Format for Governors Meeting Minutes - Tyne Metropolitan College

Minutes of the Meeting of the Queen AlexandraSixth Form College Committee of TyneMetropolitan College held at 5.30 pm on Tuesday26 June 2012 in the Hawkeys Conference RoomPresent:In attendance:Mr Ian Gordon, Governor TyneMet (Committee Chair)Dr Adam Langman, Governor John Spence (Committee Vice Chair)Mr Brendan Carr, Associate MemberMr Fran Done, Governor MardenProf Mary Dunning, Governor TyneMetMr Allan Holbrook, Associate MemberMr David Stainthorpe, Governor TyneMetMr Jim Stephenson, Head Teacher, John SpenceMr Alan Rudd, Governor MardenMr Jon Vincent, Principal TyneMetMrs Rosamund Moore, Clerk to the CorporationMrs Audrey Kingham, Deputy Principal: Curriculum & Business DevelopmentMrs Denise Bolton, Head of Queen Alexandra Sixth Form CollegeMiss Rachael Bell, Minutes[The meeting started at 5.30 pm]1. Apologies for absenceApologies were received from Mrs Hush, Mr Bavaird, Mr Coltman, Mr Downing,Mr Johnson, Mr Lewins, Mrs Crozier, Mr Morris and Mrs Jillian Turner (AssistantHead, Norham).ACTION2. Declarations of interest and possible resolutionsNone.3. Verbal Update from Curriculum Development Group (CDG)Mrs Denise Bolton provided a verbal update on behalf of Mrs Turner. The CDGhad been developing and monitoring student academic profiles. Further work toraise staff awareness about the QA Sixth Form collaboration had taken place andin particular she and Mr Stainthorpe had spent time talking with QA partnerschools’ senior teams. Year 9 to 10 pupils from the three QA partner schools hadbeen invited into College and Mrs Bolton also drew attention to QA’s involvementin the STEMTastic event planned for 17 July. In addition, there was a continualprocess of ensuring that the Sixth Form offer met the needs of the QA partnerschools.The Committee noted the verbal update provided by Mrs Bolton.4. Minutes and Matters Arising of the Meeting of 20 March 2012The minutes were approved as a true record and duly signed by theCommittee Chair.Item 6, Committee Composition and Associate Member Vacancy: Mr Vincentindicated that so far he had received one response to his letter to Newcastle,Northumbria and Sunderland Universities requesting nominations for an AssociateMember of the Committee and felt it would be appropriate to give the otherUniversities a further week to respond. Nominees will then be invited to meet theCommittee Chair and the Clerk to the Corporation as part of the usualappointment process through the Committee structure and TyneMet’s Board, witha new Associate Member joining the QASFC Committee in November.IG/RMMS:\Ros M\Clerk Corp\Website Minutes\2011_12\4. Oct 2012 Upload\Minutes QA6F 26 June 2012.docx 1

item 9, Applications 2011/12: Mrs Kingham updated the Committee in MrJohnson’s absence, commenting that a review of applications from Norhamshowed that applications to TyneMet courses were higher than to the Sixth Form.Item 10, Marketing and Communications: Mrs Kingham reported that eight out often current applicants had cited QA Sixth Form as their first choice. Although thiscould not be regarded as a completely reliable statistic, Mrs Kingham commentedthat the College had received much positive feedback from parents and potentialstudents following such things as master classes and workshops.All other matters had been, or were being, taken forward as agreed.5. Committee Composition (Chair position) and Associate Member VacancyIt was noted that the TyneMet Board had appointed Mr Gordon to the Committeeas its Chair for the last meeting of the year as a replacement for Cllr Redfearn.The Associate Member vacancy had been covered under ‘Matters Arising’.The Committee noted the appointment of Mr Gordon to the Committee andthe progress made to find an Associate Member with an HE background.6. 2012/13 Committee Meeting DatesDates for next year’s Committee meetings were noted.The Chair asked Committee members if they would prefer to hold the planningmeeting before a Committee meeting or as a separate meeting. After somediscussion, it was agreed that the Committee meeting could be abbreviatedby transferring some standard reports to the planning meeting in order toinform discussion. A 5pm start on 6 November 2012 was agreed.Agendas6 Nov.7. Verbal Update from QA ExecutiveMr Stainthorpe gave a verbal update on the work of the QA Executive. Regularmonitoring reports had been received regarding application data, attendance,lesson observations, success rates and student, parent and staff survey results.Mr Vincent reported that he had responded to Gloucestershire College’s interestin the QA model for its Forest of Dean College to explore with a number of localschools. Since the visit, one of the schools had contacted Mr Stephenson.Mr Stainthorpe explained that he had focussed on introducing the IRIS processinto the QA schools as a means of improving teaching and learning.He had also worked with Mrs Bolton to develop the concept of shared ownershipamongst senior managers and pastoral tutors in the QA partner schools, and thedevelopment of a joint calendar for next year was underway.It was noted that Mr Stephenson would join TyneMet’s Board on 1 August 2012.There were still challenges regarding reciprocal arrangements between the QApartners and other sixth forms when it came to providing independent advice andguidance to help students make informed choices. It was felt that some of thehigh schools did not always respond positively to the request for direct access totheir year 11s to provide independent advice and guidance on post-16 education.Nevertheless, the latest banner stating that the College was the top provider forsupport for students was significant and these improvements were bearing fruit.Committee members noted the verbal update from the QASFC Executive.S:\Ros M\Clerk Corp\Website Minutes\2011_12\4. Oct 2012 Upload\Minutes QA6F 26 June 2012.docx 2

8. Overview of QASF CollegeMrs Bolton provided a report regarding activities and developments in the QASixth Form.Two new partner staffing appointments in Biology and Chemistry had been madeand these teachers, although TyneMet employees, would be teaching at Norhamand John Spence. The appointment of a new Science Technician meant thatthere had been a significant reduction in the number of agency staff involved inthe delivery of Science subjects in the QA Sixth Form.There had been a substantial increase in the number of respondents to theparents’ survey, from 7 last year to 42 this year. Parents’ comments had beenlargely very positive and would be used in future marketing campaigns. Studentfeedback following the mid-year survey had also been very positive. Committeemembers suggested that parents might be prompted to give feedback in a varietyof ways, including via text message reminders and through the website.Mrs Bolton highlighted extracurricular events and activities which had taken placeto support the students’ next steps.Committee members were pleased to hear about the reintroduction of ModernForeign Languages through a collaborative arrangement with Burnside andChurchill schools. In addition, members of staff from Norham were leading on thedevelopment of an AS in Drama and Theatre Studies.Prof Dunning commented that the Standards and Quality Committee hadmonitored the QA Sixth Form during some challenging times and had beendelighted to see the significant improvements highlighted in Mrs Bolton’spresentation given at the June meeting.Committee members noted the very positive report which provided anoverview of the developments at Queen Alexandra Sixth Form College.9. Applications 2012/13Mrs Bolton presented a report on the increased number of applications to theSixth Form for 2012/13. Recruitment activities were continuing and currentstudents had arranged events for applicants to meet teachers and students.The report gave the percentage of year 11 students from each of the QA partnerschools who had applied to the QA Sixth Form. The Committee felt it would behelpful if the percentage of students who had the appropriate qualifications forSixth Form entry was provided as not all year 11s were identified as being A Levelcandidates. It was noted that the Student Liaison Officer could supply this dataand Mrs Bolton would include such information in future reports.DBIn response to Committee members’ questions about predictions for the future ifother providers improved their performance, Mrs Bolton explained that the QASixth Form drew applications from a wide area including Northumberland andSouth Tyneside and post-16 students and were very much aware that they had achoice about where to study. It was noted that the rise in applications had notbeen to the detriment of any particular school or provider.Mr Done commented that students had told him they felt that the QA Sixth Formprovided a good option and that transport links were good. A positive selling pointfor the QA Sixth Form College was that it offered students a different experienceto that of a school sixth form, with more independence whilst still providingsupport and structure resulting in a positive academic experience. Seniormanagers confirmed that the College always aimed to give a fair and balancedview to ensure students made the right choice. It was noted that the transitionS:\Ros M\Clerk Corp\Website Minutes\2011_12\4. Oct 2012 Upload\Minutes QA6F 26 June 2012.docx 3

from AS to A2 required students to meet specific attendance and achievementcriteria.In response to Committee members’ questions about the impact of the increase inapplications, Mrs Bolton indicated that there had been an increase of resourcesfor the Sixth Form to meet demand. The Committee was given assurance that inorder to retain quality, class sizes and the teacher-to-student ratio had beenconsidered.Committee members noted the report on Applications 2012/13.10. Marketing and CommunicationsMrs Kingham presented the Marketing and Communications Report to theCommittee which highlighted the PR and marketing activity undertaken in relationto the QA Sixth Form. She reported that the College’s school leaver prospectushad been nominated for a national award, but had not won the top prize.Marketing events were targeted to raise the profile of the QA Sixth Form, ensuringthat the right information was shared with the right people. ‘Teachers for Tea’ hadbeen an opportunity to engage more widely with schools from across the borough.School liaison was also a very important element of the College’s marketingstrategy.The Marketing department provided value for money and used a variety of meansto reach key audiences. The use of social media as well as traditional methods ofmarketing was evaluated for impact on a regular basis.Parents were likely to form a significant proportion of the visitors to the website.In addition, the “grade predictor” continued to be very popular.Committee members noted the Marketing and Communications Report.11. Any Other BusinessMrs Kingham informed the Committee that TyneMet and the QA Sixth Form hadbeen successful in achieving STEM assured status, the sixth college to do sonationally. The QASFC team had had significant involvement in the bid and thenew science team would continue to build on this. The Committee congratulatedall involved, commenting that this was a tremendous achievement.12. Any items to be designated as non-confidential or no longer exemptedfollowing this meeting and conversely any items to be designated asexempted/confidentialNone.Next meeting, combined with planning event: Tuesday, 6 November 2012, startingat 5.00 pm, Queen Alexandra CampusThe meeting closed at 6.35 pm.S:\Ros M\Clerk Corp\Website Minutes\2011_12\4. Oct 2012 Upload\Minutes QA6F 26 June 2012.docx 4