As we mentioned in the last update, we are aware of the financial challenges faced by schools. One such challenge is a drop in pupil numbers. Whilst there is geographical variation in the picture across the Diocese, the trend is a continuation in the fall of pupil numbers nationally.

Recent government statistics revealed that more than a million places in primary and secondary schools remain unfilled. This is especially so in primaries, where only 17% of schools nationally are at or over capacity. The growth in secondary pupils is predicted to peak in 23/24 as the population bulge works its way out of the school system.

We regularly get requests from new governors asking if we can support them in developing their understanding of school budgets and finance. The nine local authorities we work with all offer courses and the NGA offer e-learning units on governance and finance. Our last update included a link to the NGA webinar on finance during challenging times.

For schools looking at setting budgets, we would encourage new governors to look at the process known as integrated curriculum and financial planning (ICFP). This is not new but would be helpful for a new governor to look at as part of their induction into financial accountability. It is a process that helps schools plan the best curriculum for their pupils with the funding they have available and involves measuring your current curriculum, staffing structure and finances, and using the data to create a 3- to 5-year plan. You can find out more here.

The Schools Financial Values Standard and Checklist Guidance is also rich with information and questions (with answers) for new governors. You can find it here.

The Department for Education has published guidance encouraging school leaders to collect information on board diversity.

In an update to what schools should publish online, it now states:

Diversity is important and we want governing boards to be increasingly reflective of the communities they serve.

We encourage schools to collect and publish governing board members’ diversity data. Information must be widely accessible to members of the school community and the public. Board members can opt out of sharing their information, including protected characteristics, at any given time including after publication.

Schools must ensure that individuals cannot be identified through the publication of data, particularly when board member levels are low. Read more about this in the data protection toolkit for schools and Equality Act 2010: advice for schools.

There is no prescriptive way to collect diversity data from volunteers; this needs to be done on a voluntary basis. Schools may prefer to adopt a similar approach to how they collate the diversity data of pupils.

We continue to encourage boards to consider widening the diversity of their boards and to consider diversity in its broadest sense. Publishing diversity data online will not achieve this. We don't fully agree with the notion of all boards representing their communities either as there are some areas of the Diocese where a lack of diversity is because those boards represent the communities they serve. Increasing board diversity isn't just about increasing representation - a board which is diverse in thought, experience and background will lead to richer discussion and better governance.

The relationship between head and chair is of paramount importance and often there is insufficient time for heads and chairs to work together to plan for strong governance. As a result, we are running a repeat of our one-day, face-to-face course to provide quality facilitated time for the head and chair to reflect on their relationship and plan together to make the board more effective. There will be time to reflect on the professional relationship between head and chair, clarify your roles and what is strategic and operational in your context. There will also be an opportunity to review your board's effectiveness and consider your roles in supporting its wider work so that you can leave the day having made a plan, together, for improving board effectiveness.

Feedback from the course held in October included:

'The impact of this course was better than expected, it was good to have a safe space to work 1 to 1 with the headteacher'

'Excellent ideas and strategies to further improve our work '

'...lots of practical ideas to take back and implement...useful and valuable!'

Many schools are working hard to improve their attendance figures which in many cases have not returned to pre-pandemic levels.

The pandemic had a significant impact on absence figures. National figures published in March show that overall absence rose from 4.6 per cent in 2020-21 to 7.6 per cent in 21/22, and persistent absence increased from 12.1 per cent to 22.5 per cent over the same period, equating to around 1.6 million pupils. With almost 40% of disadvantaged pupils being persistently absent. You can access national data here or read the analysis on this School Dash blog.

DfE guidance materials on improving attendance are available. Click here to access them.

Ofsted released a research and evidence report last year titled 'Securing Good Attendnace and Tackling Persistent Absence'. You can read it here.

Last year the DfE produced a webinar titled 'Effective Governance Which Supports Stronger Attendance'. You can view the webinar here.

• There has been lots of discussion in the press regarding artificial intelligence over recent weeks. The DfE has set out its position on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) which includes the challenges and opportunities. You can read the paper here.
• Rachel de Souza, the Children's Commissioner published her report on children's mental health services in March. There were some concerning findings, including that a third of children referred to mental health services did not receive treatment and an increase in waiting times. You can read the report here.
• A joint study by the University of Bristol and Nuffield Foundation has looked into the admissions criteria of secondary schools across the country. Findings show that geography and siblings are the most common criteria used by schools and that only a small minority of schools give priority to pupils eligible for the Pupil Premium. You can read the full report here.