What We Do

CPD

Governor Training 2021-22

Governor Development Programme
Governor Development Programme Programme Overview: Our programme covers four sessions and will be delivered by Brian Beal – Education Consultant. This programme provides insights and working knowledge of all areas identified in ‘A Competency Framework for Governance’, (DfE 2017) that sets out the knowledge, skills and behaviours that school and academy governing boards need in order to be effective. Over the course of four sessions, and with some ‘gap tasks’, governors will be provided with opportunities to reflect on their personal contributions through their strategic role at school, but also to consider the effectiveness of their governing board as a whole and to identify where they may make adjustments to further increase the board’s impacts. Across the programme participants will be supported in carrying out a light touch review as a health check, each aspect of this aligning to the focus of each session so that each governing board benefits from a process that supports its on-going development. More information here >
Cost	£100 for all sessions
Audience:	All Governors
Date and Venue	Session Content
Session 1: Tuesday 7th December 6.00pm-8.00pm Remote Learning Session	Focus - Ethos and working practices How governing boards can be organised in order to make optimum use of time and facilitate effective decision making. How the working relationship with the headteacher supports effective leadership and management built on openness, honesty and trust Exploring the scope of the governing board’s strategic role and responsibilities and those of the headteacher, and the governing board structures through which they can be fulfilled.
Session 2: Tuesday 25th January 2022 5:15pm-8.00pm Venue TBA Arrive 5:15pm – Welcome / refreshments for 5:30pm start	Focus - Being strategic and ensuring statutory compliances Ensuring that the governing board has a high level of strategic influence, brought to bear in decision-making and making a major contribution to the leadership of the school. Ensuring that statutory policies are in place and that policy making complies with governance regulations as well as reflecting the distinctive nature of the school. Setting the budget to reflect priorities in the school’s development plan and to effectively deploy resources to achieve value for money.
Session 3: Tuesday 22nd March 2022 5:15pm-8.00pm Venue TBA Arrive 5:15pm – Welcome / refreshments for a prompt start at 5:30pm	Focus - Monitoring and evaluation How the governing board (and committees) can effectively monitor the quality of provision within the school. Evaluating pupils’ standards and tracking progress (weighting given to post-COVID catch-up and the limited access to benchmark data). Analysing the views of learners/ carers, staff and other stakeholders. Being aware of the quality of teaching and how this relates to pupil progress.
Session 4: Tuesday 3rd May 2022 5:15pm-8.00pm Venue TBA Arrive 5:15pm – Welcome / refreshments for a prompt start at 5:30pm	Focus - Getting the balance right – support and challenge Ensuring that there is a high level of trust and respect between the headteacher and governing board and that the headteacher is open to questions and suggestions from the board. Identifying clear ground rules for discussions and decision-making, including respecting confidentiality following discussions. Being able to hold the headteacher and school leadership to account by asking questions in a positive and constructive manner and ensuring that, where appropriate, the governing board follows this through. Ensuring that the governing board is able to discuss the school’s strengths and weaknesses openly and frankly with the school’s leadership team. Facilitating opportunities for the leadership team to work with governors on improvement issues and the implementation of policies.

Governor Development Programme

Programme Overview:

Our programme covers four sessions and will be delivered by Brian Beal – Education Consultant.

This programme provides insights and working knowledge of all areas identified in ‘A Competency Framework for Governance’, (DfE 2017) that sets out the knowledge, skills and behaviours that school and academy governing boards need in order to be effective.

Over the course of four sessions, and with some ‘gap tasks’, governors will be provided with opportunities to reflect on their personal contributions through their strategic role at school, but also to consider the effectiveness of their governing board as a whole and to identify where they may make adjustments to further increase the board’s impacts.

Across the programme participants will be supported in carrying out a light touch review as a health check, each aspect of this aligning to the focus of each session so that each governing board benefits from a process that supports its on-going development.

More information here >

Cost

£100 for all sessions

Audience:

All Governors

Date and Venue

Session Content

Session 1: Tuesday 7th December

6.00pm-8.00pm

Remote Learning Session

Focus - Ethos and working practices

How governing boards can be organised in order to make optimum use of time and facilitate effective decision making.
How the working relationship with the headteacher supports effective leadership and management built on openness, honesty and trust
Exploring the scope of the governing board’s strategic role and responsibilities and those of the headteacher, and the governing board structures through which they can be fulfilled.

Session 2: Tuesday 25th January 2022

5:15pm-8.00pm

Venue TBA

Arrive 5:15pm – Welcome / refreshments for 5:30pm start

Focus - Being strategic and ensuring statutory compliances

Ensuring that the governing board has a high level of strategic influence, brought to bear in decision-making and making a major contribution to the leadership of the school.
Ensuring that statutory policies are in place and that policy making complies with governance regulations as well as reflecting the distinctive nature of the school.
Setting the budget to reflect priorities in the school’s development plan and to effectively deploy resources to achieve value for money.

Session 3: Tuesday 22nd March 2022

5:15pm-8.00pm

Venue TBA

Arrive 5:15pm – Welcome / refreshments for a prompt start at 5:30pm

Focus - Monitoring and evaluation

How the governing board (and committees) can effectively monitor the quality of provision within the school.
Evaluating pupils’ standards and tracking progress (weighting given to post-COVID catch-up and the limited access to benchmark data).
Analysing the views of learners/ carers, staff and other stakeholders.
Being aware of the quality of teaching and how this relates to pupil progress.

Session 4: Tuesday 3rd May 2022

5:15pm-8.00pm

Venue TBA

Arrive 5:15pm – Welcome / refreshments for a prompt start at 5:30pm

Focus - Getting the balance right – support and challenge

Ensuring that there is a high level of trust and respect between the headteacher and governing board and that the headteacher is open to questions and suggestions from the board.
Identifying clear ground rules for discussions and decision-making, including respecting confidentiality following discussions.
Being able to hold the headteacher and school leadership to account by asking questions in a positive and constructive manner and ensuring that, where appropriate, the governing board follows this through.
Ensuring that the governing board is able to discuss the school’s strengths and weaknesses openly and frankly with the school’s leadership team.
Facilitating opportunities for the leadership team to work with governors on improvement issues and the implementation of policies.

Staff and Pupil Wellbeing
Importance:	Governors should take a strategic approach to promoting mental health in their school. A key part of this is ensuring that a promotion of mental health is embedded in all the school's policies and procedures. It is important that this is a ‘whole school’ approach, which includes pupils, staff and even members of the governing board.
Content:	This workshop will help governors consider the provision of pastoral and extra-curricular activities that: support the building of friendships and social engagement support pupils with approaches to improving their physical and mental wellbeing. address and equip pupils to respond to issues linked to coronavirus (COVID-19) Governors also have a duty of care for their headteacher and staff and will need to be assured that there are processes in place to support staff and to check that they are not overwhelmed by workload.
Audience:	All school governors, especially those with inclusion / SEND responsibilities and also performance management governors.
Dates and Time:	Thursday 18^th November 2021 6:00-8:00pm Remote session
Cost:	£35

New to Chairing – a development session for new Chairs
Importance:	Effective leadership of the governing board is crucial in ensuring that governance is effective in fulfilling its strategic functions. Becoming the Chair for the first time is a daunting prospect at the best of times, but especially so as your school’s regroup following significant disruptions due to the COVID pandemic.
Content:	This session explores: working with your headteacher and clerk to set the right agendas for your school throughout the school year. ensuring that the work of your board is focused on your school’s priorities by making sure that governors are well informed and able to engage purposefully in discussions and activities to support these. working effectively with your fellow governors to deploy their expertise and experience so that your board functions as effectively as possible. staying in control of your meetings so that everyone remains focused on their roles and responsibilities, particularly towards pupils and staff. ensuring that discussions do not stray into operational matters. NOTE: there will be some pre-reading in order to facilitate discussions during the session.
Audience:	New Chairs, Vice Chairs and those aspiring to lead their governing board.
Date and Time: Cost:	Saturday 20^th November 2021 9.30-12.30 Face-to-face – venue TBA £35

New to Chairing – a development session for new Chairs

Importance:

Effective leadership of the governing board is crucial in ensuring that governance is effective in fulfilling its strategic functions.

Becoming the Chair for the first time is a daunting prospect at the best of times, but especially so as your school’s regroup following significant disruptions due to the COVID pandemic.

Content:

This session explores:

working with your headteacher and clerk to set the right agendas for your school throughout the school year.
ensuring that the work of your board is focused on your school’s priorities by making sure that governors are well informed and able to engage purposefully in discussions and activities to support these.
working effectively with your fellow governors to deploy their expertise and experience so that your board functions as effectively as possible.
staying in control of your meetings so that everyone remains focused on their roles and responsibilities, particularly towards pupils and staff.
ensuring that discussions do not stray into operational matters.

NOTE: there will be some pre-reading in order to facilitate discussions during the session.

Audience:

New Chairs, Vice Chairs and those aspiring to lead their governing board.

Date and Time:

Cost:

Saturday 20^th November 2021

9.30-12.30

Face-to-face – venue TBA

£35

The governing board’s relationship with the headteacher: getting the balance right.
Importance:	The Governance Handbook highlights that in addition to its strategic leadership role, the board has two other core functions that are about creating robust accountability for both educational performance and financial and organisational performance, and ensuring money is well spent. However, it is crucial that the governing board plays a strategic role and avoids routine involvement in operational matters. judgement in these matters. The emphasis throughout this session is knowing and understanding what a well-balanced, constructive and positive relationship between the chair / governing board and the headteacher looks like, and how this can be sustained.
Content:	Content of this session: To know and understand the respective roles of governance and management. To know and understand the information that headteachers must provide their board with, and who is responsible for determining its content and format. To know and understand how to use the information provided by school leaders to identify lines of enquiry, formulate questions to ask at meetings in order that governance is both robust and professional in approach, and to ensure that these lead to effective decision making and outcomes. To consider effective ways of working so that processes are streamlined and that structures are fit for purpose.
Audience:	All governors and senior leaders.
Date and Time: Cost:	Tuesday 30^th November 2021 6.00-8.00 Remote session £35

The governing board’s relationship with the headteacher: getting the balance right.

Importance:

The Governance Handbook highlights that in addition to its strategic leadership role, the board has two other core functions that are about creating robust accountability for both educational performance and financial and organisational performance, and ensuring money is well spent.

However, it is crucial that the governing board plays a strategic role and avoids routine involvement in operational matters. judgement in these matters.

The emphasis throughout this session is knowing and understanding what a well-balanced, constructive and positive relationship between the chair / governing board and the headteacher looks like, and how this can be sustained.

Content:

Content of this session:

To know and understand the respective roles of governance and management.
To know and understand the information that headteachers must provide their board with, and who is responsible for determining its content and format.
To know and understand how to use the information provided by school leaders to identify lines of enquiry, formulate questions to ask at meetings in order that governance is both robust and professional in approach, and to ensure that these lead to effective decision making and outcomes.
To consider effective ways of working so that processes are streamlined and that structures are fit for purpose.

Audience:

All governors and senior leaders.

Date and Time:

Cost:

Tuesday 30^th November 2021

6.00-8.00

Remote session

£35

Understanding your school’s self-evaluation – Ofsted’s quality of education judgement
Importance:	All governors should understand what Ofsted means by 'curriculum', an to know and understand how effective your school’s curriculum is, and where it could be improved further. Governors should also understand what this may look like as schools continue to adapt their curriculum, signposting the DfE’s guidance ‘Teaching a broad and balanced curriculum for education recovery’ published in June 2021.
Content:	Governors should be familiar with the quality of education judgement provided by their school, be able to ask meaningful questions. They will need to evaluate evidence in order to understand, support and, if necessary, to question this evaluation. This session will increase your familiarity with knowing and understanding curriculum: intent – what pupils should know and be able to do by the time they leave your school. implementation – how the curriculum is taught and assessed. impact – the difference that the school’s curriculum has made for its pupils.
Audience:	All governors. This is a good follow-up session to governors that have completed, or are about to attend, induction training. In addition, governors with curriculum or teaching and learning focused remits will find this information useful.
Dates and Time: Cost:	Tuesday 8th February 2022 6.00-8.00 Remote session £35

Understanding your school’s self-evaluation – Ofsted’s quality of education judgement

Importance:

All governors should understand what Ofsted means by 'curriculum', an to know and understand how effective your school’s curriculum is, and where it could be improved further.

Governors should also understand what this may look like as schools continue to adapt their curriculum, signposting the DfE’s guidance ‘Teaching a broad and balanced curriculum for education recovery’ published in June 2021.

Content:

Governors should be familiar with the quality of education judgement provided by their school, be able to ask meaningful questions. They will need to evaluate evidence in order to understand, support and, if necessary, to question this evaluation.

This session will increase your familiarity with knowing and understanding curriculum:

intent – what pupils should know and be able to do by the time they leave your school.
implementation – how the curriculum is taught and assessed.
impact – the difference that the school’s curriculum has made for its pupils.

Audience:

All governors. This is a good follow-up session to governors that have completed, or are about to attend, induction training.

In addition, governors with curriculum or teaching and learning focused remits will find this information useful.

Dates and Time:

Cost:

Tuesday 8th February 2022

6.00-8.00

Remote session

£35

Governors – getting to know your school
Importance:	This is a useful workshop for new governors or those keen to further develop their understanding of how their school works, so that they have a good awareness of its effectiveness. In response to the COVID-19 crisis there is additional consideration of how governors can scrutinise school's planning for its use of catch-up funding and consider whether the school is: Spending the funding in line with its catch-up priorities Checking that this is being used effectively.
Content:	Governors need to know a lot about a school in order to be effective in addressing their core responsibilities. Often the amount of information is overwhelming. This session explores: the key information that all governors need to know and understand about their school and where to find this. key documentation including the school improvement / development plan and school’s self-evaluation identifying what these should include and how to evaluate whether these are fit for purpose. purposeful visits to school linked to key roles (NOTE – this includes virtual visits as necessitated by current constraints). sources, and the value of both internal and external performance data. analysing your headteacher’s reports. Consideration will be given to identifying and knowing the importance of information that is relevant to supporting their school through the COVID-19 crisis and beyond.
Audience:	All governors that wish to increase their engagement during governing board meetings.
Date and Time: Cost:	Wednesday 30^th March 2022 6.00-8.00 Remote session £35

Governors – getting to know your school

Importance:

This is a useful workshop for new governors or those keen to further develop their understanding of how their school works, so that they have a good awareness of its effectiveness.

In response to the COVID-19 crisis there is additional consideration of how governors can scrutinise school's planning for its use of catch-up funding and consider whether the school is:

Spending the funding in line with its catch-up priorities
Checking that this is being used effectively.

Content:

Governors need to know a lot about a school in order to be effective in addressing their core responsibilities.

Often the amount of information is overwhelming.

This session explores:

the key information that all governors need to know and understand about their school and where to find this.
key documentation including the school improvement / development plan and school’s self-evaluation identifying what these should include and how to evaluate whether these are fit for purpose.
purposeful visits to school linked to key roles (NOTE – this includes virtual visits as necessitated by current constraints).
sources, and the value of both internal and external performance data.
analysing your headteacher’s reports.

Consideration will be given to identifying and knowing the importance of information that is relevant to supporting their school through the COVID-19 crisis and beyond.

Audience:

All governors that wish to increase their engagement during governing board meetings.

Date and Time:

Cost:

Wednesday 30^th March 2022

6.00-8.00

Remote session

£35

Induction – Welcome to Governance! Highly recommended for all new governors
Importance:	There has never been a more challenging time to become a school governor as schools and their governing boards are continually having to respond to ongoing and rapidly changing guidance due to the COVID crisis. It is crucial that governors understand their roles and how these support and compliment those of school leaders in these most challenging of times. The purpose of this face-to-face induction session is to ensure that you know and understand your responsibilities as you contribute to the work of your governing board in fulfilling its statutory duties. It aims to provide you with the insights and the confidence to contribute effectively in your first year as a new governor.
Aims & Objectives:	The session covers: knowing and understanding the core functions of the governing board and the key features of effective governance: the governing board’s accountability to, and relationship with others (e.g. Ofsted, DFE, LA, Diocese); the governance structure of the organisation, including its constitution and procedures, scheme of delegation and how and where decisions can be made.
Audience:	All new governors, including for maintained schools and academies (including at local and trust levels).
Dates and Time: Cost:	Saturday 7th May 2022 9:30am to 2:45pm Face-to-face – venue TBA £45

Induction – Welcome to Governance!

Highly recommended for all new governors

Importance:

There has never been a more challenging time to become a school governor as schools and their governing boards are continually having to respond to ongoing and rapidly changing guidance due to the COVID crisis. It is crucial that governors understand their roles and how these support and compliment those of school leaders in these most challenging of times.

The purpose of this face-to-face induction session is to ensure that you know and understand your responsibilities as you contribute to the work of your governing board in fulfilling its statutory duties. It aims to provide you with the insights and the confidence to contribute effectively in your first year as a new governor.

Aims & Objectives:

The session covers:

knowing and understanding the core functions of the governing board and the key features of effective governance:
the governing board’s accountability to, and relationship with others (e.g. Ofsted, DFE, LA, Diocese);
the governance structure of the organisation, including its constitution and procedures, scheme of delegation and how and where decisions can be made.

Audience:

All new governors, including for maintained schools and academies (including at local and trust levels).

Dates and Time:

Cost:

Saturday 7th May 2022

9:30am to 2:45pm

Face-to-face – venue TBA

£45

Understanding Academy Trust Governance: Structures and Roles
Importance:	Academy Trusts with multiple academies may establish a type of committee known as a Local Governing Body (LGB). They are a full and formal part of the Trust governance structure. Academy Trustees will decide what governance functions they will delegate, and these are identified in the Academy Trust’s Scheme of Delegation. Local governors need to be aware that trustees could choose to vary the extent of delegation over time.
Aims & Objectives:	This workshop aims to explore and clarify how local governors should: · Support the effective operation of the Trust and its policies · Provide support and challenge to local (school level) leadership within a clear accountability process set out by the Trust. · Provide a vehicle for the Trust’s engagement with the school, its parents and local community. · Bring issues and risks to the attention of the Trust Board. · Provides constructive feedback to the Board where a policy may not be effective in the local context and to suggest alternative approaches. · Ensuring that the Trust works as one entity in the interests of all of it schools.
Audience:	Members of Local Governing Boards / Academy Headteachers / Principals.
Date and Time: Cost:	Wednesday 18th May 2022 6.00-8.00 Remote session £35

Understanding Academy Trust Governance:

Structures and Roles

Importance:

Academy Trusts with multiple academies may establish a type of committee known as a Local Governing Body (LGB). They are a full and formal part of the Trust governance structure.

Academy Trustees will decide what governance functions they will delegate, and these are identified in the Academy Trust’s Scheme of Delegation. Local governors need to be aware that trustees could choose to vary the extent of delegation over time.

Aims & Objectives:

This workshop aims to explore and clarify how local governors should:

· Support the effective operation of the Trust and its policies

· Provide support and challenge to local (school level) leadership within a clear accountability process set out by the Trust.

· Provide a vehicle for the Trust’s engagement with the school, its parents and local community.

· Bring issues and risks to the attention of the Trust Board.

· Provides constructive feedback to the Board where a policy may not be effective in the local context and to suggest alternative approaches.

· Ensuring that the Trust works as one entity in the interests of all of it schools.

Audience:

Members of Local Governing Boards / Academy Headteachers / Principals.

Date and Time:

Cost:

Wednesday 18th May 2022

6.00-8.00

Remote session

£35

CPD

Governor Training 2021-22

More information here >

Latest from Twitter

Follow us @EskValleyTSA