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Governor training and development

A governing body is responsible for:

  • allocating a governance training and development budget
  • identifying appropriate induction and ongoing development requirements
  • providing an induction for new governors, associate members and the governance professional identifying specific training such as safeguarding, Prevent, and how to keep pupils safe online, ensuring that all governors and the governance professional have read  Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance
  • encouraging everyone on the governing body and the governance professional to develop their knowledge and skills (Maintained governor guidance March 2024)

 

Governors have a crucial role in the leadership and management of their school and are the key driving force behind raising standards of achievement. They are expected to be able to engage fully with discussions of the governing body, particularly relating to educational and financial performance data. We hope that the training and development programme that we are offering to you this year will help you fill any gaps in the skills you may have identified. It gives you access to expert and professional advice and information to help guide you most effectively through the plethora of your roles and responsibilities. 

The programme offers a wide range of learning opportunities which are led by experienced governance practitioners, both from the local authority and independent providers. Session contents are updated regularly to reflect changing legislative requirements, local and national developments and initiatives and can be modified to meet the specific needs of your individual setting. The programme is open to all Southwark maintained schools, academies and free schools.

Training Categories

To help boards plan effectively, all sessions are coded into three categories:

ESSENTIAL – Core training for all governors to understand their role and stay updated on key issues.

NEXT STEPS – Role-specific training recommended for at least one board member to build a skilled, responsive team.

GROWTH – Sessions to support succession planning and grow leadership skills.

We strongly recommend that all new governors attend the governors ESSENTIAL sessions. More experienced governors can use the ESSENTIAL sessions as a refresher.

Each governing body is held accountable for their own training and development and we would suggest that you discuss your training needs on a regular basis and plan attendance at training courses accordingly to ensure that you are aware of key issues and changes to the law.