Seven School Governors which are all Chairs of Governors receive Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the New Year’s Honours list announced today. I have listed each of them in full below. Congratulations to them all!
Melvyn Edward Butcher Chairman of Governors, Leagrave Primary School, Luton. For voluntary service to Education.
John Maxwell First Chairman of Board of Governors, Enniskillen Integrated Primary School. For voluntary service to Education in Northern Ireland.
Raymond Nicholas, JP Chairman of Governors, Almondbury High School, Kirklees. For voluntary service to Education.
Graham Smallbourne, Chairman of Governors, Purcell School,Bushey, Hertfordshire. For voluntary service to Music Education.
Rodney Mackie Iven Thomas Chairman of Governors, Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School, Ramsgate. For voluntary service to Education.
Mrs Doreen Lilian Tozer Chair of Governors, Dunstone Primary School and Vice-Chair of Governors, Stuart Road Primary School, Plymouth. For voluntary service to Education.
Mrs Mollie White Chair of Governors, Lantern's Nursery School and Children's Centre, Winchester, Hampshire. For voluntary service to Education.
It is a shame not to see more on the list considering the coalition aim for the big society.
However it is not the fault of government but ordinary people who can nominate the unsung school governors volunteers by nominating someone they know for a Queens’s honour.
How to nominate a School Governor for a honour
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Governmentcitizensandrights/UKgovernment/Honoursawardsandmedals/DG_067917rt
All you need to do is fill in a form which can be downloaded from the link above. Say why the School governor deserves to be recognised and get at least two short letters of support.
Let’s make it a new year’s resolution get more School Governors on the list next year!
Good Luck!
Friday, 31 December 2010
The role of the Link Governor
As governors we understand the need for members of staff to undertake continuing professional development but how many of us think along the same lines for ourselves? The pace of change within education is so dynamic that any governor training undertaken three years ago is probably now out of date.
The Guide to the Law says:
● training for all governors and clerks is to be encouraged
● training will help them become more effective
● all governors, however experienced, need training to improve their effectiveness in the role and to keep abreast of developments that may affect their school and their role as a governor
● new governors should take advantage of induction training.
We have a responsibility to ensure that our knowledge and practice are current and up to date and one strategy which can support this is for the governing body to appoint a nominated link governor. Many governing bodies follow this practice, of course, but some do not and for some who are appointed this responsibility is not made clear to them. In a nutshell, the role of the link governor is to have an oversight of all matters relating to training and development for individual governors and the whole governing body.
The Guide to the Law says:
● training for all governors and clerks is to be encouraged
● training will help them become more effective
● all governors, however experienced, need training to improve their effectiveness in the role and to keep abreast of developments that may affect their school and their role as a governor
● new governors should take advantage of induction training.
We have a responsibility to ensure that our knowledge and practice are current and up to date and one strategy which can support this is for the governing body to appoint a nominated link governor. Many governing bodies follow this practice, of course, but some do not and for some who are appointed this responsibility is not made clear to them. In a nutshell, the role of the link governor is to have an oversight of all matters relating to training and development for individual governors and the whole governing body.
Thursday, 30 December 2010
Active School governance
Active governance
Like all responsible and professional bodies, the governing body should commit to its own
professional development and training should be seen as an entitlement. Visiting the school provides important opportunities for governors to better understand both the strengths of the school and the working environment. All visits should arranged by appointment in accordance with an agreed protocol.
Training
Governing bodies should make it clear that there is an expectation that all new governors (including staff governors) commit to undertake both school based induction and professional induction training.
All governors should commit to specific issue based training as it arises.
It is essential to have a properly trained governing body and appropriate budget allocations should enable this to happen.
Effective training should be planned to include both internal and external providers and should consist of a manageable programme combining activities for individual and small groups of governors and occasional activities for full governing bodies working in partnership with leadership teams.
Visiting the school
Visits should be planned in advance and agreed with the leadership team.
Governing bodies should expect school leaders to welcome governors to visit the school, both formally to monitor agreed priorities and developments, and less formally to broaden their knowledge of the school.
School leaders should expect governors to adhere to visiting protocols, to be professional in their monitoring role, and to be sensitive to the pressures of the school calendar.
Taken from a joint document entitled 'What governing bodies should expect from school leaders and what school leaders should expect from governing bodies' The document was written in 2008 by the NGA (National Governors Association) working together with the two main headteacher’s unions, the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) and the National Association of Headteachers (NAHT).
http://www.nga.org.uk/uploadfiles/documents/HEGagreementamended.pdf
Like all responsible and professional bodies, the governing body should commit to its own
professional development and training should be seen as an entitlement. Visiting the school provides important opportunities for governors to better understand both the strengths of the school and the working environment. All visits should arranged by appointment in accordance with an agreed protocol.
Training
Governing bodies should make it clear that there is an expectation that all new governors (including staff governors) commit to undertake both school based induction and professional induction training.
All governors should commit to specific issue based training as it arises.
It is essential to have a properly trained governing body and appropriate budget allocations should enable this to happen.
Effective training should be planned to include both internal and external providers and should consist of a manageable programme combining activities for individual and small groups of governors and occasional activities for full governing bodies working in partnership with leadership teams.
Visiting the school
Visits should be planned in advance and agreed with the leadership team.
Governing bodies should expect school leaders to welcome governors to visit the school, both formally to monitor agreed priorities and developments, and less formally to broaden their knowledge of the school.
School leaders should expect governors to adhere to visiting protocols, to be professional in their monitoring role, and to be sensitive to the pressures of the school calendar.
Taken from a joint document entitled 'What governing bodies should expect from school leaders and what school leaders should expect from governing bodies' The document was written in 2008 by the NGA (National Governors Association) working together with the two main headteacher’s unions, the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) and the National Association of Headteachers (NAHT).
http://www.nga.org.uk/uploadfiles/documents/HEGagreementamended.pdf
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