Governing Body Annual Conversation Toolkit sample pages

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Governing Body Annual Conversation Toolkit

Approval & Review

Approved by Governing Board: insert date of approval by board

Date due for review: insert review date and frequency (suggest 2 years)

Contents

The Toolkit

OurSchool

Statement of

Purpose of the annualconversation Openers

PersonalSkillsand Attributes

HowourGoverning Body works

OurImpact What difference doesourboard make?

PracticalMatters

Agreeing actions

The Toolkit

This toolkit is a framework to ensure that governors:

• are confident, know and understand their role/s within the board

• can gain maximum benefit and support from the board, colleague governors and the training and development opportunities on offer

• governors’ skills are used to maximum affect, alongside additional interests being developed.

This toolkit has been designed for use by academy and Local Authority maintained boards:

• a variety of areas for discussion have been provided

• it should be personalised, agreed and reviewed regularly to ensure that it meets the realistic and systematic needs of the board.

• it has been prepared with reference to: Department for Education Governance Handbook and Competency Framework for Governance National Governance Association (NGA) www.nga.org.uk

Our school policies are written with the objective of continuously improving the school and our aim of realising the school’s vision: Insert vision statement.

Our School Values Insert school values.

Statement of Intent

The governing board of [add name of school] considers it is important that all governors have the opportunity to review and reflect upon both their own work and individual contribution, and how these fit with colleague governors and the operating structure of the board. This will help to ensure that we have the right people with the right skills and commitment around our board table.

Good teamworking means that there should be clear, open, and honest communication between governors at all times. Governing bodies are expected to undertake periodic reviews of their own effectiveness, measured against the Ofsted criteria for effective governance - inspectors will seek evidence of the impact of those responsible for governance.

The Governance Handbook sets out the purpose of governance, which is to provide confident, strategic leadership, and to create robust accountability, oversight and assurance for educational and financial performance; the responsibilities of the board and expectations are set out by the Department of Education (DfE) in the Governance Handbook and the Competency Framework for Governance

The Competency Framework for Governance states: People that govern need to form positive working relationships with their colleagues to function well as part of a team.

The purpose of our annual conversations

It is expected that by investing in the process of one-to-one annual conversations, our board will feel valued and supported through the sharing of ideas and aspirations, therefore enhancing whole board confidence, developing effectiveness, and enabling all our team to feel valued, well informed, and fully able contribute and enjoy the governor role to the full.

Governors should not expect the chair (or vice chair) to take the lead in this process as they might do in a governing body meeting; it is for each and every governor to reflect on their experiences and to lead the conversation.

Governors should be open, honest, and realistic in sharing their concerns, ideas and aspirations for their own interest and development, and for the progress and betterment of wider board and how it operates

Despite this document referring to an annual conversation, the board could agree to more frequent conversations based on the needs of the board or the needs of the individual e.g., if they are new to the board or to school governance.

Participants: Insert names/position e.g., chair

What would you like to gain from this conversation process?

• What is going well?

• What would be even better if …?

• readily identifiable areas for improvement (board and/or governor) How are you feeling regarding your current role?

• What aspects of governance are you currently involved with?

• Which roles or parts of roles have you particularly enjoyed?

• What was it about them that made them enjoyable?

• Would you like to consider different topic areas, expanding your knowledge? What do you enjoy least?

• How would you like things to be different?

Date of conversation: insert date

Conversation Openers: Notes – Chair/Vice-Chair/Governor

Exploring Questions –Personal Skills and Attributes

What do you see as your strengths?

• What would help you utilise them more?

• What personal qualities would you like to be central to governance role?

• How well do your own strengths and values fit with your current role? What would you like to stop, or do less of?

• What concerns you about the role if anything?

What would increase your motivation and energy?

• What role would you like to develop in to (roles of office chair, vice, committees)

What could be put in place to support you further and/or realise any of the above?

Notes – Chair/Vice-Chair/Governor

Please contact us if you wish to purchase this Toolkit.