Governor training policies

Create a governor training policy to make sure everyone on your board knows their responsibilities around training and development.

Last reviewed on 12 July 2024
School types: AllSchool phases: AllRef: 38474
Contents
  1. Key facts
  2. Legal requirements
  3. What to include in your policy
  4. See examples of policies from schools
  5. Access training from GovernorHub

Legal requirements

With the exception of safeguarding and safer recruitment training (see below), there aren't any legal requirements for governors to do specific training.

It's up to your board to determine what training the board, committee members or individuals need based on roles, strengths and weaknesses (use our skills audit to find gaps in your board's skills). This is explained in the governance guides in section 1.2 for maintained schools and 4.7 for academies

Safeguarding

Governing boards and school proprietors should make sure all governors receive appropriate safeguarding and child protection training at the point of induction. Having the training ensures all governors understand their responsibilities both individually and collectively. 

Such training should provide governors with the knowledge they need to:

  • Provide sufficient challenge
  • Assure themselves that policies and procedures are effective
  • Make sure there's a whole-school approach to safeguarding in place

On top of their safeguarding and child protection training, governors should also be aware of their: