MINUTES OF THE CORPORATION MEETING HELD ON MONDAY 17 OCTOBER Independent Member. - Independent Member (Vice-Chair)

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1 Item 3 MINUTES OF THE CORPORATION MEETING HELD ON MONDAY 17 OCTOBER 2016 Meeting commenced: 6.00 p.m. Meeting closed: 8.00 p.m. Present: Mr J Lyne Ms A Ashworth Mr M Mistry Mrs J Ryan Mr M Dinsdale Mr N Mohandas Ms J Moores Mr G Sparham Ms R Sadgrove Apologies: Mr I Munro Ms Anita Kaur Mr P Brown Ms Fiza Ikram (Chair) (Vice-Chair) (Via teleconferencing facilities) - Principal - Staff Member - Student Member In attendance: Elizabeth Ball Lynn French Teresa Farran Leon Dowd - Clerk to the Corporation - Vice Principal Resources - Deputy Principal - Vice Principal Quality and Learner Services 1

2 16/17.1 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE (Agenda Item 1) ACTION Apologies for absence from the meeting were received from Mr I Munro, Ms Anita Kaur, Mr P Brown and Ms Fiza Ikram 16/17.2. DECLARATIONS OF INTERESTS (Agenda Item 2) There were no declarations of interest. 16/17.3 MINUTES (Agenda Item 3) The minutes of the meeting held on 11 July 2016 were approved and signed as a true and correct record. 16/17.4 MATTERS ARISING (Agenda Item 4) 15/16.62 Management accounts It was confirmed that the Management Accounts for June and July 2016 had been circulated to members of the Corporation. 15/16.64 KPI s It was noted that a report on KPI s would be considered as part of the meeting. 15/16.66 Finance and Resources Committee It was noted that the Terms of Reference for the Finance and Resources Committee would be considered as part of the report from the Search Committee. 15/16.66 Consultation on Instrument and Articles It was noted that consultation in relation to the Instrument and Articles would take place after the proposed changes had been approved by the Corporation. 15/16.68 Financial and Budget Planning It was noted that a breakdown of the number of Teaching Staff and Support staff would be provided in the HR Annual report. L. French It was confirmed that the budget for 2016/17 and the financial plan had been submitted to the SFA. 16/17.5 AREA REVIEW UPDATE (Agenda item 5) The Chair reported that the minutes of the first two Transition Board meetings had been circulated to members of the Corporation and that those from the third meeting would be circulated once they were available. 2

3 It was noted that at the last meeting of the Transition Group, it had been reported that the date of the merger was being brought forward to September The representatives from Tameside College had made it clear that they were not in a position to agree to this. The Chair reported that subsequently a meeting had taken place with the SFA where the options for the college had been discussed. These were either that the college, whilst not working towards the earlier merger date, would continue to be fully involved with the Transition Group, with a second phase merger taking place in September 2018; or that the college would step back from the current process whilst remaining committed to investigating the potential for a second phase merger in September The Corporation agreed that the option to step back from the current process should be adopted and that this should be communicated to the SFA. The Principal reported that she will be preparing a formal response which will be circulated to members of the Corporation for comment. The Principal indicated that information relating to the potential merger has been shared with staff but that a briefing will need to be prepared for students. She confirmed that the new date of September 2017 had not yet been shared with staff and remained confidential until it was formally announced. The Principal thanked members of the Corporation for their ongoing support. Members of the Corporation thanked the Principal and her staff for the work that was taking place. IT WAS RESOLVED THAT THE CORPORATION ADOPT THE APPROACH OF STEPPING BACK FROM THE CURRENT MERGER PROCESS WHILST REMAINING COMMITTED TO INVESTINGATING THE POTENTIAL FOR A SECOND PHASE MERGER IN SEPTEMBER /17.6 PRINCIPALS REPORT (Agenda item 6) The Principal presented her report and highlighted key issues: Recruitment and Achievement - Enrolment for 2016/17 has gone well with additional learners at the Clarendon Centre and increased number of students. - Retention overall has improved - Achievement rates have declined as a result of the impact of performance on functional skills and some other areas of underperformance. - There is a particular issue in relation to functional skills English and Maths at level 1 and 2. - Low levels of performance in functional skills is a national problem - Significant numbers of learners are resitting English GCSE after the half term break. - Where learners do well in English speaking and listening, most go on to pass their GCSE English. - Performance in English at GSCE has improved to 38% but needs to improve 3

4 further. - Performance in Maths at GCSE remains low. - Whilst performance in GCSE A* to G is improving, there needs to be further improvements in passes at A*-C. - Intervention at AS level has resulted in a 4% increase in pass rates. - A2 pass rates have also improved but VA is lower than planned. - Apprenticeship pass rates continue to be reported but it is anticipated that 70% will be the maximum outcome. - There has been an increase in adults applying for adult learner loans. - The introduction of the pre access course has been positive. - A level recruitment continues to be strong. - Approval has been given for a Free school to open in Ashton which will have a sixth form despite the fact that there is no demonstrable need for more sixth form places. Finance - Excluding FRS 17 the college has moved to a surplus. - There remains a need to reduce staffing costs and a review continues to take place of vacancies and surplus staffing. - Average class sizes have increased to 13.8 with a target of 16/17 for 2016/17. Area Reviews - Governors had received a briefing on progress in relation to the Area Review. Accommodation - The Reception Area at Beaufort Road has been update with managers being situated in different buildings to increase capacity. - Tower Block classrooms have been updated up to Floor D. - Growth in class sizes is causing some difficulties in relation to smaller rooms. Safeguarding and Prevent - A new Director of Pastoral and Learning Support has taken up post. - The college s safeguarding policy is being benchmarked against current best practice and legislation and an internal audit has taken place. - The Vice Principal has held a briefing session with the Chair of Governors who is the governor link for safeguarding. - The Annual report will be presented to the Corporation in December and appropriate training will be delivered. Droylsden Academy - The Vice Principal, Leon Dowd has taken over as Chair of the Academy. - New Academy Governors have been appointed including the Principal, Vice Principal Resources and 2 members of the Corporation. - A recent open evening at the school was very successful and year 7 is now fully subscribed. The Principal emphasised the importance of maximising the impact of what the college does for learners both in relation to the outcomes and their experience in the classroom. Teaching and Learning is an absolute priority for the current year and it is anticipated that there will be an Ofsted inspection of the college before the end of the academic year. 4

5 Members of the Corporation welcomed the success stories that were highlighted in the report. RESOLVED THAT THE REPORT FROM THE PRINCIPAL BE RECEIVED 16/17.7 INDICATIVE ACHIEVEMENT (Agenda item 7) The Deputy Principal presented the report which provided Corporation members with an overview of the College s current position with regard to achievement, retention and success rates. The report identified levels of achievement both including and excluding English and Maths and evidenced the improved level of performance when English and Maths results were excluded. It was emphasised however that the achievement rates are particularly affected by the low levels of performance in English and Maths functional skills level 1 and 2. If these results were excluded, levels of achievement increased to 92.1%. Performance in functional skills also impacted significantly on the levels of achievement of year olds. It was noted however that whilst performance at GCSE in English and Maths had improved, this was at A*-G and performance at A*-C needed to improve further. In considering levels of achievement 2013/ /16 the Corporation questioned the reduced level of performance on diplomas. They were informed that having analysed the results it appeared that this related to a level 3 programme where students were enrolled for a period of 2 years but left after the first year. The Corporation were assured that this was no longer the case with students being enrolled on a one-year programme with the option to extend into a second year. Whilst the Corporation were pleased to note the improvement in performance at AS level it was also noted that this was primarily a result of improved levels of retention. At 19+ the report outlined achievement rates for Type A qualifications as distinct from Type B qualifications (i.e. Award, Basic Skills Maths and English and ESOL). It was noted that there had been a significant drop in achievement in basic skills and in achievements of certificates. It was noted that the reason for the decline in certificate achievement is to be investigated further. The report also identified achievement by age and level and it was noted that as discussed achievement at level 1 and 2 had been affected by performance on functional skills. There was a concern that the gap in performance between males and females had not 5

6 reduced and at had increased. Members of the Corporation were informed that when considering curriculum choice, there was a correlation between underperforming courses and those which were favoured by males. The Corporation noted the subject area overview and in particular those subjects where there had been a decline from the previous year. Members of the Corporation were clear about the areas of underperformance in the college and that these were to be a focus during the current academic year. The Corporation commented that at the meeting of the Curriculum and Standards Committee it had been noted that the curriculum design for some courses had created difficulties when students were expected to complete all assignments at the end of the course. They were assured that this was being reviewed. There was also a concern about the changes to the support provided for learners taking functional skills which appeared to have directly contributed to achievement rates falling. The Corporation acknowledged the possibility that the College could receive a notice to improve in relation to the outcomes for functional skills but that if this was the case, appropriate action would already have been taken to address concerns. The Corporation asked if information relating to the performance of students at English and Maths is reported to the schools. They were informed that 75% of those pupils in the Borough that fail English and Maths at GCSE enrol at the college and as a result it is important that information that the schools have is shared. It was noted that the Vice Principal Quality and Learner Services is working with the AoC to review the types of students that enrol with the College and the achievement data to provide an overview of the way in which learner needs are addressed. The Corporation also noted that further detailed reports would be provided to meetings of the Curriculum and Standards Committee. IT WAS RESOLVED THAT THE REPORT FROM THE DEPUTY PRINCIPAL BE RECIEVED 16/17.8 KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS 2015/16 NEW TARGETS 2016/17 (Agenda item 8) The Principal reported on the year end position for 2015/16 against agreed targets and on the proposed key performance indicators for 2016/17. It was noted that the benchmarks included in the report related to 2014/15 Year-end position against agreed targets The Corporation review the year end position against agreed targets and key points were highlighted including: - The overall decline in relation to retention had been halted. - Achievement rates reflect the decline in achievement at functional skills. 6

7 - Whilst no benchmark is available for levels of attendance, the college target is 90% overall with expectations for A level students being higher at 98%. - The indicative outcome for the overall SAR grade is 3 but the data is still being reviewed. - Improvements in Teaching and Learning can improve the SAR grade. - Whilst enrolments were below target there were no issues in cash terms and growth has been secured going forward - There has been growth in HE numbers - Staff turnover is above target but reflect the activity during the year to address underperformance and overstaffing. Targets for 2016/17 The Principal reported that for 2016/17 additional key performance indicators had been included. These would identify pass rates relating solely to function skills and overall pass rates both including and excluding functional skills outcomes. Also included would be a KPI relating to operating surplus before FRS102 adjustments. Having reviewed the performance against KPI s in 2015/16, targets for 2016/17 had been identified which are considered to be challenging but achievable. The Corporation considered that the proposed targets for 2016/17 were appropriate and noted the draft targets for 2017/18 and 2018/19. It was reported that information relating to the breakdown of staff turnover between academic and support staff would be provided in the annual HR report to the new Finance and Resources Committee. L. French RESOLVED THAT: THE REPORT ON THE YEAR END POSITION AGAINST TARGETS BE NOTED. THAT THE TARGETS FOR 2016/17 BE APPROVED. 16/17.9 MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTS TO 31 JULY 2016 (Agenda item 9) The Vice Principal Resources presented the report and outlined the factors which had led to the outturn position as at 31 July 2016 being more favourable than the forecast position. It was noted however the FRS102 (LGPS) charges for the year had exceeded the forecast and had resulted in a year end outturn of a deficit of c 500k. As this adjustment is not taken into account when considering the colleges financial health grade, it was noted that the financial health category for the college continues to be outstanding. The Corporation were cognisant however of the fact that contributions to the LGPS are likely to continue to increase. 7

8 The Corporation noted where there had been adverse or favourable variances in relation to income and expenditure and the underlying operating position which was favourable against the revised budget for 2015/16. The Corporation also noted the performance against KPI s included in the management accounts together with the detailed report on income, enrolments and expenditure. It was reported that the Finance and Resources Committee was being re-established and that reports from the Committee will be made to each meeting of the Corporation. RESOLVED THAT THE MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTS TO 31 JULY 2016 BE RECEIVED. 16/ COMMITTEE REPORTS (Agenda item 10) (a) Report from the Audit Committee The Chair of the Audit Committee presented the report and advised the Corporation of those items which needed to be noted or approved. The minutes of the meeting of the Audit Committee held on 26 September 2016 were received. Risk Management report It was noted the format of the Risk Management Report had been reviewed. Internal Audit Annual Report 2015/16 The Corporation were asked to note that the Internal Auditors opinion, that based on the audit work undertaken during the year and the implementation by management of previous internal audit recommendations, there was reasonable assurance that the governance, risk management and systems of internal control are operating effectively. It was noted that whilst there had been an increase in the recommendations made by Internal auditors in their reports, the Audit Committee were aware that a number related to the documentation of IT policies and procedures which had now been addressed. The Corporation noted that the Annual report from the Internal Auditors would form part of the Annual report from the Audit Committee which would be considered at the meeting in December IT WAS RESOLVED; - THAT THE REPORT FROM THE AUDIT COMMITTEE BE RECEIVED - THAT THE INTERNAL AUDIT ANNUAL REPORT 2015/16 BE APPROVED (b) Report from the Search Committee 8

9 The Chair of the Search Committee presented the report and advised the Corporation of the items which needed to be noted or approved. The minutes of the meeting of the Search Committee held on3 October 2016 were received. Attendance The Chair of the Corporation reported that he had discussed levels of attendance with one member of the Board who had indicated that due to current work commitments he considered that he should resign. Whilst the Chair had not had the opportunity to discuss attendance with one other member, the Clerk to the Corporation reported that the member concerned had confirmed that she did not wish her term of office to be renewed when it came to an end in November Governance Development plan It was noted that the Governance Development plan will be populated with target dates and identify the responsibility for the action to be taken. Review of Corporation and Committee membership and Committee Structure It was noted that the Committee had given consideration to the terms of office of current members, the appointment of a new members, committee membership and the Terms of Reference for the Finance and Resources Committee. The Chair of the Committee confirmed that Mr Ian Munro had tendered his resignation as a member of the Corporation and that Ms Fiza Ikram would not be seeking to be re appointed at the end of her term of office. This created one immediate vacancy on the Corporation and the Search Committee recommended that Mr Damien Bourke should be appointed for an initial term of one year and as a member of the Audit Committee. The Corporation considered the recommendations, in relation to the membership of Committees including the new membership of the Finance and Resources Committee and the proposed Terms of Reference. The proposed membership of the Committees for 2016/17 was: Audit Committee Mr M Mistry (Chair) Mr G Sparham Mr N Mohandas Mr D Bourke Mr D Postlethwaite Curriculum and Standards Mr M Dinsdale (Chair) Mr G Sparham Ms Anita Kaur Finance and Resources Committee Ms A Ashworth (Chair) Mrs J Ryan Mr P Brown Ms J Moores Mr J Lyne Remuneration Committee Mr J Lyne (Chair) Mr M Mistry Ms A Ashworth 9

10 Ms J Moores Mr N Mohandas Mr J Lyne Ms R Sadgrove Mrs J Ryan Search Committee Mr J Lyne (Chair) Mr M Mistry Ms A Ashworth Mrs J Ryan Ms J Moores Review of Instrument and Articles The Corporation noted the proposed changes to the Instrument and Articles of Government and that these would be subject to consultation with appropriate stakeholders. It was highlighted that the proposal to reduce the minimum number of student governors to one, was not intended to disenfranchise students, but would allow flexibility if necessary. The Corporation emphasised that it was very keen to ensure that it engaged with students in a meaningful way and that it was important to differentiate between the role as a Governor at meetings of the Corporation and the type of meetings where students views could be discussed on a wide range of subjects. It was suggested that a student forum or some other group could be established which would report to the Corporation and that more students could be invited to attend meetings of the Curriculum and Standards Committee. The Student Governor welcomed opportunities for students to meet with members of the Corporation but emphasised that it would be important for the meetings to have a purpose and for feedback to be given subsequently. IT WAS RESOLVED: - THAT MS ANITA KAUR BE RE APPOINTED AS A MEMBER OF THE CORPORATION FOR A FURTHER ONE YEAR PERIOD FROM THE 1 DECEMBER 2016 TO 30 NOVEMBER THAT MR DAMIEN BOURKE BE APPOINTED AS A MEMBER OF THE CORPORATION FOR AN INITIAL PERIOD OF ONE YEAR TO 16 OCTOBER 2017 AND AS A MEMBER OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE - THAT THE MEMBERSHIP AND CHAIRS OF COMMITTEES BE APPROVED - THAT THE TERMS OF REFERENCE OF THE FINANCE AND RESOURCES COMMITTEE BE APPROVED - THAT THE PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE INSTRUMENT AND ARTICLES BE APPROVED SUBJECT TO CONSULTATION WITH APPROPRIATE STAKEHOLDERS Clerk 16/17.11 GOVERNANCE MATTERS Chairs Action 10

11 There were no items of Chairs action to report Use of the College Seal It was reported that there had not been any use of the College seal since the last meeting Post Meeting Evaluation Members of the Corporation were requested to complete the post meeting evaluation and return to the Clerk. 16/17.12 ANY OTHER URGENT BUSINESS There were no other items of business. 16/17.13 FUTURE MEETINGS Future meetings: 5 December 2016 at 6pm 13 February 2016 Governors strategy meeting at 6pm 27 March 2017 at 6pm 15 May 2017 Corporation strategy event at 12 noon 10 July 2017 at 6pm 16/17.14 CONFIDENTIAL MINUTES The staff governor left the meeting. The Confidential minutes of the meeting of the Corporation held on 11 July 2016 were approved. The confidential minutes of the meeting of the Remuneration Committee held on 3 October 2016 were received. Draft minutes prepared 28 October 2016 Draft minutes approved by the Chair via on 18 November 2016 Minutes formally approved by the Corporation: Chair Date 11