Governor recruitment, skills audits & training

Download our 20 key questions and sources of evidence to help you evaluate how effective your governing board is.

An annual governance statement is required for an academy and good practice for a maintained school. Get guidance on what yours needs to contain, and take a look at examples of statements from other schools.

Whether you're the chair of a maintained school, a trust board or an LGB, understand your role by downloading our role descriptions. Use our skills audits to help you identify your strengths and areas to work on in your role.

Find out what questions you can ask when interviewing a prospective governor or trustee, so you can make sure you have the right people on your board.

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.

Use our model application form to help you recruit governors and trustees, and save yourself time.

Refer to our handy lists to help you make sense of the many abbreviations and acronyms used in the education sector, and download copies to take to meetings.

Get a handle on the key terms around cyber security so you can understand the common forms of cyber attack, and the measures your school can put in place.

Be clear on the key financial terms you'll encounter as a governor at a maintained school or an academy, plus download our glossary to share it with your board.