Andy - Andy is a National Leader of Governance and also an experienced Chair of Governors. He has facilitated Governor Training Sessions for NCTL, including the Leadership Development Programme and carries out External Reviews of Governance. For a day job, he is Chief Executive Officer of a Multi Academy Trust.
Tony - Tony has over 25 years of practical and technical experience of governance having worked as a Clerk and company secretary in Higher and Further education institutions and schools. A Chartered Secretary by profession, he has chaired governing bodies in schools and charities and currently runs his own governance consultancy business advising governors, clerks and others on all aspects of effective governance and compliance.
Mary - Mary is a retired headteacher who has worked in the field of education for the past 40 years. She has extensive knowledge of education and governance in particular. She has taken a lead role in the local authority training on governance over the past 4 years, headteacher training, termly briefings for Chairs and Vice chairs, producing termly publications for schools on governance and writing training materials for the Leadership Development Programme. She also carries out External Reviews of Governance on a regular basis and supports the writing and reviewing of governor development plans. Her day job involves School Improvement Partner support and inspecting Faith schools under the SIAMS inspection framework.
Ian - Ian has served as a school governor for 25 years in primary, high school and academy establishments. He chaired a primary school Governing Board for six years and was Chair of the Personnel Committee for 16 years at a high school/academy. As well as being an approved Governor Mark assessor carrying out External Reviews of Governance, Ian was a permanent clerk to three Governing Bodies for two years, and still provides ‘stand in’ clerking services as and when required. A member of the NGA Trustee Board, Ian also provides training to governors and Governing Boards to help them be more effective. Away from his work in education, Ian is a leading Business Coach and Keynote Speaker.
Steven - Steven is an education consultant who previously held senior positions for over 20 years. He currently works with governors and headteachers in school improvement. His extensive knowledge of current educational thinking helps governors to interpret school data and identify developmental priorities. He prepares governors so they can support school leaders writing a school evaluation and ensure all safeguarding requirements are fully met. He assists governors so they are fully prepared for their next school inspection.
Ruth - Ruth has over 25 years’ experience in education, 11 in secondary senior leadership, including headship. She has been a member of three governing boards and has advised and trained governors on all aspects of school leadership. Ruth is an associate of the Education and Training Foundation and has worked on a number of DFE commissioned reports around the quality of educational provision.
Ian - I am currently the chair of a governing board at a primary school in Birmingham. In my career I was a teacher for over 30 years culminating in being vice-principal of a large academy in Solihull. I then became a School Improvement Advisor for Birmingham and trained teachers in leadership qualifications. Over the years I have been a school governor at five different schools.
Patrick - Patrick’s professional experience includes senior leadership in schools and supporting and training school leaders. He holds the NPQH and the National Professional Qualification for School Inspectors. He is a school governor and director of a multi-academy trust. In his current role as school improvement consultant he works with a range of primary and secondary schools in Birmingham, supporting head teachers and senior leaders. He is a facilitator and assessor for the NCTL NPQML and NPQSL programmes. He regularly delivers training for school leaders and governors. For the last two years, he has worked closely with the governing body of the school where he was appointed as School Improvement Partner, and leads the head teacher’s performance management with the chair of the governing body.
Angela - Angela is a former Headteacher and School Improvement Partner and is also trained as a school inspector. She is currently an education consultant who has considerable experience of working with schools to evaluate performance and plan for improvement. She works successfully with Governors to promote effective practice, providing advice, support and training. She is also an external advisor for Governors in their annual reviews of Headteacher performance. She is a director of a Multi Academy Trust in Staffordshire.
Lisa - Lisa is an independent governance training consultant delivering a wide range of governor training and leadership programmes including the Governance Leadership Development Programme. She has a wide range of experience in the facilitation of learning, including programme design and delivery and mentoring. In addition to this, Lisa works as an experienced national assessor for the Governor Mark accreditation. A serving Chair of Governors, she has a strong understanding of the challenges facing schools within a range of contextual settings.
Lisa Billingham - is a keynote speaker, trainer, mentor and qualified wellbeing coach. She is passionate about people’s wellbeing by supporting them so that they can be the best version of themselves and live a life they love. She helps individuals and businesses alike using a variety of delivery models.
Giles - Giles is a governor in 2 schools including being chair of one, he combines this with his work supporting trusts and schools focusing on the data and outcomes of the pupils. Giles teaches on the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) and nationally leads the training for schools on understanding the DfE and Ofsted’s data. He is a former Headteacher and Senior University Lecturer in education.
David - David has 40 years’ experience in education starting as a MFL teacher and eventually becoming Director in West Sussex. He has been on the governing bodies of a number of schools and has recently been Chair of Governors in two secondary schools that needed support to emerge from special measures. Both these schools are now “good”. He has also been contracted by the DfE to support academy trusts to take on struggling schools, including ensuring that governance arrangements are compliant and effective.
David - David is an experienced Education and Governance Consultant with over 12 years experience in the fields of law, education, governance and compliance. He has also worked within other sectors at Board level. Working with educational establishments and local authorities nationwide, he has extensive knowledge of the educational standards and improvement, governance, safeguarding and employment. David is educated to postgraduate degree level is currently pursuing a PhD in Law.
Tony - Tony has had over 20 years of experience of school governance. Starting, in the last century, as a teacher governor he has been involved in governance as a senior leader and secondary headteacher and, for the last 10 years, as a co-opted governor in two very different schools, one a maintained first school and the other a middle school that is now developing as a MAT.
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GovernorSpace provides governors and clerks with a range of training and development opportunities – from online training to remote one-to-one mentor support.
Once you have completed your self-evaluation, you will be assigned credits based on your type of school.
Once you have your credits, you can then use them to develop a bespoke package of support to meet your board’s needs and areas for improvement. You can build your package to include:
Following completion of your self-evaluation you can choose from the training titles below for Clerks. You can choose up to 5 training sessions.
Governing Boards can choose from a range of online interactive training, which cover all aspects of the 16 competencies of effective governance, whilst Clerks can choose from a range of training covering the competencies for professional clerking and more. You’ll be able to browse the training on offer, selecting a session which best suits your needs. Most sessions will be delivered in the evening and will last approximately 1 hourwith time for questions afterwards.
In addition to interactive online training, to support you in the process of self-evaluation and improvement Governance leaders and Clerks will have at least two free mentor sessions, one at the beginning and one at the end of the process. These will help you recognise success and impact as well as ensuring that the process of self-evaluation and improvement is robust and secure. Mentors will call or use a video link to conduct these sessions and will be I n contact with you to support you on your journey.
If you decide that you would like further mentor calls this can be arranged using your credits. Those schools who qualify for higher funding will receive an interim mentoring session to support governance leaders in putting the development plan into action.
We know that each Governing Board is unique and has their own individual areas for development. You can therefore choose to use your credits on a bespoke training session, delivered to all your governors at a time convenient to you.
This will ensure all your Governors hear the same message at the same time and are working to achieve a common goal. This may be useful to identify key actions from the training and to share development activities between members.
Any of the titles below can be set up as a bespoke interactive session and these can be adapted to fit your specific needs.
If you use all your credits and still need further support, or you identify a project and need some advice, don’t hesitate to pick up the phone. Our Governor Services Team offer several support packages that will help you to continue your drive for improvement.
Some of most popular support packages and training include:
Contact us for further details at GovernorSpace@entrust-ed.co.uk
Governors are directly accountable to a wide range of stakeholders for corporate compliance of their school. They are also accountable for ensuring that others who are delegated to undertake compliance functions fulfil them effectively and efficiently. This training session explores both aspects of Governor accountability and the vital role that each Governor plays in a school's corporate compliance. Testimony: ‘The session was at the right pace and was suitable for both new and experienced governors’- SERCO
Would you like an additional mentor support call to provide you or one of your governors with individual support, advice and challenge in your role.
Covering aspects of the Competency Framework for Governance around being an effective Chair. This training covers the key features of leading the Governing Board and the Chair’s responsibilities for setting the direction; culture, values and ethos; decision making; analysis of data; financial frameworks; staffing and performance management; building an affective team; roles and responsibilities and statutory requirements. Testimony: ‘Very focused on real issues. Flexible and useful tool to keep updated’- Hillview Nursery School.
Choose a topic of your choice to be delivered online to all of your governors at a time convenient to you. This training is designed to meet your individual needs as a governing board. This is an opportunity to bring your whole board together to share ideas and have a personalized question and answer session with an experienced trainer. When you have booked this bespoke training, one of the GovernorSpace team will be in touch to find out which topic you would like the training to focus upon and a suitable date and time for delivery.
Focusing on the essential issues relating to the Governor role. The training session will explore roles, responsibilities and expectations whilst gaining an understanding of the education processes. In addition, identifying ways to contribute towards school improvement through effective meeting procedures at all levels.
Choose one of our training sessions to be delivered online to all of your governors at a time convenient to you. This will ensure all governors hear the same message at the same time and are working to achieve a common goal. This is an opportunity to bring your whole board together to share ideas and have a personalized question and answer session with an experienced trainer. When you book this exclusive interactive training one of the GovernorSpace team will be in touch to find out which training you are interested in and a suitable date and time for delivery.
This training is aimed at new and existing Academy Governors and Trustees. It will explain the roles and responsibilities of Academy governance, explain how Academies are funded and talk through the budget process. Including how the funding is calculated for Academies; the budgeting process and planning for the future. Testimony: ‘I have found it a very useful programme, especially in terms of self-evaluation and giving me confidence to advise governors of their duties and reinforce the importance of minuting any challenge, support and monitoring of the school’- St. Alban's Girls School
This training is aimed at new and existing school Governors. It explains the roles and responsibilities of a School Governor, how schools are funded and talks through the budget process. This training includes how the funding is calculated for schools, the budgeting process and planning for the future.
This training explores the scope of the school community and the means by which Governors engage, interact-with and take account of community groups, stakeholders and partners to deliver strategic governance and educational improvement. The principles of stakeholder management and the importance of data analysis in accounting to the school community are explored. Testimony: ‘This was an excellent presentation. Very thorough covering a lot of information. It has certainly given me a huge ‘to do’ list and has enthused me to carry out next steps’- Rossignton Tornedale Infants. Testimony: ‘Very professional organised, easy to book training, log-in and learn from’- Plympton St. Maurice Primary.
Identifying methods of self-evaluation leading to the development of an effective team thus ensuring provision of effective support and challenge. Focusing on the variety of skills that are required both individually and collectively to be effective; exploring legal, HR and financial aspects as leaders and members of a board. Testimony: ‘It is very focused. And I appreciate the flexible on-line mode of training'- Hillview Nursery School.
This training focuses on increasing Governor skills in sustaining core functions with regard to the appointment of staff. It will provide clarity on the role Governors play in managing the appraisal process and the requirements for Headteacher performance management and appraisal of staff through increased understanding of the statutory regulations.
An outline of the law, regulation and statutory guidance applicable to Governance in Maintained Schools and Academies. This training session offers signposting for Governors to understand their corporate compliance duties and obligations.
Focusing on how Chairs can work with senior leaders to ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction. Whilst also identifying what effective vision should look like, how we can set high expectations and how to engage with pupils, parents, staff and the local community to support the work of the school. Testimony: ‘An effective tool to enable governing bodies to develop their understanding and effectiveness’- St. Thomas Primary School
Focusing on how Chairs work with senior leaders and Governors to ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction. Whilst also identifying what effective vision should look like, how we can set high expectations as well as maximising the effectivenness of decision making and raising awareness of risk management.
This training session focuses on the role of Governance in school improvement: setting and monitoring the strategic plan; understanding the importance of high quality teaching and assessment; and a particular emphasis on key data, reports and questions to ask senior leaders.
Would you like an additional mentor support call to provide you with individual support, advice and challenge in your role.
Focusing on the importance of being an effective administrator this training looks at some of the skills required to ensure a smooth running of board meetings, key administrative functions and how these sit within the need for Governors to be effective. If possible, delegates should have to hand their own clerks’ job description and person specification to be able to review the scope of administrative duties expected and if necessary find ways of being a more effective administrator. Testimony: ‘I am quite an experienced clerk but still managed to pick up some useful information which will sharpen up my practice’- Passmores Co-operative Learning Community.
An appreciation of the core competency required of a Clerk in providing advice and guidance to Governors. This training explores the scope of constitution and governance knowledge required of a Clerk to be able to offer authoritative advice and guidance to their Governors. It also covers the Clerks role in the procurement of specialist advice and guidance when that is judged necessary. Testimony: 'Good training with lots of practical application, thank you'- Telford College.
Focusing on how Clerks work with Chairs and Headteacher to ensure effective and positive relationships. This training looks at a range of hard and soft skills and offers an opportunity for reflection. It also considers how professional clerking relationships support the core functions of Governance. Testimony: ‘Really useful and insightful, I feel I have little more confidence in my role as a clerk to at least ask the questions I am thinking! It is the only way I will learn after all!- West Somerset Academies Trust.
This session helps you understand the financial role and responsibilities of a Governor, understand how an Academy is funded and enables you to interpret financial reports and provide appropriate challenge.
This session helps you understand the financial role and responsibilities of a Governor, understand how a maintained school is funded and enables you to interpret financial reports and provide appropriate challenge.
Focusing in the principles of effective Governance in Academies as well as a review of the purpose of clerking. The training looks at some of the key functions of a clerk in ensuring effective practice.
Focusing in the principles of effective Governance in Maintained Schools as well as a review of the purpose of clerking The training looks at some of the key functions of a clerk in ensuring effective practice.
This session will enable you to understand the role effective minutes play in supporting effective governance, to improve understanding about the role and purpose of minutes, to review different kinds of minutes and explore the role of the Board in effective minutes.
