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Induction for new Governors

Welcome to Governance

Thank you for agreeing to become a Southwark school governor. You are now part of the biggest volunteer workforce in the country!

New school governors are usually given the standard four-year term of office, but this can vary, depending on the category of governor that you become.

When a new governor takes up a position on a governing board it is vital that they receive a good induction i.e., one that gives them key information without overloading them. They should have an overview of:

  • The structure of the board
  • The school or trust's context
  • What's expected of them in their role, including their conduct, commitment and contribution to the board.

The NGA provide a step by step guide to induction, you can use the guide to plan an induction programme that works for your board and takes account of the knowledge, skills and experience of new board members. You can find a copy of the guide here.  (pdf, 201kb)

 The Key alos has a good checklist of what documents to provide. You can find a copy here. (docx, 681kb)

Where possible we would also advise that new governors be allocated a governor who will act as a mentor (who this would be is a decision for the chair and headteacher). It could be an opportunity for a new governor to shadow the mentor. It would also be beneficial if a new governor were invited to visit the school during the school day (if possible) and meet the headteacher and chair.

Southwark governor information and training

Once you join the board you will receive a monthly Schools bulletin digest which contains up to date information about schools and governance. We encourage all new governors to attend the induction programme which provides a good grounding across all aspects of being a governor. It covers the core functions, roles and duties of governing boards, including their strategic role in leading their schools and holding the executive leaders to account for the educational and financial performance of their schools. It examines best practice in effective governance, and gives advice on skills, knowledge and behaviours governors need to be effective.  Please see here for more details.

Communication with governor services

We have a database via Governor Hub that holds information about all Southwark governors. We use it to send out important information to governors so it is essential that we keep it up to date. We do not give this information to third parties and will only contact you on governor business. If your email address changes please contact our Governor Services Coordinator. 

Checks for new governors

As soon as your appointment is confirmed, you will be asked to consider the criteria that would make you ineligible to be a school governor (Eligibility Criteria). Once you have confirmed to your school that you have considered this criteria and are eligible to be a governor, your school will process a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check & a Section 128 check. This is processed by your school office and refusal to complete an application for a DBS check is grounds for disqualifying a governor.

Further Information

If you would like to find out more about governance there are many good governor support websites, these include: the National Governors Association and the Department for Education.

If you have any questions about your appointment as a governor please contact the Governor Services Coordinator