Should GOVENOR meeting minutes be AVAILABLE for all parent to READ????????

[drosophila]

I would like to see them. Would it be seen as hightly unusual to ask to see them?

Yes they should. If they are not you can ask for them under the Freedom of information act.

Our school keeps them in a file near the office where all parents can access them without having to ask.

Apaprently yes

We needed a copy to see what happened when ds3's admission was discussed

mind when we asked, he was suddenly admitted

Hey ho LOL!

Interesting....

mmmh... we're always told that the meetings are highly confidential and we're not allowed to discuss any part of it even with our dps.......(sod that!)

I'd like to know whether that's actually true or not....

Not sure, because some parts of it will presumably be to discuss staffing, including salaries and any special circumstances eg. staff health. I don't think that details like that should be available to everyone (not even all staff).

Just ask the school secretary. I think you could attend the meetings too if you wanted, unless there was anything relating to particular individuals being discussed, in which case there might be confidentiality issues. But I take it you're concerned about policy, finances etc?

When we have confidential items they are on special pink paper and do not form part of the main minutes. It's very rare though (and would only be if, say a member of staff was discussed, or a specific child could be identified) and has happened twice in my two years as governor.

I'm intersted in the falling results (dramatic) the big issue of huge numbers of the kids having english as a second language and the finances in as much as - are they getting any money to cope with the social and language problems as if so what are they spending it on.

My understanding is that you are allowed to se them as an 'interested party' but that they are free to remove any confidential items.

There's a website GovernorNet which might be helpful.

Couldn't you just go and see the Head Teacher and ask, or arrange to meet up with the Chair of Governors?

Better still see if there's a vacancy for a parent governor and get yourself some nominations

The problem with the circulation of minutes is that until they're "approved" at the next meeting, which would usually be about 6 weeks later, then they're not officially the mminutes at all - so you'd always be out of date, IFSWIM. At our school they are available in the school office after they've been approved - and confidential issues, eg child protection issues, are minuted separately.

There should be a version that is available to parents. The full meeting, including confidential details of individual children, would not be shareable.

Confidential details about individual children would not in any case normally be discussed in full governing body meetings. If confidential stuff is discussed it is often minuted seperately and does not form part of the public minutes.
But normal minutes, yes, anyone should be able to see them.

actually not only are the "non- confidential' minutes public documents, which as others have said are almost all of them; perhaps one confidentail minute, if that, a meeting but you can observe the meeting if you want.

talk to the Chair, or the clerk, or the Head.

Just to add that it might depend on the size of the school. In our school, although children's names don't come up at the full gov meetings, numbers are so small that anyone who knows the kids can always tell which one is being discussed -- so our mintues err on the cautios side.