Hampshire Governors Representative Group
 
                           Notes of Special Meeting
                      White Paper - Excellence in Schools
                              24th September 1997
 
Present: Hugh Deed (Chair), Terry Tillman, Alan Mitchell (Fleet LO)
         Vernon Petherick, John Brailsford (Havant LO)
         Marilyn Barrett, Jim Watt, Martina Powell (New Forest LO)
 
In Attendance:  Janet Sheriton (Clerk)
                Andrew Seber (Deputy Director Education)
 
1.    Apologies - Brian Bailey, David Hammersley, Eileen Bishop,
                  Peter High
 
2.    White Paper - Excellence in Schools - The meeting had been
called to enable HGRG to make a response to the White Paper
if they wished.  It was also an opportunity for the LEA to share
thoughts on the likely County Council response, an early draft of
which was provided.  Andrew Seber outlined the main points
in each chapter of the White  Paper; the questions government was
seeking views on and the emerging views of education partners
in Hampshire.
 
      Ch 1 - Everyone welcomed the concentration on standards and
the mixture of support and pressure designed to raise standards.
 
      Ch 2 - Early Years were important and Hampshire was
developing as a centre of excellence in this area. Class
sizes of 30 and under were however not just a technical
matter and there  had been much concern and comment around the
county on this issue. Governing bodies in Hampshire would need
to play their part in any further consultations on this issue.
 
      Ch 3 - This was the key chapter. There was general
acceptance that target setting was  the right approach and that
the LEA had a role in providing information and helping
schools to set targets. Hampshire already has an Education
Development Plan and good structures for the support of
governors.
 
      Ch 4 - The LEA did not consider that specialist schools
would be an improvement in provision in a county like Hampshire
where they had the potential to undermine the comprehensive
principle.
 
      Governors expressed concern about the pupil grouping
proposals. How schools group pupils is constrained by
available resources.  More setting would require more resources.
 
      Hampshire would be proposing the Leigh Park area as a
possible Action Zone.
 
      Fast tracking of able pupils needed to be thought through
very carefully.
 
 
      Ch 5 - A more systematic approach to career development and
teacher qualifications was generally welcomed. Governors
commented that advanced skills teachers would need proper
funding with new money and agreed criteria and data for sound
decisions to be made.
 
      It was accepted that it can currently take too long to
remove inadequate teachers from post. Governors hoped that
the teachers professional associations would play their part
in helping to speed up the process whilst ensuring that it was
fair to all concerned.
 
 
      Ch 6 - There was a general welcome for home/school
agreements. There are benefits where schools negotiate with
parents to agree a partnership policy. Working with parents
early and then continuously produces best results but schools are
not funded for working with parents imaginatively. Need to
target more carefully parents who most need help.
 
      HGRG do not believe increasing parents involvement in
raising standards is likely to be achieved through
increasing numbers of parent governors or electing a parent
governor to the Education Committee. Governance is a corporate
matter and whatever their original route all governors need to
be equal. Picking out parent governors as super governors
will be divisive.
 
      CH 7 - This chapter causes the most concerns and governors
were made aware of the  content of the technical paper issued in
August by the DfEE which contains the detailed  proposals. HGRG
shared the deep concern of the LEA and others that the proposals
for Foundation, Aided and Community schools would divert time
and energy into structural arguments which ought to be spent
raising standards. Committees on admission and adjudicators
to resolve disagreements was considered unworkable and
bureaucratic.HGRG would like government to withdraw the
proposals in Ch 7 and the technical document and rework them.
 
      Following discussion it was agreed that HGRG would write to
all Hampshire Chairmen  of Governors to:
 
      1)  encourage GBs to respond by the Oct 7th deadline;
 
      2)  outline HGRG position as:
 
            welcome concentrating on standards
                  but
            concerns about proposed school structures
 
            concerns about initiative overload
 
            concerns about funding
 
 
      HGRG to request DfEE to send a copy of the Technical Paper
to Chairmen of Governors of all Hampshire schools. HGRG letter to David
Blunkett/DfEE/Hampshire MPs/NGC should also be copied to Hampshire GBs with
the above. A rough draft of the HGRG  response was agreed, the Clerk would
refine in consultation with Hugh Deed and Jim  Watt.  All HGRG members would
be sent copies of the letters and the technical paper.
 
 
      The meeting closed at 8.30 p.m.

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