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Governor recruitment, skills audits & training
15 articles
Governor skills & effectiveness
- 20 key questions for governing boards Download the 20 key questions and sources of evidence to help you evaluate how effective your governing board is.
- 360° review of the chair of governors' performance Use our feedback form to conduct a 360° review of the chair against a range of competencies. Read advice on how to relay feedback and learn about how one governing board carries out its 360° reviews. We also include a development plan to help chairs set new goals following their appraisal.
- 360° review of the governing body's performance: questions for stakeholders What questions could the governing body ask stakeholders about itself? We have created a KeyDoc with the help of one of our associate education experts. It has examples of questions you could ask the senior leadership team, other staff, parents, and pupils about the governing body.
- 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.
- Assessing governors' confidence and understanding Are there any questionnaires to assess governor understanding? One of our associate experts suggests questions to check governors' confidence and understanding. This article also features a KeyDoc for annual evaluation of individual governors' confidence and contribution.
- 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 competency framework for governance is, and how you can use it, by reading our summary. We also link to further articles that can support your board in meeting the key competencies.
- Contributing to meetings: tips for new governors Top tips from our experts on how new governors can make a positive contribution, bring issues to the governing board and overcome feeling intimidated.
- Demonstrating governors' impact on school improvement How can governors show they are having an impact on school improvement? A national leader of governance explains how governors can demonstrate their impact on school improvement. We also look at using minutes from meetings and annual governance statements to demonstrate impact.
- 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 in 3 steps Follow these steps and download our resources to support your self-evaluation, including a skills audit, a template to evaluate your board’s performance and a template to set actions for development.
- 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.
9 articles
Recruiting & retaining governors
- Governor application form Use our model application form to help you recruit governors and trustees, and save yourself time.
- Governor recruitment: asking for references When appointing new governors, you can take references as necessary to help you make an informed decision. Use our cover letter and form.
- 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 Work 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 a governing board: interview questions What questions should I ask when interviewing prospective governors? We look at examples of questions to ask, including when interviewing potential MAT trustees. We also look at questions potential governors could ask the school.
- Recruiting parent governors: PRUs and special schools If parents live far from your school, or their child won’t be on roll there for long, it’s harder for them commit to the parent governor role. Read on for guidance on how to build your community and attract people to apply.
22 articles
Training & induction
- Coronavirus: how to induct a new governor remotely Find out how you can get your new governor started remotely and ready to contribute to your board's work, and use our checklist to help keep you on track.
- Exclusions training for governors and trustees Must we attend exclusions training? Training is not required to sit on a discipline committee, however it is recommended. All members of independent review panels must receive training. We look at what this training should cover.
- 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 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.
- Governor pack template Get your governors up to speed quickly with our template governor pack. Give them all the essential school information and policies they need, right at their fingertips. We've also included a customisable school-on-a-page (SOAP).
- Governors' handbooks: guidance and examples What might a school’s governor handbook include? We relay guidance from one of our associate education experts on information to include in a governors' handbook. We also link to examples of handbooks from schools and a local authority.
- How to induct new governors effectively High-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.
- Identifying governor training needs How can we identify our governing board's training needs? This article is accompanied by two downloadable KeyDocs to help you conduct a training needs analysis. It looks at areas of training suggested by the Department for Education, and at other ways you can prioritise training needs.
- 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 feel more prepared.
- Performance data glossary Do you know your scaled score from your progress score, or your attainment 8 from your progress 8? Pupil performance data is full of technical terms and acronyms. Keep our performance data glossary on hand to help you decode your data reports.
- 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 The key terms relating to special educational needs (SEN), plus 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 How can we find training for our governors? In this article, we link to a number of providers offering general training for governors. This includes training programmes from local authorities, and a free e-learning module from The Key.
- What is the Governance Handbook? Read what it is, who it's for, what's included, and what was in the most recent update.
- 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.