Agenda item

The Staffordshire Schools Forum constitution had previously been updated in July 2019.  The Forum had suggested a further review which had been carried out by the Chair, Vice Chair and officers of the Council and these suggested amendments where brought to the Forum for consideration.

The majority of the constitution remained in place however, there were some suggested changes which affected members.  These were considered and discussed separately:

a)    Apologies at meetings – suggested paragraph 3.6 to be added:

“To ensure the effectiveness of the decision making process surrounding the use of public money, all Schools Forum members are expected to attend the Forum meetings. Apologies must be made in advance of each meeting. Members’ apologies will be considered at the Forum meeting and accepted if agreed by the majority of attending members. Where a member has not attended 3 consecutive meetings of Schools Forum and apologies have not been formally accepted, the Council will terminate their appointment and will undertake the appropriate nomination, election, and appointment process”

The Forum was informed that if agreed this would be introduced from the next meeting.

b)    It was proposed that the election of the Chair and Vice Chair would take place at the final meeting (usually July) of the school year for a period of two years, but they will not take up their appointments until the first Schools Forum meeting in the new school year (usually October) following their election.  This is to allow for a smooth transition between Chairs.

There was some concern that if the elections took place in July, those new members elected in May, may not know enough about the nominees to make an informed choice.

It was explained that by holding the election in July the new Chair would be able to have an input into the October agenda and ensure a smooth transition takes place.  If a Chair lost their seat or was no longer a member of the Forum, another election would take place.

A number of options were considered at the meeting including receiving nominations at the July meeting but voting at the October meeting, but generally it was felt that to ensure the smooth transition between Chair and to enable planning for the next meeting, a July election with the Chair taking office in October was the better choice.

c)    Two options were suggested to deal with the Chair and Vice Chair nomination process.  Those being:

i.               Option A

Nominations for Chair and Vice Chair are received by the Clerk in advance of final meeting of the school year. Nominations, with pen portrait, must be submitted at least 7 days prior to the publication of Schools Forum papers. Names of the nominees, along with the pen portraits, would be emailed to Schools Forum members in preparation for the election (if required) at the meeting. Where no nominations are received prior to the meeting, nominations will be sought at the meeting.

ii.              Option B

Nominations for Chair and Vice Chair are received under the agenda item at the final meeting of the school year. The election (if required) would take place as part of that agenda item.

Concern was raised by officers that nominations in advance of the meeting would reduce transparency and could restrict the ability to oppose a nomination as the opportunity would have closed when nominations became public.  It was argued that knowing the candidates in advance made the process more democratic for members.

There was also concern that up to half of the Forum membership was re-elected every 2 years and so new members may not know the individuals they were voting for.

It was felt that the candidates providing a brief summary of their experience and skills would provide the forum with more information which would inform their choice.

There was concern that the July meeting was not always well attended as it was at the busiest time of the school year.

When considering option B, it was suggested that it would help to know if the current Chair and Vice Chair were willing to stand for a further term, in advance of the meeting.

d)    It was proposed that the timescale for the selection, nomination and appointment of schools and academy members should be shortened. Each part of the process would be 2 working weeks.

If agreed, appendix B of the constitution would need updating.

e)    It was proposed that Appendix C should be included in the constitution which set out when and how the termly review of maintained and academy school representatives was undertaken.

There was no debate on this item before being agreed.

The Chair and Vice Chair thanked all those involved in the process for the suggestions and help.

RESOLVED:

a)    That the report be noted and the following amendments to the Constitution be approved:

b)    Apologies at meetings – paragraph 3.6 (as detailed above) be approved.

c)    The election of the Chair and Vice Chair would take place at the final meeting (usually July) of the school year for a period of two years, but they will not take up their appointments until the first Schools Forum meeting in the new school year (usually October) following their election.

d)    Option B – Nominations for Chair and Vice Chair are received under the

agenda item at the final meeting of the school year. The election (if required) would take place as part of that agenda item with candidates giving a short resume of their experience at the meeting.  Chair and Vice to indicate in advance of the meeting if they are willing to stand again.

e)    The timescale for the selection, nomination and appointment of schools and academies members would be shortened so that each part of the process is now 2 working weeks.

f)     Appendix C to be included in the constitution.