Governance Training 2019/20

This course will help academy trustees to understand their roles and responsibilities as far as finance is concerned, specifically relating to the academy funding agreement and the Academies Financial Handbook which set out the specific responsibilities of the board of trustees.

This course will explain the role and duties of governors in performance management of head teachers and principals. It will cover the aims and purpose of Head Teacher Performance Management and the process, regulations and timescales that govern the annual performance management cycle. The course will enable governors to be clear about roles and responsibilities of the key people involved, including the head, governors and external advisors.

Governors will gain an understanding of target setting and the relationship between performance targets and pay, as well as the steps that governors should take where they have concerns about a head teacher’s performance.

As effective leadership is such a broad and important subject in the context of school governance in both maintained schools and academies, each cohort will need to attend two sessions:

Session one will focus on ‘Chair and Vice-Chair Development’. Session two will move on to consider ‘Effective Leadership’.

The sessions will be delivered though a mixture of pre-course work, short presentations, focussed discussion and use of unique source materials.

Session 1 “Chair and Vice-Chair Development”
This session will explore the role of Governors in school leadership. We will consider

• how best to build a successful partnership with the Head Teacher and the Senior Leadership Team,
• how to support governors to become an effective Governing Body, and
• how to establish systems to capture Governor impact to demonstrate good leadership to OFSTED

The session will be tailored to the participants needs and will be suitable for established and new Chairs and Vice-Chairs.

Session 2 “Effective Leadership”
This session will explore the Governor’s role in School Leadership. We will consider

• the challenge of balancing support to the Head and Senior Leadership team with being a critical friend
• the need for strategic thinking and avoiding spending time on operational matters
• building a team of governors that understand the School and its challenges

The session will be tailored to the participants needs and will be suitable for any Governors with an interest in leadership.

Information about the Trainer, Dr K Smith
Dr Kev Smith is Chair of St Marie’s School, Sheffield where he has been a foundation governor for eight years. During his time as chair he has appointed a new head and deputy and led the school through a successful OFSTED process. He is a senior civil servant and consultant in public health. He has hosted international conferences on public sector leadership and is part of a research team that has published a number of articles on leadership. He is a visiting lecturer at universities in Sheffield, Leeds and York.

The role of Clerk to Governors has evolved and developed and is so much more than preparing meeting agendas and taking minutes. This seminar will explore the responsibilities of Clerks, the skills needed to undertake the role and good practice advice, with a focus on the DfE Clerks Competency Framework.

The seminar will be delivered though a presentation and focussed discussion. The seminar is for Clerks to Governors, those thinking about undertaking the role of Clerk and governors who would like to learn more about the responsibilities and duties of Clerks.

This seminar will include the latest information about the Sheffield Cultural Education Partnership and the opportunities that this presents for schools and academies. It will also consider the key quality principles that underpin a strong cultural education offer, and the role of governors in developing great practice in schools.

This course will provide an overview of the curriculum and statutory requirements and will enable governors to gain an understanding of the 7 areas of learning and the characteristics of effective learning used in EYFS. We will also look at the four themes of the EYFS that underpin all the guidance.

We will look at teaching and play – a balancing act – at how children learn and the impact of teachers’ interactions and enabling environments on a child’s development.

The course will examine effective ways of achieving high levels of involvement and sustained shared thinking, looking at the Ofsted definition of “teaching” and the tools that practitioners employ to ensure children have the best start in life and the opportunity to thrive.

This training is designed to support governors and trustees with the opportunities and challenges of governance is faith schools. The session will be delivered by a colleague from the catholic sector who is highly experienced in both school leadership and governance, but will also have relevance to those who are engaged in governance of schools in a variety of faith settings.

This course aims to create a common understanding amongst governors (at whatever level) of the governance implications of being part of a MAT. Through input and group discussion we encourage them to consider the government’s expectations for schools becoming MATS, as well as the reasons why some schools are choosing to form or join MATs.

The course will enable governors to consider the changes that will take place in school management and governance when joining a MAT and the leadership and governance structures that operate in MATs, as well as the expectations of governors in the trust (both at trust and local governing board level). Drawing on lessons and common challenges experienced by new and existing MATs, governors will be able to consider the options, opportunities and consequences involved in becoming part of a Multi Academy Trust.

It is essential for the Governing Board to reflect on its own effectiveness including the effectiveness of its processes and structures. This will assist in building relationships and improving accountability, and will enable the board to ensure that there is a clear distinction between strategic and operational leadership. It will also assist in setting the tone and culture of the board.

This session will provide governors with an overview of school and governors’ roles around Data Protection and Freedom of Information against the background of the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which came into force in May 2018.

The session will support governors in understanding the school’s responsibilities as a data controller and will cover best practice in drafting and updating policies and procedures, managing information risks and also in dealing with information requests and data breaches.

The session will be delivered by a Certified GDPR Practitioner who acts as a Data Protection Officer for a number of schools in Sheffield.

This course is specifically designed to ensure that governors are able to fulfil the key role of deciding whether an excluded pupil should be reinstated. Based on schools’ experiences at Independent Review Panel (IRP) meetings over the last 24 months and with interactive elements, this course aims to set the context of behaviour and exclusions for governors ensuring that the Governing Body Discipline Committee (GBDC) can avoid common pitfalls in reviewing a Head teacher’s decision to exclude a pupil. A detailed and considered review by the GBDC significantly reduces the risk of a successful challenge at an IRP. By the end of this course you should also be ready to face the scrutiny of the IRP and able to robustly defend your head teacher’s decision. You will also gain an overall understanding of the recent changes introduced into the new statutory guidance dated September 2017.

By the end of this short course, governors will have a clear understanding of the role of the employer in managing health and safety in school and in particular, the role of governors. The course will enable governors to gain an understanding of how health and safety is enforced under current legislation. Governors will also consider the importance of risk assessment.

The course will also enable governors to understand where they can go for support and advice in effectively managing health and safety in school.

This course aims to create a common understanding amongst governors (at whatever level) of the governance implications of being part of a MAT. Through input and group discussion we encourage them to consider the government’s expectations for schools becoming MATS, as well as the reasons why some schools are choosing to form or join MATs.

The course will enable governors to consider the changes that will take place in school management and governance when joining a MAT and the leadership and governance structures that operate in MATs, as well as the expectations of governors in the trust (both at trust and local governing board level). Drawing on lessons and common challenges experienced by new and existing MATs, governors will be able to consider the options, opportunities and consequences involved in becoming part of a Multi Academy Trust.

This session is aimed at giving Clerks the information they need about the differences between maintained schools and academies and how this may impact on their roles and responsibilities.

The importance and profile of issues around mental health and well-being have grown in recent years and there has been a growing recognition of the role that schools can play in supporting and promoting positive mental health and well-being, both for pupils and also for staff. This course will look at the current picture in the children and young people and will enable governors to consider how best schools can support pupil and staff mental health. At the end of the course, governors will be equipped to ask the right questions of senior leaders and ensure that appropriate policies and practices are in place in schools and academies.

This course will enable governors to consider the key issues in monitoring the effectiveness of the school in improving outcomes for disadvantaged pupils, for whom the school receives extra ‘Pupil Premium’. The course will look at why gaps in achievement exist and will help governors to understand how academic achievement of disadvantaged pupils can promote social mobility. The course will help governors to more effectively monitor the effectiveness of pupil premium spending in the school, including ensuring that Pupil Premium reports clearly demonstrate that the school is focusing on the needs of disadvantaged pupils.

One of the city’s priorities in education is to promote research and evidence-based practice in schools and settings. This course will look at research based learning and help governors to understand what it is and to consider examples in which research-led practice is used to improve schools. The course will enable governors to understand the role of the governing body in promoting and monitoring a research-led approach.

This session will be delivered by Alastair Gittner – Research Lead for the Sheffield Associate Research School.

The session will:

• introduce delegates to the work of the Research School network
• give delegates an overview of the educational research and summaries that already exist to support different aspects of school improvement
• guide governors in the challenge that they can bring to senior management teams in relation to their use of the existing research to support school improvement

All schools will receive concerns or complaints from parents or other stakeholders at some time. It is important therefore that governors attend training to ensure that complaints are dealt with appropriately. This course will look at the roles and powers of the Headteacher and the Governing Board when handling both informal and formal complaints from parents or other members of the community. This session will include effective practice in the early stages of a complaint to ensure that it is handled appropriately in order that it is resolved satisfactorily.

This Safer Recruitment course, delivered by accredited trainers from Sheffield City Council is designed for governors who are involved in recruiting people to work in schools. The course will look at the ways we can identify and deter unsuitable candidates whilst embedding safeguarding into the culture of your school.

It is a statutory requirement that all maintained school appointments have at least one person on the recruiting panel who has undertaken this training, schools are expected to demonstrate that this is the case as part of the current Ofsted inspection framework. Academies are also expected to demonstrate their commitment to Safer Recruitment as outlined in the Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education 2007. After completing this training, delegates will receive the required statutory accreditation.

This course will provide an overview of the SEND code of practice and will enable governors to gain an understanding of recent changes to the code of practice. The course will consider the implications for schools of this legislation and provide an opportunity for governors to discuss and share their response to these expectations.

This session will update governors on the Ofsted Education Inspection Framework and the changes that have been introduced in the new updated 2019 framework. The course will provide an insight for governors/trustees so that you can be effective in ensuring that your school/academy is well prepared for an inspection. Courses are available for all sectors – Primary, Secondary and SEND Specialist schools and settings.

This session will update governors on the Ofsted Education Inspection Framework and the changes that have been introduced in the new updated 2019 framework. The course will provide an insight for governors/trustees so that you can be effective in ensuring that your school/academy is well prepared for an inspection. Courses are available for all sectors – Primary, Secondary and SEND Specialist schools and settings.

This session will update governors on the Ofsted Education Inspection Framework and the changes that have been introduced in the new updated 2019 framework. The course will provide an insight for governors/trustees so that you can be effective in ensuring that your school/academy is well prepared for an inspection. Courses are available for all sectors – Primary, Secondary and SEND Specialist schools and settings.

This course is aimed at primary governors and will help governors to understand schools published data. The course will include two sessions.

Session one will look at at the Ofsted Inspection Dashboard and session two will focus on Analyse School Performance.

Governors will become familiar with the layout, structure and key data messages from their school’s data. This will help governors to pose appropriate challenging questions about pupil performance so that they can effectively carry out their key role of holding the school leadership to account.

This course will enable secondary governors and trustees to understand the key accountability measures for Secondary Schools including Attainment 8 and Progress 8 figures and to gain an insight into the assessment regime at GCSE. Governors will gain an understanding of the reporting of performance data for both in-year and summer outcomes. This will include training on the inspection dashboards and the Analyse School Performance site (RAISE Online replacement).

This course will provide governors with an understanding of how outcomes for pupils with SEND are measured and will ensure that governors have an understanding of how progress is measured for pupils with SEND. The session will support governors in understanding impact of strategies on outcomes for pupils with SEND.

The course will help governors to gain an understanding of the reasons why children and young people are caring, the types of care they provide, the indicators of being a young carer, and the impact this can have on them. We will look at recent changes in legislation and local policy affecting young carers. The session will also provide useful information on best practice and free resources for identifying and supporting young carers in your school.