I have worked with Governing Bodies for many years, providing reports, information and advice. For the past three years I have been a LA Governor at my local Secondary school. The role of the Governing Body has increased over this period and I am well aware of the difficulties that some governors (both new and established) have in keeping up with the new initiatives and legislation and in understanding the ever proliferating education jargon.
Many LAs offer excellent governor training and there is an extensive website provided by the
DFES. There are also excellent Governor Associations such as The
National Association of Governors and the
National Governors Council who are inexpensive to join and who provide current information. Despite all this it is apparent to me that as times the Governing Bodies may not function as efficiently as they could. This is often because they are made up of a diverse set of people who have different levels of understanding and experience.
There is little time for these people to forge strong team working links and this can mean that personalities get in the way of decision making. I have provided twilight training to whole Governing Bodies which have served the purpose of both information giving and team building. These have proved extremely beneficial and popular. Training topics include:
