What are they?
'Monitoring visits' are where governors go into school to:
- See how a specific aspect of the school works in practice
- Check progress is being made towards the school’s strategic objectives
- Ask about and witness whether the things people say are happening, are actually happening
Your board will assign you to a particular area of the school (you might be formally appointed as a ‘link governor’, but not always). You’ll usually go in and meet the staff member responsible for this area 3 times over the year. For example, the literacy link governor will meet the literacy subject lead.
These visits are pre-arranged, and if you wish to spend time in a classroom, the school needs to be very clear why you're there.
Learning walks, where you’ll be taken around the school with the relevant staff member to get a feel for the school.