Governance Today Summer 2021

This first meeting will set the tone for how governance is structured in your setting and provides an opportunity to explain the strategic role of the board in both supporting and holding the headteacher to account, whilst leaving day-to-day operational matters to the professional judgement of the headteacher and senior leadership team. Meeting with the governor mentor Consider allocating a ‘buddy’ on the governing board to chat to before the first meeting and to provide ongoing support so there is a friendly face and a known contact for those ‘silly questions’ no-one likes to ask. The choice of mentor is important; the mentor should be an experienced and proactive governor, who will set a good example to your new recruit, with the time to support them effectively as they join the board. The new governor or trustee needs to feel they can approach their mentor to ask questions, request information or seek advice. Meeting with the clerk A meeting with the clerk is useful to ensure that all the statutory paperwork is completed or in process appropriately, including an enhanced DBS check; statement of eligibility to serve; register of relevant business and pecuniary interests; information to be published on the school website and information for the Government's Get Information About Schools (GIAS) database. The board may also like the new recruit to sign the Code of Conduct at this point and arrange the date for induction training. The clerk can explain the practical side of governance, such as how to get something onto the agenda; the annual cycle of work the board uses; the policies the board is responsible for and how these are dealt with; how to deal with expenses claims etc. The clerk can also signpost to other areas of support which are available, including the Governance Consultancy Team. 15 Summer 2021 Are there any particular issues within the school (or schools) which you will need some specialist skills to help with? These might be around financial challenges, parental engagement or headteacher recruitment for example. Do these issues have a bearing on the skills you are seeking, aside from those identified in the skills audit? The Governance Handbook states: ‘They [governing boards] may interpret the word skills to include personal attributes, qualities and capabilities, such as the ability and willingness to learn and develop new skills. Experience has shown that all governors need a strong commitment to the role and to improving outcomes for children, the inquisitiveness to question and analyse, and the willingness to learn. Foundation governors need the expertise to understand the ethos of the school and its implications for the way it is governed’. There is an expectation that the governing board will make it clear what skills they are seeking to inform the electorate for any parent and staff governor/trustee election processes. There are also some strong messages that all individuals are there to ‘govern the school in the best interest of pupils, not to represent the interests of the constituency from which they were elected or appointed’ with the exception of the role that foundation governors play in safeguarding the character of the school. The parent governor election pack on the Governance Consultancy webpages has a letter template you may wish to use, which has a space to insert the particular skills the board are seeking. These skills cannot, however, be made a requirement in order to stand for an elected position; the individual is elected through the majority vote of the electorate. Looking after your new governor or trustee Assuming you have found a suitable volunteer with the skills you are seeking, (or the capacity and willingness to learn them) and you have undertaken an appropriate appointment process, you need to look after your new recruit. It may be tempting to hand over a box marked ‘New Governor’ with everything you think they could possibly need, but this can be a little daunting for the individual! Have a structured induction plan, so your newbie is nurtured over a period of terms rather than days or weeks. At new governor and trustee training events sadly very few can talk positively about their induction experiences. Set the expectation from the outset that training is part of the deal and get sessions booked up relating to the specific areas they will be involved with, alongside the induction training. The Governance Handbook suggests having a governor or trustee with a specific responsibility for looking at the training and development needs of all members of the governing board. For your new governor to fully participate try to avoid too much ‘education speak’ or acronyms at meetings and certainly make a conscious effort to unravel them for the uninitiated! Take the time at that first meeting to introduce the other governors or trustees; with a bit of background on how long they have been involved and their areas of specialism within the governing board. Induction process Remember that at this stage you do not want to swamp your new board member, but they do need sufficient information to be able to attend their first meeting with an understanding of what is going to take place. The induction will need to be tailored and adapted for each individual, people who have been a governor previously, or are completely new to the role, will need different levels of support to get up to speed with their responsibilities. Meeting with the chair and headteacher An informal meeting with the chair and the head, together with a familiarisation tour of the school (COVID -19 risk assessment permitting) is always useful and helps to start to build those professional relationships. Have a structured induction plan, so your newbie is nurtured over a period of terms rather than days or weeks “ Give an accurate picture clearly explaining the role “