皇冠体育app

Present

John Hughes, Chair of the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee

Kathryn August, Board member

James Aston, Co-opted member

Helen Jesson, Co-opted member

Venessa Willms, Board member

Also in attendance

Amanda Spielman, Her Majesty鈥檚 Chief Inspector (HMCI), Accounting Officer

Louise Grainger, Director, Finance, Planning and Commercial

Karen Shepperson, Director, People and Operations, Item 5

Emily Williams, Private Secretary to HMCI, Item 10

Simon Helps, National Audit Office

Sebastian Groth, National Audit Office

Carol Hartley Burdett, Internal Audit 鈥� Government Internal Audit Agency (GIAA)

Ivan Cheary, Internal Audit 鈥� Government Internal Audit Agency (GIAA)

Matthew Terry, Corporate Governance Manager

Apologies

Apologies were received from Matthew Coffey (Chief Operating Officer) and Martin Spencer (Board member).

Status

Approved

1. Chairman鈥檚 introduction, declarations of interest, minutes, actions and matters arising

皇冠体育app Chair welcomed members and attendees.

皇冠体育app minutes of the previous meeting were approved without amendment.

皇冠体育app Committee noted progress against actions arising from the NAO鈥檚 review of the Committee鈥檚 effectiveness.

2. Report from Chair and Members

皇冠体育app Chair informed members that Martin Spencer, newly appointed to the Ofsted Board, has joined the Committee. Due to a pre-existing commitment Martin was unable to attend the meeting.

皇冠体育app Chair and other members of the Board attended DfE鈥檚 Arm鈥檚 Length Body Non-Executive Conference on 6 September.

3. Progress against audit recommendations, Public Accounts

Committee (PAC) actions

皇冠体育app Committee noted that actions arising from the NAO and PAC鈥檚 reports on Ofsted鈥檚 inspection of schools had been tracked to completion.

4. Internal audit progress report

皇冠体育app Committee considered and agreed proposed changes to the internal audit plan and discussed the merits of advisory audits, noting that the audit plan is focused on providing assurance to the Committee and the Accounting Officer on Ofsted鈥檚 governance, risk management and control processes.

皇冠体育app Committee were content with progress against the plan.

5. Internal audit reports

皇冠体育app EIF readiness audit was circulated to the Committee in correspondence. 皇冠体育appre were no further comments on the report.

GIAA presented the advisory report on strategic workforce planning. 皇冠体育app audit assessed whether current tactical workforce planning provided a sound basis on which to further develop strategic workforce planning and advised where good practice exists elsewhere within Government.

皇冠体育app Committee noted the report and acknowledged that strategic workforce planning remains a developing area across Government. 皇冠体育app Director, People and Operations confirmed that the audit had been beneficial, and that all recommendations had been accepted. Consideration will be given to linking this work to the ongoing review of Ofsted鈥檚 strategy.

6. Internal audit performance

皇冠体育app Committee endorsed the proposed criteria for assessing GIAA鈥檚 performance in providing our internal audit service. Committee members will be consulted as part of the process.

皇冠体育app outcome of the performance assessment will be discussed by the Committee at the close of their meeting in November.

7. External audit update

皇冠体育app Committee noted an update on NAO鈥檚 value for money audit activity.

NAO are scoping a report on the financial sustainability of colleges. Ofsted will contribute to the study and be advised on the report鈥檚 findings.

8. 2019-20 External Audit approach

Ofsted鈥檚 financial statement audit for 2019-20 will be undertaken by a third-party organisation, contracted by the NAO. 皇冠体育app Committee noted this was a change in approach from last year, acknowledging that the use of external contractors is standard practice within NAO.

皇冠体育app length of the contract tendered by NAO will be two years. 皇冠体育app Committee noted that shorter contracts can often result in time being invested in building short term relationships but noted that NAO and Ofsted will liaise closely over how this will work in practice.

Action: James Aston to check whether BDO have bid for the NAO contract relating to Ofsted鈥檚 external audit and confirm any conflicts of interest with the Corporate Governance Manager.

9. Ofsted鈥檚 Annual Report and Accounts

皇冠体育app Committee were briefed on how an error within our facility time reporting in the 2018-19 Annual Report and Accounts occurred.

皇冠体育app Committee were content that robust and swift action had been taken to mitigate the error. Planning is underway for 2019-20, when an analytical approach to checking data within the report will be implemented.

10. Strategic Risk Register

皇冠体育app Committee noted amendments made to strategic risk 2, following the Government鈥檚 announcement of new measures to improve standards in schools.

皇冠体育app Committee were briefed on Ofsted鈥檚 Brexit planning.

Action: 皇冠体育app Committee agreed to form a task and finish group to test business continuity plans.

HMCI and the Committee agreed that the Strategic Risk Register facilitates discussion at the right level and is a helpful management tool.

11. Finance update report

皇冠体育app Committee noted the year-to-date financial position and forecast against the annual budget.

12. Forward look

皇冠体育app Committee will receive an update on work undertaken to meet the requirements of the Government counter fraud standard at their next meeting on 6 November.

13. AOB

No further business was raised.

End of meeting

皇冠体育app next Audit and Risk Assurance Committee meeting will take place at 10.30am on Wednesday 6 November 2019.