Governing Body Support

Collaboratives.co.uk have delivered many courses for governors and trustees. We are ourselves Chairs of Governors (both community and church schools) and can offer over 30 years of governorship between us. In addition, we are also Trustees of two Co-operative Trusts and a Trustee and Member of a Multi Academy Trust

Some examples of our programmes are:

• Role of the Chair
• Head, Chair and Clerk Working Together
• The Strategic Role and Ensuring Accountability
• Collaborations and Partnerships (includes Academy Governance)
• Being Strategic
• Financial Efficiencies
• Effective School Visits/Learning Walks
• Question and Challenge, Having Difficult Conversations
• What Does Data Tell Us?
• Creating a New School Vision & Values
• Understanding Performance Management and Appraisal – the Governor’s Role
• Working with the Local Community
• Good Relationships and Effective Meetings
• Becoming or Joining a MAT

Below is an example of an Induction Course that has been run on a 3-session basis but equally can be used as cherry-picked individual information/training inputs – these are usually delivered pre governor meetings to make best use of time.

1. Governing for Impact

Roles & responsibilities -    3 Core functions; Strategic vision, Holding the HT to account, Financial effectiveness: Governor ‘job description’

Powers -    Ensuring governors understand their statutory duties

Strategic v operational -     Sorting of potential governor activities

Managing risks -    Brain storming or mind mapping risks; reputational, safeguarding, community, educational, environmental, financial etc

Committee structures -    Sub committees, Terms of Reference, specifically convened committees

Governor competencies -    Skills audit tool; have we got the right team?

Link Governors -    Specific areas of responsibility; H&S, EYFS, SEN, LAC, Safeguarding, Attainment/Progress, RE/ Collective Worship, Curriculum, Staffing, Appeals, Attendance, GDPR, Grievance etc

Different Governance Types -    Foundation, staff, parents, LA Governors and Trustees, Directors, Members. Board v LGB

2. Learning About Your School

Culture & ethos -    Vision & Values of your school

School designation -    Academy, Maintained, MAT, Trust & their governance structures

Delivering the Curriculum -    Understanding the National Curriculum requirement

School Policies -    Ensuring school is fully compliant with local and national legislation, policy and good practice including the role of unions and professional associations

Performance tables -    Data sources; online, benchmarking, External Learning Partner reports

Visiting school -    Purpose of visit- sharing protocols & good practice

HT report -    Looking at anonymised HT report, what to look out for

Working with the school community -    How to positively engage with stakeholders

3. Being Accountable

Good questions to ask -    Ie. How to challenge the Head

Finance -    SVFS, ESFA, LA, Benchmarking, Pupil Premium, Staffing & PRP

Key relationships -    LA, Diocese, Chair of Governors, Clerk to the Governing Body, MAT Board, CEO, Partner schools, community leaders

OFSTED -    Inspection framework, Gather information in advance- good practice shared

Review & self-evaluation -    Assessing our effectiveness & making a difference

Effectiveness -    Features of effective governance checklist

GOVERNOR CASE STUDY:

Collaboratives worked with the Governing Body of a large Church Primary School to help them refocus as a Governing Body in order to be more effective and to help induct a new cohort of enthusiastic, but inexperienced members. We met initially with the Chair of Governors and the Senior Leadership Team of the school to discover exactly what outcomes were being hoped for from the training.

Subsequently we planned and delivered two evening training sessions with the full Governing Body to address the following;

• Core functions of the GB: Strategic vision, holding the Head to account and financial probity.
• Skills audit, values sharing and leading strategic improvement.
• Focus on strategic leadership, not operational involvement.
• Being a ‘critical friend’.
• 7 Key Principles of Public Life
• Roles of various Governance structures and offices eg committees.
• Looked at the Christian values of the school and the role of Governors in a Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools. (SIAMS).
• We conducted a focussed learning walk with Governors and asked them to report back their ‘evidence’ of where they had seen for themselves that these Christian values were being lived out in school.

What people say about us

"Outstanding training from Collaboratives"

"It has been a very positive learning experience and has also got the governors working together well."

"Very clear and comprehensive information. Good to get examples to draw on. Helped formulate actions to be carried out in school."