9 May 2016

Number 8

CONFERENCE CHAMBERS

NEWSLETTER
Thank you!

Welcome

We are delighted to have

WELCOME to Conference

been able to work with

Conference Chambers who
are supporting us in
updating our Staff
Handbook and Policies.

Chambers' newsletter.

More importantly however,

their advice enabled us to
manage a delicate HR
situation effectively and the
support provided by Carole
and Ryan was invaluable.
We would highly
recommend that any
organisation looking for
legal or HR support contact
Conference Chambers.
L. Laverty, Director

It has been a while since we

have been in a position to
update you on what we have
been doing. It has been a
busy few months for us that has seen us undertake new
areas of work. In addition to our employment law work we
have

developed

our

education

law

work

and

grown/expanded our work we do for charities.

Schools, Education Law and Governors

Unsurprisingly, the education law work was a natural, almost

organic, area of specialism for us to venture into. We say
that because both Carole and Ryan are governors of
schools and, as may be expected, take on the active and
demanding role of overseeing most if not all of the
policies by and within which their schools must and or will
operate before presenting them to their governing bodies for

Conference Chambers
have had a real impact on
the Voluntary sector in
Hillingdon, putting on free
training and providing 1:1
pro bono HR expert support
is the sort of corporate
interaction the sector
needs.
R. Burton, Director

ratification/approval. Gone are the days when school

governors with or without justification could attend a FGB
(full governing board) meeting solely for the tea and biscuits
with little or no school business addressed at the meeting.
Under the Governance handbook for trustees of academies
and multi-academy trusts and governors of maintained
schools, published by the Department for Education in
November 2015, the essentials of effective governance are
that all governing bodies, whether in the maintained or
academy sector and no matter how many they are
responsible for, have three core functions.

These three core functions are ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction; holding the
headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils, and the
performance management of staff; and overseeing the financial performance of the school and
making sure its money is well spent. The governing bodys responsibilities are very serious and
its core functions very demanding. Like I said, times have changed!

Policies to be approved, reviewed and by whom?

In addition, the governing body (GB) ensures that the schools policies are regularly reviewed.
The frequency by which these reviews occur is often dictated by law and vary considerably. For
example, Statutory policies for schools Advice on the policies and documents that governing
bodies and proprietors of schools are required to have by law, published by the Department for
Education states, from a maintained schools perspective: Equality information and objectives
(public sector equality duty) statement for publication must be published every 4 years;
Accessibility Plan to be reviewed every 3 years; Data Protection registration is annual but
review is undertaken at least every 2 years; and, Capability of staff, and, Complaints procedure
statement, the GB is free to determine. In addition, this does not take into account that some
functions expressly state that such reviews may be undertaken by the GB or can be delegated to
a committee or an individual governor or the headteacher. Plus, review is not the same as
approve.

Confused?
Confused? Well, for example, Staff discipline, conduct and grievance (procedures for
addressing) states that the GB is free to determine the frequency of the review but the FGB is to
approve the policy/procedure. Also, an example of potential/possible reviewers/delegatees is the
Equality information and objectives (public sector equality duty) statement for publication and
Complaints procedure statement (GB/Committee of the GB/Individual Governor/Headteacher)
but, interestingly, Capability of Staff is all but the last (i.e. not to be approved by Headteacher).
Clearly, the GB must have good processes and procedures in place not only to keep on top of
the dates for review of the various policies and who can and cannot review/approve them but
to keep up to date on any amendments and additions to the relevant laws and policies to be
regularly reviewed. Oh, and did I forget to say that there are policies that must be published and
made available for those who wish to have a hardcopy of them free of charge? To see whether
we can help your school in any way, please feel free to contact us on the details provided below.
Contact details:
Carole Paterson or Ryan Clement
Conference Chambers
256-260 Field End Road, Eastcote HA4 9LT
Tel: 07956 207893 Fax: 0800 2425323
Carole@ConferenceChambers.com
Ryan@ConferenceChambers. com
www.ConferenceChambers.com
2016 RyanClement