Governance Update – March 2015
This update from Kathy Dunnett covers three topics:
External Reviews of Governance
These are fast becoming a useful tool to demonstrate and improve the effectiveness of your governing body. The review was originally designed for ‘Requires Improvement’ (RI) schools and is led by the National College for Teaching and Leadership. It has become more popular with governing bodies wanting to be Outstanding, and Outstanding governing bodies needing to run a ‘health check’ to ensure they are in line with the current framework.
In Hertfordshire the framework has been modified over the last two years, and a team of external reviewers have been trained and mentored. This good practice has been nationally recognised and, more recently, Hertfordshire (HfL Governance) has been involved in updating the national guidance and training which is currently being rolled out.
The Hertfordshire reviews are rigorously quality assured by the governance team, and the reviewers (all selected through an interview process) are given regular updates to ensure their work is of a high standard. Kathy Dunnett, Governance Officer and a National Leader of Governance, is leading on the process. She said, “More and more is being asked and expected of governors. A review can encourage a governing body to reflect and regroup. It is developmental and enables governors to know they are on the right track.”
To book or enquire about an External Review of Governance, please contact: kathy.dunnett@nullhertsforlearning.co.uk
For more information see: https://www.gov.uk/reviews-of-school-governance.
Governor Recruitment Roadshow
HfL’s Governance Team are linking up with Hertfordshire Association of School Governors (HASG – www.hertsgovernors.org/) and SGOSS Governors for Schools (voluntary governor recruitment agency – www.sgoss.org.uk/) to run a series of weekend roadshows during May and June to support schools in recruiting governors, and to raise the profile of the role.
The responsibility of a school governor has changed dramatically over the last five years and so have the expectations. School governance is now a professional role, and governors therefore need the right skills and training to make the greatest impact. With current demands on everyday working life, recruiting good governors has become more and more difficult in some parts of the county.
To support governing bodies and schools, six dates have been confirmed with possibility of the Hertfordshire County Show (to be confirmed):
(9am – 4pm)
- 16th May – Wolsey Hall, Cheshunt
- 6th June – District Council Offices, Stevenage
- 27th June – The Roundhouse Volunteer Centre, Hemel Hempstead
HCC Offices (10am – 3pm)
- 9th June – County Hall, Hertford
- 15th June – Apsley, Kings Langley
- 29th June – Stevenage
If you would like to book a slot at one of these events or get involved in raising the profile of the governor role, please contact: kathy.dunnett@nullhertsforlearning.co.uk.
Outstanding School Governor Awards 2015
Sponsored by the Hertfordshire Association of School Governors, and organised in association with Herts for Learning
These awards aim to celebrate outstanding and distinguished service of school governors in Hertfordshire, and are an opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to governors that demonstrate exceptional practice. The winners will be announced at the Hertfordshire Governors’ Annual Conference in November 2015.
Awards & Prizes
- each winning governor (total of three) will be awarded a £50 prize
- prizes of £500 will be awarded to the schools of the three winning governors. The £500 is to be spent so it directly benefits the students; it is not to be spent on teaching or teachers as we would like the money to be spent on something the school has not included in its budget
- all nominators will be put into a prize draw and three will be drawn at random and be awarded a £25 prize.
Entry
The awards are for individual school governors’ work, service, or commitment and not that of a governing body as a whole; the submission therefore needs to make clear the specific role that was played by the governor. Nominated governors will need to have given a total of at least five years’ service within Hertfordshire schools. However, this is not restricted to governorship at any one school.
Closing date for nominations: Friday 22nd May 2015
Nominations must be emailed/posted to HASG; entry forms and information on where to send them can be found here: http://www.hertsgovernors.org/2015/02/outstanding-governor-awards-2015-nominations/
Shortlisting will take place during the summer of 2015. A member of the judging panel will then visit finalists’ schools for discussions with the nominator(s).
Further information has also been sent out via the Chairs Service; if you have any other queries please contact: admin@nullhertsgovernors.org or kathy.dunnett@nullhertsforlearning.co.uk.