The Department for Education (DfE) has produced the Governance Handbook which provides information about the role and legal duties of governing boards in maintained schools and academies (including free schools).
Improving your Governing Board
Governing boards want to do the very best they can for their schools, pupils and local communities. That is why their members give so freely of their time. Below are listed some ideas, tools and materials to help governors reflect on their practice by considering the principles and approaches they use. Each governing board is unique and different methods of improvement may work better for one governing board than another.
Governing Board Health Check
An effective governing board is involved in tracking school improvement, but also has a duty to review its own practices, processes and operation. One way of doing this is to carry out a self-review, involving the whole governing board.
It is recommended that a self-review of the governing board is carried out either annually or biannually.
Once completed, the areas that the governing board wish to improve can form the basis of a Governing Board Improvement/Action Plan, which can either be a stand-alone document, or be added to the School Improvement Plan, to be updated at governing board meetings as outcomes are achieved.
The Governor Support Team have developed an example Health Check, including an Action Plan (with examples) which you may find useful as a starting point and can be found within the Governing Board Health Check and Action Plan.
National Governance Association
The National Governance Association (NGA) is an independent charity representing and supporting governors, trustees and clerks (governance professionals) in maintained schools and academies in England.
The NGA's goal is to improve the wellbeing of children and young people by increasing the effectiveness of governing boards and promoting high standards. It does this by providing information, advice, guidance, research and training. It also works closely with, and lobbies, UK government and educational bodies, and is the leading campaigning national membership organisation for school governors and trustees.
The NGA provides a number of resources which you may find useful.
Code of Conduct
The Code of Conduct sets out the purpose of the governing board, expectations of governors and describes the appropriate relations between individual governors, the whole governing board and the leadership team of the school.
Details on becoming a member of the NGA are available on their website.
Governor development
A good governing board takes responsibility for training its governors and most have a governor or clerk (governance professional) with the specific responsibility for ensuring every governor develops the skills they need to be effective. Each individual governing board will differ, however the role of the person responsible for governor development may include:
- helping the governing board to identify its training needs
- encouraging individual governors to attend training courses and report back to the governing board
- providing relevant information to the governing board about training matters
- becoming a link for training and development between the governing board, Local Authority and other partners
- inducting new governors and making them aware of training opportunities
- encouraging all governors to become involved in the work of the governing board and the school
Giving new and existing governors the opportunity to develop their skills will enable them to make an active and valuable contribution to the work of the governing board.
Governor induction
It is important that new governors feel welcomed into the governing board and school community and have the necessary information and support to fulfil their role with confidence.
Policies
Schools have a wide range of policies and procedures which govern the safe and compliant operation of the school. The Department for Education (DfE) provides guidance on the policies and documents that governing boards and proprietors of schools must have. These are included in the Maintained Schools governance guide (GOV.UK)
For all categories of schools, other than statutory policies a governing board/school is free to put in place policies that they feel are necessary to aid the operation of the school.
School complaints
All Local Authority maintained schools are required by law to establish a complaints procedure and to publish that procedure on their website.
Information regarding complaints can be found on the DfE website, including a model complaints procedure (GOV.UK).
Schools are free to make any changes to suit their individual school's situation and the needs of the local community; or to write their own; or to adopt any other recommended model (by the Diocesan authority, for example).
The school complaints procedure should be reviewed and readopted annually, to ensure that all governors and staff are reminded of the procedure.
If, at any stage, a complaint is received alleging child abuse against a member of staff or school volunteer, the member of staff or governor receiving the complaint will contact the Local Authority for advice immediately via the Local Authority Safeguarding Hub or Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO).
Your school should have adopted a separate procedure for dealing with such allegations, but in any case, the LADO will advise you to ensure that the procedures set out by the Cumbria Safeguarding Children Partnership are followed.
Any other allegation of misconduct or misbehaviour by a member of staff should not be treated using the complaints procedure: the governing board should have adopted a separate disciplinary procedure for dealing with such matters, the schools HR provider should also be able to offer support, advice and guidance through this procedure.
Complaints about academies
Academies are required to have a procedure for dealing with complaints, which must be made available on request. The DfE have produced guidance on setting up a complaints procedure for academies (GOV.UK).
Ofsted
For anyone who has a concern or a complaint about the quality of education provided by a Local Authority maintained school or an academy school (though not usually concerns relating to an individual child).
Complaints to Ofsted about schools (GOV.UK)
Communications
The Governor Support Team prefers to communicate electronically with governors and clerks (governance professionals). We find this to be the most effective method, and judging by your comments, this works best for you.
The Governor Support Team keeps contact details for the chair and clerk (governance professional) of a governing board. The team are grateful to clerks (governance professionals) who routinely inform us of changes to contact details.
The Governor Support Team are happy to use personal email addresses if this is requested of us, however there is a facility available to use two specific email addresses: chair@nameofschool, and clerk@nameofschool.
Should you wish to utilise these addresses or you experience any difficulties and your school subscribes to Cumbria ISP please email ictservicedesk@cumbria.gov.uk marked FAO School ICT for further advice and guidance.
School Portal
Information is also made available via the School Portal covering a wide range of school business topics of interest to governors and clerks (governance professionals). A school has provision for 5 access logons to the Portal. This can be increased to six, to accommodate a member of the school's governing board. Governors will have access to general (non confidential) information that is sent to schools.
There are no restrictions as to which governor is granted access; it is advisable though, that this person is tasked to cascade information accessed from the Portal to all governor colleagues.
To request a logon, governors will need a school email address that ends in '.cumbria.sch.uk'. Accounts can be requested or removed at any time. The account details will be forwarded to that person's school email address, the user can then log into the School Portal from any computer linked to the internet - the user does not have to be in school to access the Portal.
For full instructions and support, you can email the School Portal Team.
Email: school.portal@cumbria.gov.uk
Login details are not to be shared with other governors or colleagues.
Support for the Governing Board
There has been a great deal of development regarding how schools and their communities can be supported and challenged to develop successfully, in order to improve the outcomes for pupils.
Resources for governance support and improvement
Maintained Schools governance guide
Academy Trust governance guide
This is a reference document for those involved in trust governance. It provides essential information from a range of sources on the trust board’s roles and legal responsibilities. The Academy Trust Handbook (ATH) and your funding agreement have more information on contractual requirements.
Constitution of governing bodies of maintained schools statutory guidance
Statutory guidance setting out the arrangements for the constitution of school governing boards.
Constitution of governing bodies of maintained schools (GOV.UK)
The School Governance (Roles, Procedures and Allowances) (England) Regulations 2013
Guidance to help school leaders and governing boards of maintained schools to understand their obligations and duties.
Department for Education
Contains a range of information and resources, for example: teaching and learning; pupil support; leadership and governance.
Ofsted
Ofsted is the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills. They inspect and regulate services that care for children and young people, and services providing education and skills for learners of all ages. The Ofsted Inspection Framework sets out how the general principles and processes of inspection are applied to maintained schools and several other types of school in England.
Analyse School Performance
All board members should be aware of Analyse School Performance which provides schools and other existing user groups with detailed performance analysis.
To access you will need to request a Department for Education (DfE) Sign-in account from the DfE Sign-in approver at your organisation.
Learning Improvement Service
Information about the essential work of the Learning Improvement Service which is conducted in full partnership with the Local Alliance of System Leaders (LASL).
Church of England Diocese Catholic Diocese
Support for schools who are founded by and part of a church.
Church of England's Diocese of Carlisle (website)
National Governance Association (NGA)
The NGA is a membership organisation providing advice, support and representation for governors.
National Governance Association Learning Link (NGA LL)
The National Governance Association Learning Link modules are accessible free of charge to all governors of Cumberland LA Maintained and Academy Schools.