minutes - uxbridge college · training day (29th april 2015). 2 uxbridge campus minutes uxbridge...

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Uxbridge Campus Park Road, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB8 1NQ

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Directorate: Corporation

Minutes of: Governing Body

Date: Tuesday 3 March 2015 Time: 4.00pm

Venue: A004/A005 – Uxbridge College Campus

Present: Steven Cochran Governor (Chair) Kai Barnes Staff Governor Pat Boardman Governor Simon Boulcott Governor Mike Cox Governor Mike Crane Governor Barbara Fisher Governor Andrew Hatfield Staff Governor Frazine Johnson Governor Nasim Khan Governor Alasdair MacLeod Governor Junayd Muhammad Student Governor Mariann Rand-Weaver Governor Laraine Smith Principal

Apologies: Jadah Frances-Ferrell Student President Anuja Karia Governor In attendance: Lorraine Collins Executive Director – Enterprise & Development Darrell DeSouza Vice Principal – Curriculum & Standards Tracy Reeve Clerk to the Corporation Sara Sands Vice Principal – Finance & Corporate Services Gavin Hughes Student Services Director (Items 11 & 12 only)

Presentation: ‘SEND Legislation’ Anne McTaggart, (Head of School ESLS) The meeting was preceded by a presentation on recent changes to Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) legislation which would impact on all FE Colleges. The major new requirements brought about by the new SEND Code of Practice which had become applicable to FE Colleges from October 2014 were noted. Governors noted that the purpose of the legislative change was to ensure that outcomes for young people with a SEND need were improved. Governors were reminded that these changes had been included as a potential issue for the College in 2015/16 on the College Risk Register and within the Corporate Goals. The changes and the likely impact on Uxbridge College were discussed in more detail; the meeting discussed the possible resource implications in relation to buildings, equipment and staff. Governors were given assurance that the College Senior Management Team was talking to the Local Authority about the introduction of Education Health and Care (EHC) Plans for individual learners aged up to 25 with a SEND requirement. The meeting discussed the implications of the compulsion on the College to accept learners who named Uxbridge College in their EHCs. The Principal informed governors that she was chair of a group of SEND leads from 6 West London colleges in order to share information on how FE colleges were reacting to the changes. Governors sought, and were given confirmation that this would be a new area of work for Uxbridge College; there were no learners with complex or Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD) currently enrolled. Governors noted the presentation; the slides would be circulated after the meeting. A further update would be provided to Governors on this area of provision at the Governors Training Day (29th April 2015).

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1. Apologies for Absence Apologies had been received from Anuja Karia and Jadah Francis-Ferrell.

2. Notification of any urgent business Members may wish to raise under Any Other Business, and any items to be taken as read that Members may wish to discuss There was none.

3. Notification of interests Members may wish to declare relating to any item No interests were notified.

4. Minutes of the Governing Body Meeting held on 9th December 2014 An error in minute 8, page 7 was highlighted; the loan repayment was due in December 2015 not June 2015. Subject to this change the Minutes were APPROVED as an accurate record and signed by the Chair.

5. Matters arising from Minutes of the Governing Body Meeting held on 9th December 2014,

which were not agenda items.

Governor role as Enterprise and Development Champion (minute 6 page 3, ‘Learning Board Action Plan’)

The Chair asked whether any governor was prepared to take on the role of Enterprise and Development (E&D) Champion as no governor had contacted him. It was AGREED that Mike Cox should take on this role.

Reappointment of Nasim Khan as a governor (minute 18, page 12) The meeting re-considered the recommendation of the Search Committee (30 September 2014) to re-appoint Nasim Khan (NK) for a second term of office to run consecutively with his first 4-year term. NK’s reappointment was proposed by Mike Cox and seconded by Mariann Rand-Weaver before being approved. It was AGREED that Nasim Khan should be appointed as a member of the Corporation at Uxbridge College to serve a second term of office (with an end date of December 2018 ) There were no other matters arising that were not agenda items.

ITEMS FOR DECISION

6. Updates

Chair’s Update Steven Cochran gave the meeting a verbal update on recent activities that he had been involved with since the last meeting.

o He had attended the very positive Staff Star Awards in December 2014. o Recent briefing meetings with the Principal had focussed his attention on the pressing

nature of the SEND changes to be implemented in 2015/16. o A briefing session with the VPF&CS had made him very aware of funding pressures

within the sector. o He had been scanning performance at other local colleges and was assured that

Uxbridge College was in a strong position; both financially and in terms of quality and outcomes for learners.

o He would be attending an AoC Governance conference on 4th March which was to be followed by a ministerial reception for FE College Chairs, hosted by BIS (Nick Boles, FE Minister, would be speaking).

Noted

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Principal’s Update The Principal gave a verbal update and highlighted the following:

o She had been visiting College departments to deliver her spring term ‘Road-show Presentation’; this was to promote staff understanding of and engagement with the Uxbridge College (UC) Strategic Plan.

o Conditional offers for 2015/16 enrolment were at 95% of the same time prior year. Governors were given a verbal update on increased advertising, targeted mail-shots and additional Open Days which were being employed to maximise applications.

Noted

7. Governing Body Matters

Corporation Members Updates on recent activities Governors updated the meeting on their recent activity within College, much of which was through the Link Governor Scheme. Governors had visited The Academy, ESLS, Creative Studies and EngME. All governors agreed that these visits provided a valuable opportunity for them to increase their knowledge and understanding of the College, and enabled them to meet staff and students which helped them triangulate the information that they received through Corporation paperwork. SB and BF had attended briefing for new FE College governors which had been provided by the Association of Colleges. This session provided very basic governance information but could have been more useful if the planned syndicate work had taken place. It was noted that attendance at this event had enabled SB to appreciate the relatively strong position of UC compared with anecdotal evidence he heard from governors of other colleges. All of the updates were NOTED.

8.

Mid-year Forecast Update Revised Mid-Year Forecast 2014/15 The VP Finance & Corporate Services (VP F&CS) presented the revised forecast 2014/15 and revised plan 2015/16-2016/17 which was recommended for approval by the Finance & Property Committee, (considered at their meeting on 6th February 2015). The historical cost surplus for 2014/15 was now forecast at £817,000 compared to the previous budget of £644,000; a positive variance of £173,000. The meeting considered the re-forecast in detail. Significant variances were highlighted as follows: INCOME Agency Recurrent Funding. Forecast at £23,478,000 compared with a budget of £23,248,000

(a positive variance of £230,000). Due to an additional allocation received from the SFA. Agency Other Funding. Forecast at £1,338,000 compared with a budget of £1,688,000

(negative variance of £350,000). Due to High Needs Support and Free School Meals being lower than forecast (offset by savings in expenditure). The Chair sought confirmation on whether the SFA would look to recover the £213,000 budget under-spend on free-school meals; VPF&CS confirmed that the money had been ring-fenced to accommodate any claw-back. Governors sought clarity on the reason for the under-spend and were given assurance that there was sufficient publicity within UC about the availability of this money for learners. The meeting was reminded about the very strict eligibility criteria and low income threshold that enabled learners to claim the free-school meals funding of £2.41 per day.

HEFCE Funding Fees. Forecast at £721,000 against a budget of £603,000 (a positive variance of £118,000), due to higher recruitment than forecast within Business, Computing and Engineering ME. The meeting noted that a number of new HE courses would be introduced for 2015/16 which would aim to increase HE learners by 56 FTE and generate an additional £250,000 of income.

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Tuition Fees – Home. A positive variance of £13,000 was forecast against a budget of £435,000, due to higher number of 19+ fee paying learners than planned.

Tuition Fees – Overseas. A negative variance of £55,000 was forecast against a budget of £267,000. This reflected there being lower numbers of students than anticipated due to changes in immigration rules and the introduction of credibility interviews.

Schools Link (Basic Education). Schools Link had a lower recruitment than forecast which had resulted in a forecast of a zero surplus against a budgeted surplus of £12,000; two vocational courses had been cancelled.

Other Income. Now showing a forecast of £143,000 against a budget of £109,000 (positive variance of £34,000). This reflected Nexen, Enterprise and AoC sponsorship income awarded post budget.

Lettings. Showing a forecast of £16,000 positive variance due to additional lettings of Sports Hall, rooms at Hayes campus and the car park at Uxbridge.

Employer Services. An overall negative variance of £95,000 was forecast against the budget of £615,000. Income from short-courses was lower than forecast by £90,000 due to cancelled courses in a number of schools particularly ELT, Engineering and Computing (offset by staff savings). SFA Programmes for the Unemployed was forecast to be £13,000 below the budget of £76,000. WBL was forecast to have a negative variance of £71,000 against the budget of £698,000, due to lower recruitment of 16-18 and 19+ learners (partly offset by higher delivery to 24+ learners).

EXPENDITURE Employee Costs were forecast at £17,771,000 compared to a previous budget of

£18,053,000 resulting in a positive variance of £282,000. There were a number of vacancies within Schools but these were being covered by Agency Staff. It was noted that there had been a number of staff on long-term sick leave. The high costs of covering the vacant SENCO post (an adverse variance of £49,000 now forecast) were noted. The negative variance of the FRS17 Retirement Benefits Charge was considered (£300,000 now forecast compared with the budget of £134,000); this had been revised to reflect the actual charge in 2013/14 which was higher than predicted. Governors were reminded that the original budget assumed all posts were filled for the duration of the year. The current staff costs to income ratio was noted at 62.8% (59% excluding Agency Staff) compared with the budget of 64%.

Expenses. This was showing a positive variance of £118,000 against a budget of £9,479,000. The detailed variances by category were considered in more detail. Reasons included: higher exam fees in STPS, BS and EYHSC due to higher recruitment; lower uptake of Free College Meals than forecast (offset by lower income); a £37,000 lower than budgeted rates charge; lower biomass usage and electricity consumption than forecast; lower interest received than forecast due to long term rates being lower than expected; and the positive impact of £27,000 variance in depreciation (£3,072,000 forecast compared with budget of £3,099,000).

BALANCE SHEET Cash was in a strong position with a positive variance of £1,023,000 forecast against the

budget of £5,375,000. This was due to a higher year-end surplus and lower debtors offset by higher capital expenditure and creditors. Cash days in hand were forecast at 74.3 against a budget of 61.8. Current ratio was forecast at 1.31 against a budget of 1.08. Reserves as a percentage of income were forecast at 125% against a full year budget of 120%. The meeting discussed the Performance Ratio and the VPF&CS confirmed that this indicator was based on the surplus minus depreciation as a percentage of income. UC Performance Ratio was now at 11.7% when it had been 15% and 16% in prior years (over 10% was noted as Outstanding). The Chair sought clarity on whether this downward trend was likely to continue, which would take the College below the 10% threshold for Outstanding. VPF&CS confirmed that this could happen at some point in the future but all mitigation against declining financial health was being employed by the SMT. Governors suggested that the SFA benchmarks in relation to financial health grades were now set at unrealistic levels in

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light of the funding changes within FE and the poor financial health of the FE sector as a whole.

Financial Health. It was noted that under the forecast the College’s financial health as assessed by the SFA would remain at ‘Outstanding’.

Plan Years 2015/16 and 2016/17 The VP Finance & Corporate Services presented assumptions for the two plan years, based on the original 2014/15 budget and the revised forecast. The plan years showed historical cost surpluses of £542,000 and £585,000 respectively. Income assumptions were based on the following: 16-18 YPLA allocation – this was assumed to be based on the indicative allocation for an

increase of 0.7% of learners: the current year’s allocation was for 3,771 learners and was assumed to move to 3,799 in 2015/16. Members were reminded that the transitional ‘1-year-only’ funding to cover the lower rate of funding that 18 year old learners now attracted would be removed for 2015/16. Some further growth of learner numbers in the second year was also assumed.

19+ SFA allocation – the SFA allocation for 2015/16 was not yet known but a reduction was included for each of the plan years. A provision of £200,000 for underachievement of targets had also been included for each of the plan years.

The plans assumed a salary increase of 1% each year and further pension increases; 1% LGPS in both April 2015 and April 2016 and 2.38% to Teachers Pension in September 2015, as well as provision for auto-enrolment. An assumption had been made from April 2016 for the removal of the NI rebate for employers where a pension was in place (this rebate was currently at 3.4%). Non pay inflation was assumed at 3% on both years. Depreciation had been recalculated to reflect the timing of current projects and assumed future projects. The balance sheet, fixed assets and cash-flow for each of the plan years was noted. The meeting noted that the plan years as presented assumed full payment of the £1.5m loan in December 2015, this had been considered and was recommended by the Finance & Property Committee after consultation with the Chair of Governors. Governors were reminded that in order to maintain an ‘Outstanding’ rating for financial health the plan included efficiency savings in the two plan years. These potential efficiency savings would be refined after the College’s 2015/16 funding allocation was known. Capital expenditure had been included in the plan years at £3,013,000 and £2,150,000 respectively but it was noted that the final capital strategy would not be agreed by Governors until July 2015. The Governors noted that the plan included £300,000 of capital spend to accommodate changes which would be required on the two campuses to accommodate the College duty under the new SEND legislation; this figure would be confirmed once additional investigation of the likely needs had been undertaken. NK sought confirmation on whether the College bid to the LEP for capital funding for STEM equipment had been included in the plan for 2015/16 (discussed at minute 5, page 2 on 9th December 2014) . VPF&CS informed the meeting that the expenditure was included in the plan but the allocation of the grant had not been assumed within income. The KPIs for the plan years were noted: Cash days in hand were shown as 57.9 and 71.7; Current Ratio was shown as 1.48 and 1.75; and Reserves as a percentage of income were shown as 127% and 132%. It was AGREED that the Revised Forecast for 2014/15 and the revised Plan for 2015/16 and 2016/17 should be APPROVED. The meeting specifically APPROVED the recommendation from the Finance & Property Committee that the loan of £1.5m should be repaid in December 2015.

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9.

Fees and Charges Policy for 2015/16 The VPF&CS presented the Fees and Charges Policy for 2015/16. Changes to the Policy had been made in light of new funding guidance and consideration has been given to market forces and the fees and charges made by other providers. The meeting was reminded that the policy also contained an annex which detailed Terms and Conditions for International Students. Members noted the mechanism for learners to repay the 24+ loan (for learners studying at level 3 or above); this was noted as being in line with the process in place for HE student loans. For 2015/16 the following significant proposals were made:

The College registration charge to be held at £35 for full-time students and at £25 for part-time students. Parking fees to be increased to £150 for full-time and £75 for part-time students (£140 and £70 in current year). Members asked for the typographical error on the report (which showed a 0% increase in car parking fees) to be corrected. ID card charges to remain at the same level, (£5) but the cost of a replacement ID card would rise by 20% to £12 (£10 in 2014/15). The Chair of Student Affairs Committee (MCr) challenged the increase in the parking charges and asked for the reasoning behind this proposal. VPF&CS informed governors that a lot of improvement work had taken place in the car park in relation to security and that the ongoing College sustainability agenda required that learners driving to campus should be discouraged.

The fees charged to employers for students aged 19+ on apprenticeship programmes would now be based on the level of funding received from the SFA, rather than a flat rate for all frameworks.

A tuition fee of £1,575 to be charged to adult students aged 19-23 studying on a full-time course, (£1,530 in 2014/15).

A tuition fee to be charged to adult students aged 24 and over studying on a full-time course at level 3 or above according to the funding value available for 19-23 learners and the maximum ‘24+ Loan’ amount available for all 1st year entrants. However, second year learners to be charged the same fee as in 2014/15 or less if the loan value is less. Learners would be able to secure a 24+ Loan to pay these fees.

The fee for Higher Education for new Year 1 entrants would be set on a per course basis and would be increased to vary from £4,200 to £4,515 (HE home fees were between £3,500 to £4,300 in 2014/15). The fees for Year 2 HE students in 2015/16 would be held at current levels (£3,500-£4,300). It was noted that pricing of courses aimed to achieve a margin of 40% overall.

A range of fees for international students and students not eligible for SFA funding on further education courses had been introduced from £5,000 to £6,000, (flat fee of £5,500 in current year). The fee for international higher education students not eligible for HEFCE funding would remain the same at £6,200.

MRW suggested that VPF&CS should investigate any impact on the College of the new Consumer Rights Bill which would require additional detail to be provided concerning fees and charges to learners.

The The Fees and Charges Policy for 2015/16 was APPROVED as presented.

10. April Training and Planning Day for Governors The Principal outlined the main themes for the 29th April 2015 Governor’s Training and Planning Day. This would include: a review of the College’s current performance in relation to the Corporate Goals 2014/15; an overview of the College’s comparative performance for 2013/14 based on success, retention and achievement as well as financial performance; and the College’s financial position and future plans including the property strategy.

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Governors were reminded that representatives from the College Internal Audit Service (Baker Tilly) would be attending in the afternoon to run a training session for governors on Risk Management and Board Assurance. Governors sought additional clarity on the value of this session from Baker Tilly and VPF&CS stated that she would speak to the IAS representatives to ensure that the session was robust and of value. The Chair informed the meeting that an additional session would be included in the morning to enable governors to look at the potential for the College to access different funding streams other than traditional agency income. It was agreed that there would be sufficient capacity after the audit session in the afternoon to enable the governors to discuss any other issues as required. The programme for the Governors Training Day, 29th April 2015 was approved.

11.

ITEMS FOR INFORMATION

Safeguarding Report – Mid-year Update The Student Services Director (GH) joined the meeting. Members considered the mid-year report which gave an overview of the Safeguarding and Child Protection issues raised during the first half of 2014/15. Members noted that there had been 10 students carried over from the previous year and a further 10 students during the first half of the 2014/15 academic year had required a serious safeguarding response (compared with 20 at the same point in 2013/14, of which 10 were carried forward from the previous year). Issues had included domestic violence (9), mental health issues (8), sexual offences (2) and 1 case of potential forced marriage. Current retention for this group was noted as 100% (compared with the overall College figure of 92%). The number of students on the secondary ‘at risk’ register was at 369 (compared to 368 in the prior year) and their retention rate was 94% (compared with 93% at the same point in 2013/14); 130 of these were ‘looked after’ students (with a retention rate of 93%). The number of students with criminal convictions was noted as higher in the current year at 122 (compared with 78 in the prior year). Governors were given clarity that the information on criminal convictions was obtained by learners self-declaring at enrolment. The meeting went onto consider the level of offence that would trigger UC not enrolling a student. GH confirmed that the Metropolitan Police 4-stage gravity scale was used as a reference point; offences at the serious end of this scale would lead to non-enrolment. Governors sought additional explanation of the rise in the incidence of bullying with 17 serious cases recorded to date in 2014/15 (13 at the same point in 2013/14). GH informed governors that a lot of these cases in the current year were in relation to one-off cases and fights between students. The meeting was reminded that in 2014 the DfE published new statutory guidance for schools and colleges on safeguarding called ‘Keeping children safe in education’. GH assured governors that Uxbridge College was now fully compliant with this new legislation; full details of the College compliance had been discussed at the College Safeguarding Committee which had a governor representative in attendance (MCr). Governors sought, and were given, assurance that the College was meeting all statutory guidance, Ofsted guidance and good practice guidance in relation to safeguarding. The report also highlighted the new Counter-Terrorism and Security Bill 2015 which placed a duty on colleges to have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism; know as The Prevent Agenda. The Governors asked that briefing for governors on the Prevent Agenda should be provided at the start of the next Governing Body meeting (19th May 2015). Governors asked the Director of Student Services how confident he was that UC staff were well trained on identifying possible examples of radicalisation or students at threat of being drawn into terrorism. GH assured the Governors that the College safeguarding training was very comprehensive for staff; it covered all 3 strands and a briefing leaflet had been produced. However additional staff training was being implemented specifically in relation to the Prevent Agenda. The meeting noted that the Local Authority Prevent Officer had been into College on 3 occasions and trained 40 staff at each training session; training had included useful case studies and the possible signs to look for in learners. It was confirmed that this training would be delivered to all UC staff. GH

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confirmed that he had provided training to the student representatives but there was a lack of training available around this issue for learners. Governors commended this work to date but asked the SMT to consider widening out the remit of people providing training and coming into UC to speak to learners about the issues around radicalisation; this would support the work being done internally by College staff. JM (Student Governor) asked the Director of Student Services to consider whether the College Multi-Faith Prayer Room needed to have different opening times in the summer and winter to meet the needs of the groups using it. The meeting commended the considerable community engagement activity undertaken through the Children’s Centre at Hayes campus. It was noted that there were now 2,318 registered families with the Children’s Centre (compared with 1,175 in the prior year), 87% of which were within the ‘vulnerable’ category as identified by Ofsted. The meeting thanked GH for the presentation and commended the positive Safeguarding Report. Governors asked that for a vote of thanks to be passed back to the Student Services Team for the positive impact of the excellent pastoral support for this vulnerable group of learners. The report was NOTED It was AGREED that Governors should be involved in identifying speakers to come into College to talk to learners and staff around the Prevent agenda.

12. Learner Involvement Strategy The meeting noted the Learner Involvement Strategy which was being presented for annual review. Governors were reminded that this met the requirement (under the College’s Instrument & Articles) for the Corporation to publish arrangements for obtaining the views of students on the matters for which the governors were responsible. The Strategy outlined the two-tier approach at Uxbridge College with both College-led and Learner-led elements. The College-led approaches included a range of learner surveys – College enrolment and mid-year surveys, LRC users survey and WBL surveys. In addition there were SMT termly student group reviews, Tutorial Group reviews and a review of all complaints. Learner–led approaches were centred around the Student Council, the Student Executive, Student Governors and over 200 Student Reps. Members noted the wide variety of media used – blogs, Moodle, YouTube and face-to-face ‘surgeries’ – to facilitate the Learner-led strategy. The joint responsibility for this strategy between the Director of Student Services and the Student President was commended. Governors noted that this Learner Involvement Strategy had been approved via the Senior Management Team and contained no significant changes from the previous version. The Learner Involvement Strategy 2014/15 was NOTED and APPROVED.

13. Progress Against Strategic Plan 2014/15 The Principal presented a summary of progress against the College’s Corporate Goals for 2014/15. Governors considered the front sheet of the report which gave a very clear summary. On this cover sheet, goals were structured under four headings: outcomes and SAR progress; teaching, learning and assessment; responsiveness and compliance; and corporate performance. The vast majority of goals were rated as ’green’ against the ‘traffic-light’ classification and on target for successful completion. Goals flagged as ‘amber’ were considered in more detail: Overall attendance (at 87%), Learners’ progress with English and mathematics; Higher Education numbers; and Achievement of non-agency income targets. The meeting discussed the 2% ‘inadequate’ lesson observation profile against the target of 0%; Governors were reminded that any inadequate teaching triggered immediate remedial action and a teaching development plan was implemented for the member of staff. The meeting commended this report as a very useful ‘snapshot’ of the current position of UC. The report was RECEIVED

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14. Enterprise and Communities Update Report The Executive Director Enterprise and Development presented a detailed paper outlining key developments that had taken place in relation to the Uxbridge College corporate goals to date during 2014/15. Highlights included: o Apprenticeships – This remained a growth area of funding with the £1500 Apprenticeship Grant for Employers for SMEs matched by the GLA. The meeting noted that the Hillingdon Apprenticeship Graduation Ceremony was being organised by Uxbridge College and would be held at Brunel University on 1st July 2015; all governors would be invited to attend. Governors were informed that the new Standards for Apprenticeships continued to be developed through the Trailblazer programme; these would be introduced from 2015-2017. Data on the current 730 College and ‘Partner’ apprentices was noted. o Employer Activities – Specific examples of employer engagement activity were noted from the report. Governors noted that employers continued to be signposted through Section 106 applications. The SMT was currently investigating using S106 funds to tackle the shortage of carpenters and wet-trades in the local area; but this needed to be set against the demand for people skilled in new building technologies. Governors were informed that both these areas were being explored with a visit planned to a specialist centre in Watford. The promotional video featuring the College and its work experience students along with Segro, Buckingham Group and LB Hillingdon was noted. Governors were reminded about Work Week which would take place at the College (across both campuses) during 20th-24th April. Activities during this week would include a CV Clinic, networking business breakfast (for level 3 students), speed interviews, employer talks and a Recruitment Zone. The breadth of these activities was commended and the value of bringing a large number of employers into College was agreed. The meeting noted that Governor involvement in this week would be appreciated, at the networking business breakfast or with the mock interviews. o Student Work Experience – During 2014/15 to date 513 external work experience placements had been undertaken compared with the year-end target of 1800. Governors were informed that the target was based on predictions of higher enrolment numbers, particularly in Early Years. Additional numbers of work placements had now been assigned to Creative Studies with work being undertaken to increase opportunities outside the traditional ‘two-week’ model. Work placements had been secured at London Fashion Week for College dance students; this was an invaluable experience for them to have access to a top level choreographer. o Work with Jobseekers – It was noted that referrals from Jobcentre Plus (JC+) would be likely to reduce as unemployment fell; a large proportion of current referrals had some health issues which affected their ability to work. Governors were informed that the Work Programme contract had now been extended until 2017 and that Uxbridge College performance was second amongst the 15 Reed internal and supply chain offices. The meeting was reminded that these outcomes were meaningful for learners as the College only received funding when the individual had been in post for 6 months. o Community Engagement – It was noted that the College had played an active role in a number of local community groups eg. a fund raising dinner for the mayors’ Charity and HBH students had offered Pamper Packages for community groups. In addition the College continued to work with William Byrd Primary School which had recently become a Cooperative Learning Trust. o Enterprise Activities – It was noted that Hayes Business Studios (HBS) income during the 2014/15 year to date was £28,679 (annual target noted as £47,190). Governors were reminded that HBS would be cost neutral for 2014/15 while the grant was still being drawn

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down annually from LBH. The monthly Enterprise Club was still well attended although the referrals from JC+ had reduced. Recent student enterprise activity included attendance of 280 students at the MYKINDACROWD workshops which could lead to additional opportunities for a number of UC students. o Volunteering – Governors were pleased to note that 400 UC students had participated in volunteering during 2014/15 to date. This had included involvement of 60 UC students – from Public Services, ESOL, UCA and HBH - with the Good Deed Day held in Uxbridge town centre on 27th January 2015 in partnership with a number of other local organisations. A number of other volunteering activities were noted including the Jack Petchey Achievement Award Scheme which was now running on both campuses. The Enterprise and Development Update report was RECEIVED.

15.

Academic Report The Report provided an update on academic matters and developments. Governors commended the new front sheet to the report which summarised areas of high and low performance. The Governing Body received the following, presented by the Vice Principal, Curriculum & Standards (DDS):

Performance Indicators: In year retention figures at February 2015 were noted as slightly lower than the prior year; overall retention at 97.1% (this was noted as similar to the position last year), and long qualifications at 96.9% (compared with 97.5% at the same point in 2013/14. It was noted that short-courses retention was currently at 98% which was above benchmark and showed improvement on the prior year. The positive impact of the 90 credit (1 year) Diploma on level 3 retention was noted but governors were reminded that the College still had learners on Extended Diploma courses as two-year programmes. DDS highlighted the new format of the QSR performance report which was more complex and was now showing data by qualification type rather than length of the qualification. Governors noted that any future inspections would be based on this new format and DDS confirmed he was currently working on performance reports for governors to mirror this. Overall success rates for Work Based Learning (WBL) 2013/14 had now been confirmed as 73% (against a national average of 69%) and Timely success at 68% (against the low national average of 54.7%). The forecast 2014/15 success rates for Work Based Learning (WBL) were noted as on target for both Overall (80-84%) and Timely (56-79%). The possible negative impact of Functional Skills on Timely achievement was discussed in more detail and the College action to mitigate this risk was noted. The meeting noted details of the Minimum Standards Report which detailed the minimum thresholds for success rates. The only area where UC had any concern was in relation to Functional Skills but DDS confirmed that even in this area performance was within the acceptable range.

Competitor Analysis - January 2015: The meeting noted the Key Stage 5 Performance Tables 2014. The College had maintained its ranking compared with neighbouring colleges and school sixth forms (10th) despite a slight decline in points; governors noted that this decline mirrored a decline in both the national average and within the local authority. The meeting agreed that the widely varying cohort size between the colleges and sixth forms (very small numbers for some schools) required any comparison to be taken in context. The relatively large numbers of learners at UC would make the College more prone on a purely statistical basis to be mid-table. It was also agreed that any analysis needed to be considered alongside value-added calculations.

Lesson Observation Report, 2014/15: Overall Grades Report year-to-date of 202 lesson observations showed 85% at Grades 1 and 2, 13% Grade 3 and 2% inadequate. This reflected the First Lesson Observation as a robust measure of performance. As previously considered in the meeting, governors were reminded that the 3 staff observed at Grade 4 were now under the College Capability Procedure but were receiving support from Advanced Practitioners to improve performance. Governors sought, and were given,

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assurance that the strict protocol for securing improvement after any grade 4 teaching had been observed was still in place. The meeting was pleased to note that 53% of observations had been validated by external observers who were current Ofsted Inspectors working to stringent standards. The Chair sought, and was given, confirmation that the profile of externally validated lessons was in line with those observed by College staff. Governors commended the ongoing use of the ‘Teaching & Learning Hour’ which was now well established in all schools and provided a focus for quality improvement. DDS informed governors that the data on page 4 of the report was used by Heads of School to identify detailed strengths and weaknesses within the formal observation data; this enabled them to specifically tailor training during their Schools Teaching and Learning Hour. The meeting was reminded that the Teaching & Learning Hour was now delivered on a 3 weekly cycle (rather than the weekly frequency when first introduced). This change had produced better feedback from teaching staff on the value of the training; the 3 weekly cycle enabled them to put it into practice, reflect and feedback results.

Attendance: The target was 87% and overall attendance at February 2015 was at 87% which was noted as 1% below the same figure in the prior year. Governors were reminded that the main reason for the decline in the overall attendance was the additional volume of learners studying English and maths as a mandatory element of their study programme. Lessons learnt at the start of 2014/15 would be put into practice at enrolment in September 2015 in order to secure a ‘cleaner’ start to the delivery of English and maths within the study programme.

Complaints: There had been a slight increase in the number of complaints reported year-to-date (17 this year compared with 15 in 2013/14); complaints were continuing to be monitored by the Teaching, Learning and Assessment (TL&A) Committee which now considered the levels of associated legal risk for each complaint. Only 1 of the 17 complaints in 2014/15 had been deemed to pose a high financial or legal risk. Governors were given assurance that complaints were being resolved in a timely manner.

Quality Improvement Plan (QIP): The 2014/15 QIP relating to the whole college SAR 2013/14 was considered. The three main cross-College areas for improvement were: ‘Increase proportion of eligible learners undertaking and achieving level 2 maths’; ‘Greater consistency in first formal lessons observed in a few Subject Sector Areas (SSA) or Schools’; and ‘Managing risks associated with end-year dates for WBL-Apprenticeship learners’. The meeting noted that so far during 2014/15 there was judged to be reasonable progress on all three areas with actions in place to secure improvement. The meeting was reminded that progress against the QIP was monitored in detail by the TL&A Committee. A report which detailed progress within curriculum areas was also considered by the meeting; this was ‘traffic-light’ rated to show any areas where progress was not as expected. This Schools report would be used by Governors during their Link Governor meetings. Members noted that the College continued its awareness in relation to a short notice Ofsted inspection in order to be ‘Inspection ready’.

The Academic Report was RECEIVED.

16.

Finance and Corporate Services Report

Management Accounts – Quarterly Report to January 2015 The VP F&CS gave an update to the 2nd quarter accounts to the month of January 2015 which had been reviewed in detail by the Finance and Property Committee. The historical cost surplus for the quarter ended 31 January 2015 was £1,061,000 compared to a forecast surplus of £213,000 giving a favourable variance of £848,000. The main variances to the end of the second quarter were noted as: Favourable variance of £118,000 in education income due mainly to higher HEFCE fee

income than planned.

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Favourable variance of £122,000 in Employer Services due to the profiling of the work based learning income. This was noted as a short term favourable variance.

Favourable variance in salaries of £627,000 (against a budget of £9.121m), due to staff vacancies. All posts were assumed as filled from the start of the year.

Favourable variance of £30,000 in non pay costs resulting mainly from later commitment of expenditure than anticipated, particularly within the schools, estates and finance.

Governors noted that the College Balance Sheet remained strong with a cash balance of £13,357,000, (against the budget of £7,347,000). The detail and other variances had been considered during the review of the Mid-Year Forecast 2012/13, (see minute 8 above). The meeting noted that a new Financial Controller had now been appointed after Shane Woodhatch had resigned from the post; the appointee would take up post on 30th March 2015 and came from a strong commercial background.

Capital Build Update The meeting noted an update from the VPF&CS on all current campus development.

Skills and Innovation Exchange (West Block) Governors were reminded that the main works commenced on site on June 30th 2014 and completion by the contractors was scheduled for 11th May 2015. This date would enable the College to access the new Multi-Use Hall for the exam period from 13th May. It was reported that the internal structure was largely complete and ahead of programme, with movable partitions and doors to be installed. Externally the project was running several weeks behind programme, due to delays in the installation of the curtain walling. Governors were assured that these delays had not affected the overall programme which was still on time. A site walk around the new building took place on February 10th for managers of the curriculum areas to be located in the building; feedback was very positive on the new space and quality of the build. It was noted that the financial position continued to be in line with the cash-flow and on budget. Governors commended the external look of the new building and the positive impact on the campus.

Hayes Improvements Governors were informed that demolition had now taken place of the main reception and the front offices of the Longmead building. Piling works had commenced, and the steel structure would be in place by early March 2015. It was noted that disruption to the campus has been greater than expected due partly to the proximity of the site to the live learning environment, and partly to the number of unknown services found below ground and in the building which required diversions. Governors, sought, and were given, confirmation that management had taken action to minimise any disruption to learning. It was also noted that additional pictures of the finished campus were now being displayed at Hayes in order to give students a sense of what would be gained. It was noted that the project was still on budget and on programme, although there was little ‘float’ remaining in the programme.

Risk Register The VPF&CS presented the College Risk Register with the risks mapped to the Strategic Aims of the College. The following high scoring risks were highlighted; they had been considered in detail by the Audit Committee (February 2015):

Strategic Aim 1 (page 1) WBL Overall success rates compromised due to late year end dates (May-July). (Risk score of 12) Members were reminded of the action being taken to ensure that there was no repeat of this issue which had dampened WBL success data at the end of 2013/14.

Strategic Aim 1 (page 2) Functional Skills and GCSE Maths and English compromise College long success and high grades achievement (Risk score of 12). Members were

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again assured of the ongoing action plan being followed to reduce this risk; this had been fully detailed in minutes of TL&A Committee. The action plan included; close tracking of learners’ attendance and progress, a tight focus on quality of teaching in this area, sharing of good practice cross-college and a strong message to learners through the tutorial system that up-skilling of English and maths was both necessary and very beneficial.

Strategic Aim 2 (page 3) Unable to accommodate learners with Special Educational Need (SEN), through curriculum, support or estate needs due to lack of planning by Local Authorities (Risk score of 8). The meeting was given assurance that the SLT was continuing to meet with Local Authority staff in order to encourage clear planning in this area, (as discussed at the start of the meeting).

Strategic Aim 3 (page 3) Disruption to College during construction phase (Risk raised from 8 to 12). SS informed the meeting that this related to the ongoing work at the Hayes Campus which was proving quite disruptive. The potential negative impact on recruitment for 2015/16 at Hayes was discussed.

Strategic Aim 4 (page 4) Poor relationships with employers leading to loss of service and affecting local and regional economic prosperity (Risk score 10). The mitigation would be for the Account Managers to make regular calls to employers (a sample size had been agreed) to assess their satisfaction with the level of service being provided by the College.

Strategic Aim 5 (page 4) Students requiring maths or English at FS or GCSE level not identified leading to loss of full rate of funding in the following year (Risk score 12). It was noted that the action plan relating to English and maths would provide mitigation.

The Finance & Corporate Services Report was RECEIVED.

ITEMS TO BE TAKEN AS READ

17.

18.

19.

Human Resources Committee – 9th December 2014 The Minutes of this meeting were taken as read. The Chair SB highlighted the key issues which had arisen at the most recent HR Committee meeting (3pm on 3 March 2015): Positive feedback had been received from the Support Staff focus group held on 21st

January 2015; the College was seen as a positive working environment with good internal career opportunities for staff. Negative feedback had centred around IT systems and the need for better integration.

Lecturers Salaries at Uxbridge College were in line with other London colleges and AoC recommendations.

The UCU mandate for strike action (December 2014) - in relation to demand for 3% salary increase - had been ruled as invalid due to the ballot being deemed as ‘out of time’.

Audit Committee – 4th February 2015

The Minutes of this meeting were taken as read.

Finance & Property Committee – 6th February 2015

The Minutes of this meeting were taken as read. The Chair AMcL highlighted the key issues from the Committee meeting, as previously discussed at the current meeting:

The Mid Year Forecast Update had been the focus of the meeting.

The current capital projects were on time and within budget.

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20. Teaching, Learning & Assessment Committee – 9th February 2015

The Minutes of this meeting would be circulated as soon as available. The Chair PB highlighted the key issues from the Committee meeting all centred around the mandatory delivery of English and maths provision:

The College was facing a massive challenge around the delivery of English and maths (either at GCSE or Functional Skills level). The numbers had increased massively in the current year with 1631 entries at level 1 and 2 English (1207 last year) and 1389 at the same level maths (821 last year). The same is true at GCSE with 351 English starts (241 in prior year 2013/14) and 222 maths (166 prior year).

UC Staff were working hard to capture all the required students but it was proving a challenge to get learners to attend English and maths. Poor attendance in this area had dampened overall College attendance in year (reduced it by 2%).

Considerable staff training was being undertaken focussed on improving maths pedagogy. There were currently 2 Essential Skills projects underway at the College to improve UC staff ability to deliver maths. There had been issues on recruiting the specialist staff to deliver this important area - now resolved for 2014/15 but would recur in 2015/16 when the predicted increase in learners needing to undertake English, maths (or both) would require 8 additional staff.

21. To confirm the dates and times of the meetings for 2014/15

Wednesday 29th April 2015 at 9.00am (Training and Planning Day)

Tuesday 19th May 2015 at 4.00 pm

Tuesday 7th July 2015 at 4.00pm The dates and times were noted and agreed.

Any Other Business

22. Items for next Corporation meeting

As discussed under item 11 (College Safeguarding Report – Mid Year Update), NK asked for the SLT to provide additional briefing for Governors on what action the College was taking in response to counter-terrorism legislation and the Prevent Agenda. There were no other specific items requested by governors.

23. Any Other Business as previously notified There was no other business. The meeting closed at 6.40pm. Signed: …………………………………..

Date: ……………………………………..

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