Quantity vs.

Quality

Abstract
Experimental manipulations of food supply were performed on soft sediment cores from two
European estuaries, the Westerscheldt and the Gironde, with a view to determining benthic
macro faunal community response. Over a period of twenty weeks in a laboratory mesocosm
system, both communities showed losses in terms of numbers of individuals and small, but non-
significant, losses in terms of numbers of species. Whereas no effect of the different types of
foods or the dose levels at which they were supplied was detected for the Westerscheldt
benthic community that of the Gironde showed some significant response. This was largely
attributed to the differential mortality of spionid polychaetes across the dose levels used, with
the highest dose, equivalent to 200 g C m -2 yr ', only just maintaining their initial population
densities . The results are discussed in terms of the importance of lateral advection of food
particles at the benthic boundary layer and the general insufficiency of many estimates of
carbon input to shallow benthic systems .

Introduction

The relationship between the quantity of organic matter potentially available to benthic
organisms and the characteristics of the faunal assemblages in which they live is complex .
Studies in the field and the laboratory have shown that the number of species and the number
of individuals can be influenced by both the quantity and quality of the organic matter on which
they feed . Whitlach (1980, 1981) demonstrated correlations between species richness and the
total amount of organic carbon in surface sediments and showed a relationship between faunal
diversity and that of potential food particles . Other authors (e .g. Beukema & Cadee, 1986 ;
Creutzberg et al., 1984) have demonstrated increases in biomass or abundance of individuals as
a result of an increased food supply. Laane et al. (1987) have suggested that the caloric content
of suspended matter can be used as an indicator of differences in biomass and production of
heterotrophic organisms between estuaries . In inshore waters, the rate of deposition of
organic matter is generally in the region of 25-75 g C m -2 (Gee et al., 1985 and references
therein) but in many areas this is substantially supplemented by anthropogenic material . As
the organic loading to the benthos increases, the number of species presents declines (although
Initially the number of individuals might rise) until in the most badly affected areas macrofauna
is totally absent (Pearson & Rosenberg, 1978) . The effects of gross organic enrichment in the
marine environment are well documented but the effects of more moderate variations in food
supply are less clear. Benthic animals utilize organic matter from many sources including in situ
production of bacteria and algae, sedimentation of phytoplankton and advection of terrigenous
material . The availability and nutritive value of these different foods varies greatly (Lopez &
Levinton, 1987 ; Levinton & Stewart, 1988) . In coastal waters, the relative contribution of each
will differ from place to place depending on topography and land drainage patterns, but at any
single location it is difficult to assess the relative importance to the benthos of the different
constituents of the pool of organic matter
Evaluation in education

Purpose of the Evaluation

1) To advise the governing body of proposals in respect of the establishment of a redefined

Governors Support Service.

2) To seek the thoughts of governing bodies on the proposals.

2. Summary of Proposals

The report clarifies the role of a Clerk to the Governing Body. A distinction is drawn between
the support required for meetings to be managed efficiently, advice on governance and advice
on educational matters. Currently the Directorate does not have the capacity to ensure, with the
current support systems, a consistently high standard for all three of these aspects across all
Governing Bodies who subscribe.

The proposal is to replace the current subscription service with a Clerking Agency Service in
April 2007. Staffordshire will recruit, train and accredit appropriately qualified clerks to
established national standards for governors’ clerks. A clear Job Description, based on the
national standards, will be available to schools. Clerks, through their training, will be able to fully
support the efficient management of meetings and provide basic guidance on governance
issues.

Advice about educational matters will be available through the usual School Improvement
Division arrangements and wider advice about issues of governance will be available through a
subscription service (see below).

Governing Bodies will therefore be responsible for appointing their own Clerk, but the Agency
will be available with a source of properly trained Clerks of high quality. Schools that choose to
employ their own staff directly as clerks will be able to access the training and accreditation
arrangements at normal Staffordshire training rates. It is likely that the cost to a Governing Body
of an Agency Clerk will be in the region of £600 for fully clerking 3 meetings.
Currently Governor Training is managed separately from other governor services within the
Directorate. It is proposed that, as from September 2006, Governor Training becomes part of
an enhanced, fully integrated Governor Support Service (see below), a “one stop shop”.
Managing the training differently will enable the needs of Governors to be identified more
accurately (see also “Self Evaluation Tool”) and to provide central and bespoke training of a
consistently high quality. Opportunities to develop on-line training will be explored.

Booking arrangements will remain as at present and costs will be broadly the same.

It is intended to develop a Self Evaluation Tool for Governing Bodies. The aim is to have this
available to all schools from September 2006 at no cost. The tool will be based around
established national standards and the legal responsibilities of Governing Bodies. It will support
completion of the Ofsted Self Evaluation Form. It will also act as one of the means by which
training and development needs can be identified. Training in the use of the tool will be made
available.

Guidance on the expectations of a Headteacher’s Report will be developed.

Note that a separate group is considering procedures for recruiting and appointing
Headteachers.

Some local authority officer time will be devoted to supporting the quality assurance work of all
Governing Bodies.

The report suggests that, as an initial step towards establishing more effective means of
communication, a survey of governors’ views is conducted. Views will be sought about the
establishment of an Advisory Group, local Governors’ Associations, localised working for
Governor Support Service officers, networking, e-updates, communication via e-mail, website
developments as well as any other ideas Governors may have.

The report proposes an enhanced, fully integrated Governor Support Service, providing:

 An Agency of Clerks
 A “one stop shop” for advice on matters associated with Governance, including on-line
advice, regular updates and a telephone help line. This will be available through a
subscription service – likely annual cost of £250.
 A range of training and development activities
 Support for Self Evaluation for Governing Bodies
 Maintain a central database of Governors
We believe these proposals are capable of delivering the vision we have for governance in
Staffordshire. An efficient and effective Governor Support Service, meeting clearly defined
standards that compare well with the best in the country, providing support for schools and the
C&LL Directorate so that:

 All Governing Bodies are in a position to judge the effectiveness of their school and to
measure the impact of their own work.
 All Governing Bodies are clear about their role and work in partnership with the school’s
leadership to achieve their shared vision.
 All Governing Bodies have efficient systems which enable them to promote
high standards of achievement and to meet statutory requirements.
 All Governing Bodies are well informed to fulfil their role.
 Every Governor is properly equipped and sufficiently confident to meet the
demands of their role on the Governing Body.
 Clerks to Governing Bodies are appointed against clearly established
standards and are trained and properly accredited to possess the necessary
skills for their work.
 Efficient and effective channels of communication exist at and between all
levels: Governor, Governing Body, School and its Community, C&LL
Directorate.
 The C&LL Directorate has effective systems to evaluate the effectiveness of
Governing Bodies and to make appropriate interventions when necessary.
 The C&LL Directorate supports the identification and dissemination of good
practice in governance across the County.