Agenda and minutes

(1)       Mrs V J Dagger moved, seconded by Ms A Harrison that Mr R J Parry be elected Chairman for the meeting.

                                    Motion carried

(2)       Mr R J Parry thereupon took the Chair.

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the meeting held on 2 May 2014 are correctly recorded and that they be signed by the Chairman.

(1)       In agreeing the re-appointment of Dr D Sugden to the Governing Body of Eastry CE Primary School, the Panel asked the Governor Support Officer to remind him that he should absent himself from the its meetings whenever a staffing issue potentially involving the member of staff he was related to was under discussion.

(2)       The Panel agreed to reappoint Mr T Thake to the Governing Body of Sevenoaks Primary School.

(3)       The Panel agreed to the re-appointment of Mr J Wilson to the Governing Body of East Farleigh Primary School on the understanding that he would be able to attend the required number of meetings in the future.

(4)       The Panel agreed that Mr A R Chell’s new term of office as an Authority Governor at Loose Primary School would begin on 1 September 2014 or as soon as the new School opened.

(5)       The Panel decided not to re-appoint Mr J Allingham to the Governing Body of River primary School. It asked the Governor Support Officer to write to him, conveying its gratitude for his services and wishing him well in his new role as a Community Governor.

(6)       The Panel agreed to delegate the power to appoint five applicants for re-appointment to the manager of Governor Services in consultation with the Chairman once the necessary documentation had been received. The five Governors in question were:-

(a)           Mr M Burgess at St Peter’s Methodist Primary School, Canterbury;

(b)        Mr D Bower at Weald of Kent Academy;

(c)        Mr A King at Mascalls School;

(d)        Mr T hedges at The Maplesden Noakes School; and

(e)        Mr A Briant at St Peter-in-Thanet CE Junior School.

(7)       RESOLVED that subject to (6) above the appointments of Authority Governors to Primary, Secondary, Special Schools, Pupil Referral Units, the Pool of Additional Governors and nominations to non-Authority Academies be agreed as set out in the Appendix to these Minutes.

(1)       The Governor Support Officer informed the Panel that a report on the Recruitment of Local Authority Governors had been considered by the Education and Young People Services Cabinet Committee on 22 April 2014. 

(2)       The Governor Support Officer advised that a school’s governing body had made a formal request to KCC for the removal of an Authority Governor.

(3)       The Democratic Services Officer advised that the those recommendations set out in the report relating to the procedures for appointing and/or removing local authority governors would need to be decided by Selection and Member Services Committee, taking the Panel’s views into account.  This was particularly important as the report contained a recommended procedure for the removal of Authority Governors. The existing procedure set out that once attempts at mediation had failed (as was the case on this occasion) the Panel would decide on its method of considering the matter. 

(4)       The Panel agreed that consideration should be given to holding a special meeting to discuss the recommendations of the Cabinet Committee and that a copy of the report would be sent to all Members of the Panel.

(5)       RESOLVED that:-

(a)                      the report to the Education and Young People Services Cabinet Committee on the “Recruitment of Local Authority Governors” be sent to all Members of the Panel;

(b)                      the Chairman of the Panel be invited to consider whether to  convene a special meeting of the Panel to discuss the Cabinet Committee’s recommendations and to make its own recommendations to Selection and Member Services Committee; and

(c)          A report be presented to the Panel meeting in October 2014 on the method for considering the request for the removal of an Authority Governor as set out in (2) above. 

(1)       The Governor Support Officer reported that Mrs Linda Lissimore would cease to be the Manager of Governor Services in September 2014 when she would be taking up other duties.

(2)       RESOLVED that Mrs Lissimore be thanked for all her support and advice to the Panel over the past 10 years, and that she be wished every success in her future endeavours.