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I'm A New Governor - What Do I Do?
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What Happens Now?
Following election as a Parent or Staff Governor, appointment by the Local Authority, or co-option as a Community Governor, you will receive a formal letter of appointment and a Welcome Pack which will help your understanding of the Governor's role.
Welcome Pack
The Welcome Pack includes a booklet from the Governor Support Team, with useful information to support you in your new role. It includes an induction checklist which suggests some, though not all, of the key information about the school that you need to know. It is a good idea to contact the Chair of the Governing Body and/or the Headteacher to discuss your role, particularly if there are things you feel unsure about.
The Welcome Pack also includes a monitoring form and pre-addressed envelope so that you can confirm your contact details to the Governor Support Team. These details will be used only in connection with your role as a Governor by the Local Authority and the Sheffield Association of School Governing Bodies. It is important that you complete and return the form, as it also provides us with information that will help ensure that Governing Bodies are representative of their communities.
The Welcome Pack also includes a monitoring form and pre-addressed envelope so that you can confirm your contact details to the Governor Support Team. These details will be used only in connection with your role as a Governor by the Local Authority and the Sheffield Association of School Governing Bodies. It is important that you complete and return the form, as it also provides us with information that will help ensure that Governing Bodies are representative of their communities.
The Sheffield Guarantee for Governors is also in your Welcome Pack. This details other ways to access support and information and routes by which you can gain accreditation for your contribution.
Also included is the Training and Support for Sheffield's School Governors showing a range of courses available, including Induction for New Governors. It is recommended that all new Governors attend Induction training, and we recommend you book onto an Induction course as soon as you can following your appointment. View the Training and Support Programme on the Training for Governors page.
Induction Training
All new Governors (including teacher and other staff members) are encouraged to take part in an Induction course. The course follows guidelines and uses materials provided by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). We suggest that Governors do the course as soon as possible after their first meeting, and we strongly recommend that all Governors take part in an Induction course during their first year of office. Governors in their first year would still find the course useful.
The course content includes:
- composition of Governing Bodies
- responsibilities
- powers and duties
- getting to know your school
- managing the business: termly meetings, Committee meetings, the Headteacher’s report
- an introduction to the data available to schools
- school improvement planning
- monitoring and evaluation
- inspection
Please visit the Training for Governors pages for more information on the training courses available. There is no cost to individual Governors for this training.
Governing Body Meetings
Each term you will receive an agenda, along with the Headteacher's termly report and other papers for the first meeting of the Governing Body that you attend. You should get this at least 7 days before the date of the meeting. Governing Bodies are increasingly using email to circulate papers (with hard copy available at the meeting) so it is important that you give us your email address.
If you are appointed a while before the next full meeting of the Governing Body it is a good idea to ask to attend one or more of the Committee meetings so that you can get involved and get to know other Governors. There should be similar arrangements in place for the distribution of agendas and supporting papers for Committee meetings, although practice varies between Governing Bodies.
Further Information
The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), provides a Guide to the Law for School Governors. This is available as a CD Rom or can be accessed and/or downloaded from Governornet. Ask your school if they have a CD Rom available for you. It includes material from New Governor Induction Training and programmes for Governors from Teachers' TV .
You can find out lots more about being a Governor on these pages or through various Useful Links.
If you would like to speak to someone directly about your role as a Governor, or if you haven't received an appointment letter and Welcome Pack, please Contact the Governor Support Team.
If you would like to speak to someone directly about your role as a Governor, or if you haven't received an appointment letter and Welcome Pack, please Contact the Governor Support Team.
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