Support and resources for governors

North Northamptonshire governor support service:

  • fulfils the local authority's statutory responsibilities with regard to school governance by ensuring all local authority maintained school governors have access to information required
  • nominates Local Authority governors and supports schools to recruit co opted governors
  • provides effective challenge and support to governing bodies, thus raising standards and leading improvement
  • provides support, guidance and advice as required
  • provides a comprehensive training offer, organises events and activities such as workshops and conferences to enhance training
  • shares best practice and provide networking opportunities with other governors

Safeguarding

Our model safeguarding policy has been developed from good practice examples and includes reference to safeguarding arrangements in Northamptonshire.

Find out further information on our safeguarding in education webpage.

Resources on the GOV.UK website may also be useful:

All governors and trustees are subject to an enhanced DBS check and are required to complete Child Protection and Safeguarding training. 

On 20 May 2022, the Department for Education published Keeping Children Safe in Education 2022, which came into force on 1 September 2022. Under part 2 - The management of safeguarding, it states that there is a new requirement for:

All governors and trustees to receive appropriate safeguarding and child protection training (including online) at induction.

This training should equip them with the knowledge to provide strategic challenge to test and assure themselves that the safeguarding policies and procedures in place in schools and colleges are effective and support the delivery of a robust whole school approach to safeguarding. Their training should be regularly updated.

Governor skills audit

No single governor can be expected to have all of the knowledge and skills that are required by the governing board. Governing boards should undertake a skills audit to identify which governors have appropriate knowledge and expertise and where the governing board needs to provide training and development to its governors.

The National Governance Association (NGA) have a skills audit template that can be used by Governing boards.

Concerns and complaints

All schools are responsible for having a complaints process for which the governing body are responsible for overseeing. Please see best practice guidance for school complaints procedures - GOV.UK

Chair of governors

Being a chair of governors is a key role in the leadership and management of schools. To be effective, chairs need a good understanding of the role and its responsibilities so that your school gains maximum benefit from the work that you do.

An effective chair of governors:

  • works with the head teacher to promote and maintain high standards of educational achievement
  • ensures that the governing body sets a clear vision, ethos and strategic direction for the school
  • works with the governing body to hold the head teacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils, and for the performance management of staff
  • ensures oversight of the financial performance of the school and effective use of the schools resources

Chairs of governors have no special power to take decisions on behalf of governors unless there has been a resolution of the whole governing body to delegate a specific authority.

However, under The School Governance (Roles, Procedures & Allowances) (England) Regulations 2013; p.8 it states that:

"The Chair is permitted to act in cases of urgency where a delay in exercising the function would be likely to be seriously detrimental to the interests of the school, a pupil or parent or member of staff."The School Governance (Roles, Procedures & Allowances) (England) Regulations 2013; p.8

Details of a new chair of governors

Please ensure that we have your details by contacting us via your clerk or by emailing [email protected].

Resources for chairs of governors

Useful resources and documents

Last updated 02 October 2023