September 2009

last updated:March 2010

Meeting of Executive Committee, 16 September 2009

Review of the roles and remits of DCSF Workforce organisations
The Chief Executive introduced this item and sought a steer from the Committee on the next course of action having regard to the content of the paper and his commentary.  The Committee were of the view that there was little merit in further discussion and endorsed the next steps proposed by the Chief Executive, including its release to Council Members and that Counsel’s advice on the GTC remit should be enclosed. The Director of Communications confirmed that media awareness and interest was low as regards to the remit review.

Executive Committee discussed the remit review report and agreed the next steps drawing upon the course of actions proposed in section 4.6 of the paper.

Governance update
The Council Secretary introduced the paper which the Committee examined on a section by section basis. In endorsing the recommended approach for representation on the various outside boards the Committee believed it would be helpful for a protocol to cover representation by the Council on outside bodies along the lines set out in the decision below.  The Committee gave the Chief Executive a steer for his paper to the November meeting.  The issue of protocols in respect of nominating organisations on Council was also mentioned.

The Chief Executive felt that there could be benefits in developing a more formal relationship between the Council and the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust and Committee agreed that he should continue to progress discussions as to the benefits of reciprocal observer status. The Committee had a detailed discussion on the proposed development of the Lead Member role and supported the proposals in the paper recognising that other models existed, for example in Local Government.  Committee were anxious that Members of the newly populated Executive Committee should indicate expressions of interest prior to the November meeting to facilitate progress.

The Council Secretary provided some further clarification as to TLA Governance and the paper was amended to reflect that the TLA Special Governance Group when it next met would bring forward recommendations to the Committee.  Committee endorsed the recommendations that Lead Members should come from the Executive Committee and that Service Committees could consider the identification of Lead Members within their work programmes.

The Committee had a discussion on proposed options for Member engagement set out in the Council Secretary’s paper and discussion centred on the current number of Council meetings and the need to fully utilise the various skills of Council Members.  In approving the options for Member engagement for recommendation to October Council the Committee raised the issue of the involvement of Members being a standing item on the agenda for Service Committees. The Chief Executive was asked to report back with a process for identifying topics for structured engagement sessions at Council meeting and a mechanism for non Executive Committee Members to raise issues noting that the Chair of Council was a conduit for such matters.  The Committee also discussed possible engagement sessions in respect of the evening before Council.  The Committee noted that the proposed Advocacy session prior to October Council was the start of this process.

Committee:

• asked the Chief Executive to produce a protocol for the November meeting
• on the  expectations of GTC Members representing Council on outside bodies
• clarifying lines of reporting, briefings from Lead Directors, the expectations of
• the organisation to whom the Member has been appointed to and, defining the
• observer role.
• agreed that reports back from the Council’s representatives on the
• NCSL/College of Teachers/TDA be considered at Executive Committee meetings
• asked the Chief Executive to progress discussions with the SSAT as to the benefits of reciprocal observer status and report back to the Committee later in the year
• noted that the TLA Special Governance Group when it next meets will bring forward recommendations to the Committee as to TLA Governance
• agreed that Service Committees could consider identification of Lead Members within their work programmes
• the Chief Executive to report back to November Committee with a proposal /process for identifying topics for structured engagement sessions at Council meetings and a mechanism for Non Executive Committee members to raise issues
• agreed a change to the Council’s financial regulations in respect of the signing of Contracts as set out in Section 4.10 of the paper, namely: Contracts of a value over £20,000 shall be reviewed by the Council’s legal team, prior to authorisation. This is not applicable to standard purchase orders.

GTC response to White Paper – ‘Your child, your schools, your future’
The Chief Executive introduced the paper which was warmly welcomed by the Committee and their appreciation of the contribution of the Policy advisory staff involved was recorded. The Committee suggested some textual amendments in the sections relating to Licence to Practise, School Improvement Partners and the work of Ofsted which were recorded by the Head of Policy Development.

Committee received and noted the draft response and approved the response, subject to textual amendments

Corporate Governance 2012 update
The Director of Corporate Services summarised the paper and the proposed next steps.  Discussion centred on whether a Member evidence session should be held at October Council. Some Members expressed concern that in the absence of the Executive Committee workshop session, the Committee had not as yet properly formulated a position on the key principles set out in the June Committee paper. The Committee noted that however there was an expectation of Council Members that a discussion on governance would take place at October Council.  In response the Director of Corporate Services stated that it was very much an evidence gathering session with Council Members acting in stakeholder mode and this would inform future papers to the Committee and any proposals to Council in 2010.  The Director of Policy in response to a Member question outlined areas for discussion at the Council event which would be very much researched based along the principles agreed by the Committee at their June meeting.  

The Committee however considered that a further informal meeting of the newly populated Executive Committee before the next scheduled meeting should be held as a further  evidence gathering session following October Council.

Committee:
    

• agreed that an informal session be held for all Council Members through which they can discuss the principles and proposals set out in section 2 of the paper and that this be held in the afternoon of full Council on 6th October outside the formal Council meeting.
• provided a steer as to how they wish the above session be managed
• noted the management of the Programme as set out in section 4.2 of the paper
• requested a further informal meeting of the newly populated Executive Committee after October Council as a further evidence gathering session.

GTC performance management process    
The Director of Corporate Services highlighted the key areas of the paper which informed the Committee of developments in the GTC’s performance management arrangements, and summarised progress to date in 2009-10 in the implementation of plans and projects.  Discussion centred on the paper’s recommendations, the performance management function of the Committee and the alignment of active registration project with the licence to practise programme.

Committee approved the following changes to the Professionalism 2012 Project:   

• the accountability work to move into Operational Plans without a 2012 project board structure and to report to Policy and Research Committee (PRC)
• the Code ‘embedding’ or business change project will continue to report to the Code Board and through to Executive Committee
• the pedagogy work will be delivered through the networks and governed through  PRC
• initiation of planned tranche 2 projects such as entry to the profession to go on hold
• the Active Registration project to become for the period coterminous with the Licence to Practise Programme. The latter programme preparation to be reported directly to Executive Committee.