Governor recruitment, skills audits & training
13 articles
Governor skills & effectiveness
- 20 key questions for governing boards Download our 20 key questions and sources of evidence to help you evaluate how effective your governing board is.
- 5 ways to step up your governance An experienced governor gives you the 5 things he’s doing to move his board from good to great - see if they work for yours too.
- A competency framework for governance We summarise the key features of the competency framework for governance in just one page. You can also download a copy of this QuickRead as a ready-made resource to share with your governing body.
- Annual governance statements An annual governance statement is required for an academy, and is good practice for a maintained school. Get guidance on what your statement needs to contain, and take a look at examples from other schools.
- Chair of the governing board: role and responsibilities Whether you're the chair of a maintained school or academy, understand your role by downloading our role description. You'll also find skills audits to help you identify your strengths, and the skills and knowledge you still need to acquire in your role.
- Competency framework for governance: summary Understand what the competency framework for governance is and how you can use it to support training and recruitment priorities.
- Contributing to meetings: tips for new governors Free sample Top tips from our experts on how new governors can make a positive contribution, bring issues to the governing board and overcome feeling intimidated.
- External reviews of governance Find out how an external review of governance (ERG) can help you improve your board's effectiveness, and how to commission a review. Know what to expect from the review process and how to make the most of it and benefit from the reviewer's insights.
- Governing board action plans An action plan can be documentary evidence of effective governance, but they're not an Ofsted requirement. Learn how to develop and monitor an action plan and see some examples from other governing boards.
- Governing board self-evaluation: resources Follow these steps and use our resources to carry out your self-evaluation - there's a skills audit, templates to evaluate your board’s performance, and a dashboard for multi-academy trusts to get an overall picture across local governing bodies. Use our 360° feedback form to review your chair's performance.
- Governor appraisal Is there guidance on conducting governor appraisal? Three of our associate education experts give advice on the frequency and preparation for governor appraisal. We link to guidance on choosing an appraisal method. You will also find our KeyDoc template for 360° feedback for individual governors.
- Governors' skills audits Evaluate your strengths and weaknesses using our downloadable skills audit, based on the competency framework - or find out how to create your own audit using free online tools.
- How to show your board's impact on school improvement Get to grips with how your governing board can show its impact on school improvement, by being clear on your school's objectives and using evidence such as feedback from stakeholders and governing board meeting minutes.
9 articles
Recruiting & retaining governors
- Governor recruitment: application form Use our model application form to help you recruit governors and trustees, and save yourself time.
- Governor recruitment: asking for references You can ask new governors for references so you’re confident they’re suitable for the role. Use our model letter and reference form to contact referees and save you time.
- Governor recruitment: interview questions to ask Find out what questions you can ask when interviewing a prospective governor so you can make sure you have the right people for your school.
- How to encourage parents to become governors Follow these tips to put together an advert that appeals to parents and encourages them to stand for election to your governing board.
- How to encourage staff to serve on your governing board Follow these tips to put together an advert that appeals to your staff members and encourages them to stand for election to your governing board.
- How to recruit co-opted governors with the skills you need Read these pointers to recruit a governor with the skills your governing board needs, including using a governor recruitment service, creating a compelling advert and reaching out to the places where your ideal governors are.
- How to recruit school governors and trustees UpdatedWork through this step-by-step process to recruit new governors or trustees. It covers identifying your needs, advertising the role, screening candidates and making the appointment.
- New governor welcome letter: template As a chair of governors, download and adapt our template letter so you can welcome your new governor to your board with confidence.
- Recruiting parent governors: PRUs and special schools Parents may be unwilling to commit to the parent governor position if their child won’t be on roll at your school for long, or they live far away. Get guidance and tips on how to build your school community and attract people to apply to be a parent governor.
17 articles
Training & induction
- Finance glossary The key financial terms you'll encounter as a governor at a maintained school or an academy, plus a downloadable version to share with new governors.
- Finance training for school governors Strong financial management is one of the pillars of good governance. Find out what training, resources and funding are available to you to enhance your knowledge of school finance.
- Governance basics glossary The key governance terms you'll encounter, including roles on the board, school types, meeting procedures and key documents. Plus, a downloadable version to share with new governors.
- Governor and trustee pack templates Get your governors or trustees up to speed quickly with our template governor packs. Give them all the essential school and trust information and policies they need, right at their fingertips. We've also included a customisable school-on-a-page (SOAP), including a top-level version for MAT trustees.
- Governor development plan template Download our governor development plan template to help you organise the development of your governors, and follow our advice for what to consider when you’re creating your plan.
- How to induct a new governor or trustee effectively UpdatedHigh-quality induction ensures that new governors and trustees can hit the ground running. Understand what you need to do to prepare them for their role, and how you can provide ongoing support.
- Induction training for governors A solid induction can help new governors understand their roles and be effective straight away. Discover resources to help them get off to a great start.
- Keeping a record of governor training You aren't required to keep a record of governor training, but the Governance handbook suggests that you should. Use our template to record governor training for your board, and see examples of training records from other schools.
- Mentor to a new governor: role Find out what you, as the governing board, can expect from mentors supporting a new governor. Share this article with any mentors on your board.
- Ofsted glossary for governors Do you know your section 8 from your section 48? There's a lot of jargon involved in the world of school inspection. Read our definitions and download our handy KeyDoc to get up to speed.
- Performance data glossary Pupil performance data is full of technical terms and acronyms. Keep our performance data glossary on hand to help you decode your data reports, with a downloadable version to share with new governors.
- Safeguarding training for governors: guidance Governors should have regular safeguarding training. Find out what the recommendations and requirements are for various types of safeguarding training, so you can keep pupils safe.
- Safer recruitment training: statutory requirements At least one member of a selection panel must have completed safer recruitment training. Understand what the training should cover and how often it should be refreshed. We'll also point you to our safer recruitment eLearning.
- SEND glossary Get a handle on the key terms relating to special educational needs and disability (SEND), with a downloadable version to share with new governors.
- Staffing and HR glossary The key staffing, HR and employment terms you'll encounter as a governor, plus a downloadable version to share with new governors.
- Training for governors Getting the training you need to be a good governor has never been easier. Discover all the ways you can step up your governance game to support your school.
- Who’s who in your school: cheat sheet A handy guide to the most common roles you’ll come across in your school, so you know who everyone is and what they’re responsible for.