ADSO Conference and Awards 2023
Just reflecting on a busy week ending with the brilliant ADSO Conference and Awards in Oxford. The conference had some great speakers and workshops and was a fantastic occasion for networking and meeting friends old and new.
We are still collating feedback so if you were a delegate, please do complete the survey link which was sent to you on Friday as soon as possible as the survey will close next Monday, 4 December. The conference was a real team effort but particular thanks must go to Sarah Hawkins for coordinating everything and ensuring things went smoothly over the two days. Thanks also to everyone who supported Sarah, it really is appreciated. We will be writing to delegates about how to access speaker PowerPoints shortly.
There will be more information on the awards and the winners in next week’s newsletter, but I would like to record my own congratulations to all those shortlisted and to the winners. The newsletters in the forthcoming weeks will share more feedback from the Conference and the Awards.
Director of Communications
There is one person who is always key to the success of the conference and the smooth running of ADSO generally and that is the brilliant Joanna Boaler. The conference though marked the end of an era as Joanna is stepping down from her role on the ADSO Board as the Director of Communications. Joanna is shortly going on maternity leave and has taken the time to have a break from ADSO and her Director role. John Austin, Chair of ADSO paid tribute to Joanna at the conference and thanked her for her dedication, professionalism, support and friendship.
General meeting – Revised Articles of Association
At the General Meeting held during the conference, a revised set of articles of association was approved and some key changes made. The agenda can be accessed here
One particular change was to hold the Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the beginning of the calendar year, outside of the conference and for it to be virtual so more people would be able to attend. That was agreed by the General Meeting and therefore the AGM for ADSO will be on Thursday 8th February 2024 at 4pm to 5pm, so please save the date in your diary. Further details will be circulated soon.
It was also agreed to stagger the terms of office of the Directors and with Joanna stepping down from the position of Director of Communications, this will be the only role up for election at the AGM in February 2024. Under the Articles of Association, applications for the Director of Communications role have to be submitted 6 weeks in advance of the AGM. This means that any application must be received before 4pm on Thursday 28th December 2023.
Under the Articles of Association, candidates for election shall require to be proposed and seconded by two Members of the Association. If more than one valid nomination is received for the position, then a ballot of all the Members will be held in the run up to the Annual General Meeting. Such ballot may be held electronically. The application must also consist of written endorsement of their candidacy from the applicant’s employer, a recent photo for the newsletter and website and a 200-word biography detailing the candidate’s qualifications, work experience and what they expect to bring to the role. The biography will be used should there be an electronic vote.
The Role Profile for the Director of Communications can be accessed at https://www.adso.co.uk/about-us/nomination-of-adso-directors/ For further information please contact Mark Towers. Applications should also be sent to Mark at mark.towers@adso.co.uk.
Training Course Pilots
There are two training courses currently being developed (details below) and participants are sought to assist in their fine tuning by way of two pilot sessions. The pilots will be virtual and free to attend and attendees are sought who can review the course once delivered and provide feedback for their final compilation. If you can fulfil what is required and can attend one of the pilots then please contact adsotraining@emcouncils.gov.uk
An introduction to School Admissions Appeals for Democratic Governance staff – 29 November, 9:30-12:30
This session will be aimed at those with some Democratic Governance experience but limited school appeals experience, i.e. not for those that lead on school admission appeals. This session will focus on the legal framework behind admissions and appeals and the processes and softer skills required before, at and after the appeal.
Becoming a Monitoring Officer/Deputy Monitoring Officer – 24 January, 14:00-17:00
This session will provide a practical perspective and guidance on the role of DSO/DSM as a Monitoring Officer. Whilst the Course will briefly cover the legislative position, the aim is to give practical advice and tips on how to undertake the MO/DMO role as a DSO/DSM and how this may be different to the way in which a Legal Services Manager and other senior officers may undertake the role. This session will be aimed at newly appointed Monitoring Officers or DMO/s or DSO’s interested in taking on this role in the future.
Mark Towers, Company Secretary