Cumbria County Council

Contents sheet

Page / Topic
3 / Welcome letter
5 / Appendix 1 - Jargon busting
7 / Appendix 2 – Induction checklist
9 / Governor Support Team – contact details

V7, the information contained in this pack was correct as at 1 April 2017.

The information contained in this publication, in the first instance, relates to Local Authority maintained schools. Where there is no legal requirement, we advise on the basis of best practice based on the principles of effective governance, which could be applied to all categories of schools.

Dear Governor/Associate Member

Congratulations on your appointment/election to the role of inset category of governorat insert name of school. You were appointed/elected on insert date and your term will end on insert date.

The Governance Handbook, produced by the DfE, states that the purpose of governance is to provide confident, strategic leadership and to create robust accountability, oversight and assurance for educational and financial performance.

All boards, no matter what type of school or how many schools they govern, have three core functions:

  • Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
  • Holding executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the organisation and its pupils, and the performance management of staff; and
  • Overseeing the financial performance of the organisation and making sure its money is well spent.

With these responsibilities in mind, this induction pack has been produced to support your understanding of your role.

As an individual governor you are a member of a governing board, which is established in law as a corporate body.This means that individual members of the governing board may not act independently; decisions are the joint responsibility of the governing board.

To help you to be effective in your new role, amongst other things you will be expected to:

  • Understand that the role of the governing board is strategic;for example, if as a member of the governing board you are approached with a complaint, you would direct the complainant to the school and the schools complaint policy. The exception would be if you received a complaint about the headteacher, you would bring this to the attention of the chair of governors
  • Know that all governors are equal
  • Act in the best interests of all the pupils in the school
  • Bring your own view, but abide by the corporate decision
  • Behave in a professional manner, as set down in the governing board’s code of conduct, including acting in strict confidence
  • Beware of the time commitment involved in your new role
  • Know that you can request items to be added to a meeting agenda
  • Read all papers before a meeting
  • Attend meetings (full governing board and committee meetings)
  • Ask questions for clarification or to request further information; for example jargon used in meetings, if acronyms used and you do not know what they stand for ask what they mean, see Appendix 1
  • Declare an interest on any matter where you have a personal or pecuniary interest
  • Ensure that meeting minutes are a true and accurate record of the discussion and decisions made
  • Ensure any delegated tasks are performed within deadlines set
  • Remember you do not need to know everything but be aware of where you can access support and advice
  • Celebrate success!

There are many sources of support available to you as a new governor/associate member and I would encourage you to refer to the Induction Checklist, see Appendix 2 included in this pack. The Induction Checklist outlines suggested information and actions required to contribute to your effectiveness as a new governor/associate member.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or queries regarding your new role.

Yours faithfully/sincerely

Chair of governors

Appendix 1

JARGON BUSTING

Every job has its own jargon and acronyms, and education is no exception. It sometimes makes communication quicker and easier for those in the know, but can be intimidating for newcomers.

Below are a few examples of the most commonly used acronyms you may come across:

ASP / Analyse School Performance
A service provided by The Department for Education (DfE) that provides schools and other existing user groups with detailed performance analysis.
CASL/LASL / Cumbria Alliance of System Leaders/Local Alliance of System Leaders
A school led, self-improving system through which all schools, colleges and settings can be the best they can be for learners of all ages.
CPD / Continual Professional Development
Describes the learning activities individuals engage in to develop and enhance their abilities.
DfE / The Department for Education
Is responsible for children’s services and education, including higher and further education policy, apprenticeships and wider skills in England.
DBS / Disclosure and Barring Service
Helps an employer make safer recruitment decisions and prevents unsuitable people from working with vulnerable groups, including children.
EYFS / Early Years Foundation Stage
Sets standards for the learning, development and care of your child from birth to 5 years old.
GA / General Advisor
A Local Authority officer who is able to provide support to schools
GB / Governing Board
Is the accountable body for a school or group of schools
HT/DHT / Headteacher/Deputy Headteacher
The headteacher is the most senior responsible person for the day to day running of a school.
The deputy headteacher is the second most senior teacher in a school who takes on the role of headteacher in their absence.
INSET / In Service Education and Training
Staff attend school (in the absence of pupils) to perform joint training or planning.
KS 1, 2, 3, 4 / Key Stage 1, 2, 3, 4
More than one year grouped in each key stage, exams are given at the end of each key stage. They are grouped as follows:
  • Key Stage 1 – ages 5-7 (Years 1 and 2)
  • Key Stage 2 – ages 7-11 (Years 3-6)
  • Key Stage 3 – ages 11-14 (Years 7-9)
  • Key Stage 4 – ages 14-16 (Years 10-11)

LA / Local Authority
An administrative unit of government.
M & E / Monitoring and Evaluation
Monitoring and evaluating the impact of identified prioritiesfor improvement.
MAT / Multi Academy Trust
A single trust responsible for a number of academies.
Ofsted / Office for standards in education
Inspect and regulate services that care for children and young people, and services providing education and skills for learners of all ages.
PP / Pupil Premium
This is a designated amount of money that the government allocates to each school, based upon a number of factors which are linked to the perceived deprivation of certain pupils in school.
SDP / School Improvement Plan
Provides a framework of improvements negotiated and agreed by governors, senior leadership members and staff.
SED / Self-Evaluation Document
Enables schools to draw together an evaluation of different aspects of their work leading to a self-judgement of the quality of education provided by the school overall.
SEND / Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
A Disability is a difficulty/long term health condition which causes a difficulty or barrier to learn or to access the curriculum.
SENCO / Special Educational Needs Co-ordinatorA SENCO is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the school'sSEN policy
SIM / School Improvement Meeting
A meeting to support schools in agreeing next steps for actions to improve outcomes.
SLT / Senior Leadership Team
The key leadership group within the school.
TA/HLTA / Teaching Assistant/Higher Level Teaching Assistant
Supports teachers to help children develop, a higher level teaching assistant comes with increased responsibility.

This is not a complete list of acronyms, if acronyms are used in meetings and you do not know what they are, then ask for clarification. This is part of your CPD (see above); by asking for clarification this will help increase your knowledge to contribute towards you being and effective governor or associate member.

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Appendix 2

INDUCTION CHECKLIST FOR GOVERNORS AND ASSOCIATE MEMBERS

This Induction Checklist outlines suggested information and actions required to contribute to your effectiveness as a new governor/associate member.

This is not an exhaustive list but is a good starting point for a new governors and associate members. Other useful sources of support can be found on Cumbria County Councils Governor Support Team website which can be found at:

A copy of this completed checklist should be kept in the school.

Actions/Information / Date Completed
Been welcomed to the governing board at your first meeting by the chair
Met with the headteacher for an introductory meeting
Had the opportunity to meet informally with the chair of governors
Visitedschool to experience its atmosphere and understand its ethos
Applied for an Enhanced DBS check
Completed the ‘Governor Self-Declaration Form’
Completed a Declaration of Personal and Pecuniary Interest
Completed a Skills Audit
Reviewed your first meeting with the chair/mentor
Been given access to governor training
Been allocated a mentor
Completed Level 1 Safeguarding E-learning
Completed Channel Awareness E-learning (Prevent Duty)
Provided with the link to the Department of Education’s:
  • Governance Handbook
  • Competency Framework for Governance

Provided with a copy or link to the School Prospectus (if applicable)
Received details of the governing board committees, including their terms of reference
Provided with a list of meeting dates (governing board and committees)
Received copies of the minutes from the last two full governing board meetings
Have received details of governing board membership
Have the contact details for the school
Have a calendar of school events
Received copies or access to recent school newsletters
Access to or copy of the School Improvement Plan
Access to or a copy of the Self-Evaluation Document
Have a copy of the latest OFSTED report (and action plan if appropriate)
Details of how to access all school policies
Received a plan of the school
Provided with or access to a list of school staff including subject areas
Access to or a copy of the schools visitor policy
A copy of the Instrument of Government (maintained schools only)
A copy of or access to The Articles of Association (Academies)
Provided with the Code of Conduct
Received a link to the school website
GOVERNOR SUPPORT TEAM – CONTACT DETAILS
Governor Support Team Leader:

Sue Leigh

/
(01946) 862263
Governor Support Assistants:
Faith Matthews (p/t) / Carlisle and Allerdale areas /
(01228) 226921
Joanne Magnay (p/t) / Eden and Allerdale areas /
(01228) 221333
Jane Lees / Barrow, Copeland and South Lakeland areas /
(01228) 226925

Address

/ Governor Support Team
Cumbria County Council
Cumbria House
117 Botchergate
Carlisle
Cumbria
CA1 1RD
Fax / (01228) 226920
Website /
Schools’ Portal /
Colleagues in the Learning Improvement Team:
Senior and General Advisers:
Carlisle Office / 01228 226805
Kendal Office / 01539 713602
Whitehaven Office / 01946 506175

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