## NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING _Date and Time_ and ANNUAL REPORT 2023 _Meeting details_ ## AGENDA 1. Welcome 2. Apologies 3. Minutes of Annual Meeting held on 4. To receive the Annual Report 5. To receive the Accounts for the period ending 31[st] December 2023 6. Election of Examiner 7. Election of Trustees 8. Any notified business ## CHAIRMAN’S REPORT A re-reading of the report from 2022 would note that it began by indicating that the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic which began in 2020 was still being felt. Happily this has not been so apparent during the past year. It is to be hoped that we are able to avoid similar problems in the future. That being said, 2023 has certainly been very busy and has seen the reach (and it is hoped the reputation of NASS) develop across a range of links both nationally and internationally. Whilst we are still very active in assisting small schools in danger of closure, we have been able to support colleagues in different settings. We continue to maintain close links with small school colleagues across the country via our regular Zoom meetings which take place four times each term. A range of topics have been discussed either ones which arise from the participants themselves or via a presentation by an expert in a particular subject area. These links are further augmented via article in the termly Newsletter and these have become a vehicle for expanding the NASS network. These Networks now include: - British Educational Research Association (BERA) where the link established in 2021 has been maintained through the attendance at another online conference - The Small Schools Manifesto, developed from the BERA conference in 2021 has been widely circulated both nationally and internationally and it always presented to members and other colleagues new to NASS - Small school MATs – Aspire in Cornwall and Elevate in North Yorkshire are two examples where the growing move to incorporate small school more effectively into MATs has been developed - Herts. for Learning is now a valued part of the NASS network and their specific CPD specifically directed at small schools has proved of great value - Foundation for Education Development, an organisation covering the whole direction of future strategies for Education is now a part of NASS thinking - Head teacher groups in Essex and Suffolk are now valued friends of NASS - Colleagues in Cornwall and Nottinghamshire Local Authorities have made contact with NASS and close ties have been established via online meetings with head teachers - A small schools Conference in Kent organised by The Education People in April 2023 was unable to be supported by NASS due to illness. A second similar event has been June 2024 when NASS will provide some financial support to enable a fuller timetable to be enjoyed - A developing relationship has been established with the Association of Education Advisers. Although in the early stages this promises to become increasingly valuable due to the range of contacts offered by this organisation. Here it is a case of – watch this space. NASS has always had close links with Ofsted and has been able to reflect the feelings of members at changes in the Inspection framework and the processes involved. Following on from adverse (and somewhat inaccurately presented) information about the quality of education on offer in small schools, Ofsted organised a working party to develop improved training for their inspectors. NASS participated in both face to face and online meetings of the working party from November 2022 until December 2023. New training was then introduced and reports and information from colleagues following their experiences of the improved inspection process will be passed on to Ofsted. Prior to the working party meeting, NASS members were asked to provide their own comments about the experiences of the inspection process. These were simply cut and pasted, anonymised and passed on to the team. A similar process was undertaken in July when evidence about Ofsted was requested by the Education Select Committee of the House of Commons in July 2023. It was pleasing to see that this evidence was name checked in the final report of the Committee. NASS also maintains close links with local and national radio and newspapers on a wide range of subject areas. The links established following the BERA conference in 2021and the great support offered by Dr Cath Gristy from Plymouth University has seen a pleasing rise in research involving small schools. Colleagues both nationally and internationally have joined Zoom meetings, individual telephone conversation and have submitted articles to the NASS Newsletters. It is hoped to organise separate Zoom meeting for these colleagues in the future. This is one of a number of exciting developments taking place which will enable NASS to develop the links mentioned above even further. Twitter (now X for some reason) has shown a huge increase in followers and is utilised as a vehicle for many colleagues to seek support and guidance. The website too is undergoing significant improvements designed to meet the needs of both members and to provide a wider range of information to colleagues around the world. Although 2023 has seen a number of exciting events it has not been with problems for individual colleagues. Significant issues of ill health have been seen which have caused colleagues to relinquish their roles within NASS. We thank them for all their efforts in the past as NASS could not have grown without their work. At the same time it is important that the efforts of the committee should be applauded in providing the platform for NASS to make the progress seen in 2023. My personal thanks to all these who volunteer their time and expertise to ensure that the ‘voice of small schools’ continues to be heard. _Neil Short (Chairman)_ NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SMALL SCHOOLS Receims and Payments account for the period 1st January 2023 to 31 st December 2023 Registered Charity No. 1169002 Receipts Unrestricted Restricted Fund Fund Total Funds 2022 81 Receipts 9 Subscriptions 10 Donations I I Consultancy 12 Conference 13 HMRC 14 15 Total Recelpts 16 17 Payments 18 N¢wsletters 19 Travel and Expenses 20 Web Site Management 21 ZOOM Meeling Expenses 22 Athninislration 23 ZOOM Renewal 24 25 26 Totsl payments 27 28 Net of receipt￿paYMen 2032.14 29 Cash funds last year en 8922.16 30 Cash funds this year en 10954.30 31 32 Represented by 33 Co-op Bank 34 35 3087.00 325.00 3087.00 325.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2837 356 3412.00 0.00 3412.00 3193 284.89 247.00 120.00 284.89 247.00 120.00 0.00 584.09 143.88 187 415 120 360 349 120 584.09 143.88 1379.86 0.00 1379.86 1551 0.00. 2032.14 1642.00 8922.16 7280.00 0.00 10954.30 8922.00 10954.30 10954.30 10954.30 10954.30 36 37 38 39 D.R. Woodage Examiner Dale