving attendance from governors.
7	ESCC Education Division Update Verbal update from JS. The Education Division is currently in the process of a restructure. SLES and ISEND will be brought together under one Education Division. The second phase has just been concluded and managers have been appointed. Phase three will launch in May. There are now three Heads of Education. Each of these will have a geographical focus, and a county wide strategic lead for key areas which are: participation and planning, SEND and Safeguarding, and Inclusion and Partnerships.  In the future all three Heads will take turns attending the County Consultative Committee meetings.
8	ESGF Verbal Update for Councillors To include: · Behaviour problems in schools · Attendance ESGF members brought to the Councillors’ attention the difficulties currently experienced by schools regarding behaviour problems. This included an increase in permanent exclusions, and the effects behaviour problems are having on students and school staff. It was added that these issues seem to be exacerbated by social media as well as effects from the Coronavirus and national lockdown. ESGF members also discussed the attendance in schools currently and how pupils and parents seem to think that attendance at school is now less important. Governors reported that there is school to school support available but can be difficult to access, and outside agencies are also difficult to access. JS informed the ESGF members that the Local Authority is aware of these challenges and that support is offered to schools and headteachers. This includes training on therapeutic thinking, and a coaching programme including mentors available to headteachers. Cllr Shuttleworth added that it would be useful to evaluate what school staff are being asked to do and to take away tasks that are not essential to their role to relieve some pressure.
9	Governor Local Area Forums and Chairs Networking – feedback and attendance Verbal update. KM provided an update and informed the councillors that the Governor Local Area Forums and Chairs Networking’s were well attended. Especially the SEND local area forums which included some new faces. The SEND session received good feedback and governors attending seemed to recognise the importance of inclusion and there was good discussion about how schools are supporting this. The sessions were all successful and had high levels of attendance. DK highlighted that the sessions included a range of new and experienced governors.
10	Any other items previously notified under Agenda Item 4 No items.