Corporate report

Audit and Risk Assurance Committee minutes: 17 September 2020

Updated 23 October 2023

Applies to England

Present

Martin Spencer, Chair

Dame Kathryn August, Board member

Venessa Willms, Board member

Dame Laura Wyld, Board member

James Aston, Co-opted member

Also in attendance

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

Matthew Coffey, Chief Operating Officer

Louise Grainger, Director, Finance, Planning and Commercial

Dame Christine Ryan (Shadowing), Chair of the Ofsted Board

Carol Hartley Burdett, GIAA

Ivan Cheary, GIAA

Robert Laid, GIAA

Colin Wilcox, NAO

Emily Williams, Deputy Director Strategy, Governance and Private Office – Items 5 and 9

Lee Owston, Programme Director, Schools Inspection Improvement – Items 5 and 9

Lucy Mayor, Corporate Governance Officer

Apologies

Karen Murray (Mazars)

Status

Approved

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

Dame Christine Ryan declared her position as Board Member at Ofqual.

The minutes of the previous meeting were approved with no amendment.

2. Report from Chair and Members

HMCI provided an update on the autumn visits programme. Routine inspections will not resume until January 2021 at the earliest.

3. Progress against audit recommendations

The Committee noted the progress made against the audit recommendations.

Two recommendations relating to the organisational efficiency audit are delayed due to the impact of the pandemic. Both risks are classified as low priority and will be completed by December.

4. Internal Audit progress report

Committee members noted progress against the annual audit plan and agreed the proposed changes to the plan.

5. Issued internal audits 2020-21

GIAA presented their reports on Use and Analysis of Post-Inspection Surveys, Cyber Security and the COVID-19 response.

The Committee discussed the findings of the Post-Inspection Surveys audit and noted that work is underway to meet the proposed recommendations.

Committee members noted that cyber security, risk management and controls are effective.

Committee members reviewed the summary findings of the review of Ofsted’s COVID-19 response. GIAA will share the cross-government business continuity arrangements for COVID-19 report once published. This will help establish the best practice from other government departments at this time.

6. Internal audit performance

The Committee agreed to the approach for assessing the performance of GIAA.

HMCI will review the outcome of the assessment and if the decision is made not to extend the arrangement with GIAA a procurement exercise will be undertaken to identify a new internal auditor service for 2021-22.

7. External audit update – Value for Money

The Committee discussed the upcoming report on support for education during the pandemic and its link to the autumn term visits to schools currently taking place. NAO will provide Ofsted with the opportunity to contribute to this report. The publication date is currently to be confirmed.

8. Financial audit update 2020-21

The Committee noted that the 2020-21 audit planning report is expected at the next audit committee meeting in November.

9. Update on Strategic risks

The Committee reviewed the current strategic risks, including those specific to COVID-19 and the deployment of a small number of staff continuing to support other government departments, including Ofqual.

10. Finance update report

The Committee noted the financial position at the end of period 4.

11. AOB

No further business was raised.

End of meeting

The next Audit and Risk Assurance Committee meeting will take place at 10.30am on 11 November 2020.