Message from the Governors

[Matthew]

It is obvious from their language that they don't like it when they use expressions like "faceless" and "anonymous"

"faceless" and "anonymous" ? reminds me of a certain mystery 3rd governor. Funny how the terms ?double-standards?, ?wanting it both ways?, and ?gross hypocrisy? keep springing to mind. Or is it simply a case of sheer incompetence and ineptitude? Probably both, I imagine.

[bonsai]

Basically, it is saying that the internet has come of age in that it now has the power to challenge big businesses that have traditionally hid behind a blanket of PR.

Personally I think we are in a "renaissance period" at the moment. I believe that historians will look back on the end of the 20th century and the 21st century and regard the access to information that has come with the internet revolution as the beginning of a new age of education and enlightenment.

It's a shame that the SES is so threatened by it.

Bonsai

[Matthew]

Ben, good message to John and Mary. I look forward to their reply.

[Goblinboy]

Maybe the govs could read the article and take note. They will get a lot further if they embrace this board rather than fight it.

Agree, Alban.

The behaviour of the SES in managing this and other issues indicates that its leadership doesn't understand the implications of the internet.

The internet demands transparency of organisations. It makes them permeable.

It holds them to account for any claims they make. And the greater the difference between the espoused values and the actual behaviour of the organisation, the more likely it is to be exposed.

The permeability occurs through media such as this BB, through blogs and websites. Critical information about the SES is just a click away.

I suspect there is a substantial latent body of members, ex-members, prospective members and other interested parties who are only just discovering or are yet to discover the internet. As they come on line and search, blog and post, the transparency of the SES will only grow.

And it will continue to grow in a way that the SES cannot control, unless the SES heads it off by revealing itself first. The opportunity cost of the reputational damage that will otherwise be incurred doesn't bear consideration.

But the SES leadership doesn't seem to appreciate this.

BTW, I'd prefer the governors to participate, rather than "embrace"

[Ben W]

Thanks Free. A very useful link.

I hit the print button and sent it to our colour printer before I realised it was 196 pages long. Wasn't too popular in the office - hogging the print queue and holding up a proposal.

Had a look on the plane tonight - a lot of interesting stuff there. I think the guidelines include independent schools.

I will post a few comments here if I get the time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Up to 1am last night reading this. My wife was not that impressed.

I'm now sat at our kitchen counter typing this at 7.55am - and no time...

This document does not diretly relate to independent schools. I spent an hour this morning trawling the net to find something equivalent for independent schools but came up empty handed.

I assume that the guidlines / law for independent schools are similar, but it would be good to confirm this before I spend time extracting comments from it onto this site.

Anyone have any leads here?

Ben

[sugarloaf]

Hi Ben,

I believe the law/guidelines/rules for governing independent schools are different from state schools ? ie notably less regulation, and they are freer to manage themselves as they see fit.

Suffice it to say that the negligence that allowed mistreatment at st james may well have been curtailed if the schools had been governed and monitored in the same manner as state schools.

As with almost all ISA (independent schools association) accredited schools - I think the St James governors are probably members of The Association of Governing Bodies of Independent Schools (AGBIS) ? The professional Body which advises governing bodies on best practice, and also compliance with the law.

AGBIS guidelines are not available online ? but I do have a current copy ? far too long to type and paste here - but happy to clarify anything specific if needed. Copies can be obtained from AGBIS: www.agbis.org.uk.

One of the main aims of AGBIS is ?:?.the promotion of good governance in (such) schools?.

Guidelines for governance

Some guidelines are mandatory, the majority relate to best practice.

The gist is that while independent school Governors are fairly free to choose how they run themselves (compared to state schools), they do have a very clearly defined, comprehensive and important role in the running and development of their school.

A few things in the guidelines stand out ? (and some comments in brackets..)

"Every school will have one or more governing documents?." ie documents which set out proceedures for governing.

(would be interesting to read the St James one - I presume they have written one. ??)

The Governors have a number of duties to the school, which include:
Duty to act with skill and care
Duty to act in good faith
Duty to comply with the terms of the governing Instrument:
?governors must ensure that all decisions are correctly made in accordance with the provisions of the governing instrument. Therefore if the Instrument provides for a quorum and voting procedure, when decisions are taken these must be followed. If the governing Instrument permits delegation of powers then the Governors must take care that it is correctly authorised?.?

(it would be interesting to hear what the St James governors document says about the appointment process for headteachers. A sizeable section of the guidelines are about the appointment process, and the importance of the relationship between the governors and the Head. Its pretty clear the process for appointing Laura Hyde was about as far adrift of these guidelines as you can get ? would be interesting to hear how Moss and Boddy were appointed)

"The ISC (independent schools council) has a model complaints procedure which is available from the AGBIS secretary."

(it would be interesting to check whether St James has followed this procedure with current/recent parents who have made complaints)

Details of the proper procedure for expelling a child - includes interviewing the parents, inviting them to the panel making the decision, an independent person being on the panel, being informed about appeals procedure etc.

(I have heard from a reliable source of at least 1 expulsion which breached almost every guideline)

?it is also beneficial to have parents on the governing body??

(I imagine AGBIS see this as bringing some independence and accountability ? so not the sort of thing an SES parent would be able to do ? since the school parent body is 80% non ?SES)

"The Chairman (of Governors) holds a key position?. The office of chairman requires that time be given to its discharge and, if special difficulties arise, a great deal of time?. "

(anyone seen or heard anything from Pincham recently?


There is much more ? as the guidelines cover all aspects of the governors day to day responsibilities ? but these are some key areas where its pretty clear that the St James Governors have not adhered to best practice ? to put it mildly ? certainly up until 10 years ago. Whats going on now ? who knows. Probably not even the current parents and pupils...

[sugarloaf]

PS

There is much on the web about state school Governance and best practice - certainly worth posting some key points - as Private school regulation is so clearly lacking. Composition of Governing boards is an interesting one.

Might be good for the new Governors to be aware of it before they take over from those found by the Townend Inquiry to be implicated in the mistreatment - through negligence.