NCOGS Manifesto for Governance

I am sure this draft manifesto will have passed the majority of School Governors by.

In fact many will ask who NCOGS is? Well NCOGS is the National Co-ordination Of Governor Services. I don't know who runs their public relations but this hardly hit my radar and google news alerts didn't even register their annual conference or manifesto launch. I only read it by chance 3 weeks after publication after reading a NGA article about COGS in Matters Arising.

This is draft NCOGS Manifesto from members of the annual conference
http://www.ncogs.org.uk/emie/inc/fd.asp?user=&doc=Manifesto%5Ffor%5Fgovernance%2Edoc

New Models – Differences and Implications

•NCOGS recognises diversity in schools, and encourages its members to adapt and use the Toolkit, and support governors in whatever decision they make

• Central and local government, COGS, the NGA and governing bodies promote and use the toolkit

Delivering Services

•Central government should enable governors to promote educational achievement; governance in integral to school improvement.

•NCOGS, with partners can provide framework for quality of services provided to governors

•Continue to have access to high quality services

•Identify LAs as the stewards of high quality government

Clerking

•Every GB has an outstanding accredited professional clerk to support effective governance;

•There should be a single national standard

•No school-based clerks

•National standard recommended pay scale

•National association who will be a source of support for clerks and guardians of professional standards

•Transfer of powers to clerks to free up GBs to be strategic

Chairing

•Develop models of leadership that define role of chair, including relaxing legislation to allow different approaches, e.g. Co-chairs, develop role of vice chair

•Expectation and entitlement to training and support and mentors at no cost to the individual, incl. paid leave

•limit on length of term of office. Accountability as leader of the GB and self evaluation at the end of each year.

Governors & School Improvement

•Entitlement to specified and identified information in plain English

•HT takes a role in enabling GB to develop own GB competence in professional challenge

•Threshold competencies for all Governors

•Statutory induction training

•Schools are judged by success in their community

Recruitment

•Some flexibility introduced in the stakeholder model

Heads and Leaders

•School leaders & governors have a common and well informed understanding awareness of each others’ roles & responsibilities

•Preparation for school leadership roles must include substantial and compulsory components on governance

•School CPD leaders must ensure that they include governing body development in school CPD arrangements.


Some of these ideas are common sense but others such as No School clerks and maximum terms for chairs are more controversial.