Home - 2008/09 Services

Objectives of the Service

To support governing bodies in fulfilling their statutory duties.

To provide advice, support and training for governors.

To improve the quality of school governance.

The Governor Support Team is a specialist team, which provides support and training for governing bodies and individual governors. The service maintains a strategic overview of school governance issues in the local and national contexts in order to promote and support effective governance of schools and effective partnership between the Children and Young People's Service and governing bodies. Particular support is offered to schools in difficulties.

Staff are experienced in advising governors and schools on legal duties and responsibilities. Clerks to governing bodies are drawn from the Children and Young People’s Directorate, experienced governors and governor trainers. They are offered training to national standards. The service supports the development of effective governance through a training programme which draws on a broad base of trainers from the Children and Young People’s Directorate, City Council, local & national governor organisations and other consultants as appropriate to the needs of governors.

How Schools will Benefit from Services provided:

1. Subscription and Clerking Service

The governing body has a regular clerk who is appropriately briefed. (There is a statutory requirement that meetings of the full governing body should be clerked; the clerk may not be a governor unless the appointed clerk is unable to attend).

Clerks are trained and supported by a dedicated central staff team.

Meetings are called and administered in line with statutory requirements.

Minutes are professionally produced and thoroughly checked.

Governing bodies are reminded of their statutory duties and kept up to date with current issues and initiatives through a termly newsletter, which includes a Business Planner.

All necessary correspondence relating to Governor appointments is done centrally.

There is a minimal administrative burden on the school.

Help and advice is available on all aspects of school governance and assistance is provided in locating other appropriate support from within the Children and Young People’s Directorate and other City Council Directorates.

New Chairs and Headteachers are directly contacted to ensure we meet your governing body’s support needs.

2. Governor Training Package

Unlimited access to central training for all governors.

Induction training programme with additional courses put on locally to meet needs.

Accredited training (e.g. BTEC in school governance, “Taking the Chair”)

Distance Learning materials for new governors

A customised training event for your governing body.
OR Consultancy Support to meet your needs
Opportunity to host a further training event at your school.

A bank of experienced trainers to choose from in order to meet your requirements.

The cost of services provided by the Governor Support Team compares well with other providers.

Subscription Package

The Governors Service provides a clerking service to governing bodies including agenda setting, circulating agendas and papers, minuting meetings and actioning matters arising which require a response from Children and Young People's Service officers and advisers. We ensure that statutory deadlines for termly meetings are met and provide a business planner with the termly newsletter to support governing bodies in managing their business to focus on school improvement. The Subscription service also includes a helpline for advice and guidance, which is available to all members of the governing body.

The full subscription service does not include the cost of the attendance of the clerk at meetings, additional charges are made for this.

Training Package

Our governor training package provides induction training for new governors and also focuses on training for chairs of governing bodies and committees. Governing bodies buying into the package are entitled to a customised whole governing body training session and can also "host" training events at their school. Consultancy support is available as an alternative to formal training and additional consultancy support is available at extra cost.

Schools not buying into the training package can access training on a "menu" basis:

Whole governing body training session.

Training session hosted by your governing body.

Individual attendances by governors.

Consultancy Support.

Prices 2008-9

Governors Service: Prices for 2008-9

The Governors Service provides a Clerking Service to governing bodies including detailed guidance on termly agenda planning, circulating agendas and papers, minuting meetings and actioning matters arising which require a response from Officers and Advisers in the Children and Young People’s Service. We ensure that statutory deadlines for termly meetings are met and provide a Business Planner with the termly newsletter to support governing bodies in managing their business to focus on School Improvement. The Subscription Service also includes a helpline for advice and guidance, which is available to all members of the governing body.

Clerks are offered training to national standards and kept up to date with current issues. We are constantly improving the turnaround and distribution of draft minutes to Chair and headteacher following meetings and will develop the use of electronic communication to suit the needs of each governing body.

Recent service improvements have been achieved without significant increase in costs to schools, price increases being in line with annual inflation.

Full Subscription Service 2008-9

Size of School	Price
<100 pupils	£425
100-299 pupils	£570
300-599 pupils	£695
600+ pupils	£750

The full subscription service does not include the cost of the attendance of the Clerk at meetings. For this there is a minimum charge of £240 for up to 6 hours attendance at termly meetings. Any additional hours will incur an hourly charge of £40. This charge has not been increased since April 2005.

Governor Training Package 2008-9

A separate training and support package provides Induction Training for new governors and will also focus on training for Chairs of governing bodies and committees. Governing bodies buying into the package are entitled to a customised whole governing body training session and can also “host” training events at their school. The decision to buy in to the training package is usually made by the full governing body at the spring term meeting.

Size of Governing Body	Price
9-11	£335
12-15	£415
16-18	£500
19 or over	£540

Additional Consultancy Support @ £160 per half day (£50 per hour)

Training: Menu Option

Schools not buying into the training package can access training on a “menu” basis.

Whole governing body training session	£200
Training session hosted by your governing body	£175
Individual attendances by governors	£50
Consultancy Support (per half day)	£200
Consultancy Support (per hour)	£60

Reduced Subscription Service

Governing bodies not using the Clerking Service can buy into a reduced subscription service for guidance and helpline support. The reduced subscription includes the termly newsletter and business planner.

Size of School	Price
<100 pupils	£255
100-299 pupils	£380
300-599 pupils	£430
600+ pupils	£485

Training and support for Clerks to Governing Bodies

A programme of training to national standards is now in place for clerks to governing bodies. Governing bodies which directly employ their own clerk to the governing body, or just for committee meetings, will be able to access this training and further briefings/professional development events at an annual cost which will be notified to schools.

The Full Subscription Package:

We provide a clerk for your meetings as required at an hourly charged rate
Agendas are produced to meet your governing body’s requirements
You get a reminder to ensure the head’s report is completed on time
Agendas are distributed to all members of the governing body and associate members in line with statutory requirements
Clerks are provided with induction, a termly briefing and briefing notes and support as required
Appropriate contractual arrangements are made for clerks (e.g. holiday pay)
Minutes are typed and undergo a Quality Assurance check
Chairs and Heads receive an initial draft copy of the minutes for checking
An electronic version of the minutes is sent to Chair and Head for distribution to all governors within 3 weeks of the meeting
Hard copies of the minutes are distributed to all governors with the next agenda
We follow up issues from your agenda requiring action/clarification
We find a substitute clerk when needed
We find a clerk for your Discipline/Complaints Committee meetings when required
Minutes of meetings and a file of correspondence is maintained
Everything in the Reduced Subscription Package is also included (see below)

What the Clerk attending your meeting does:

Clerks are paid £25/hour

Travel costs at average 10 miles (return) = £4 per meeting

What the Clerk does for their money:

attends briefing @ 1.5 hours plus travel
preparation for your meeting
travel to and from your meeting
attendance at the meeting including some time before and after.
Takes the minutes
Procedural advice
Gives feedback or clarifies issues arising which have been followed up by the Governor Support Team (GST)
Writes up the minutes, identifying action required
Reviews minutes where required with GST staff
Keeps in touch with national and local initiatives and legislation relating to governance
Checks any issues relating to legislation, good practice or the particular circumstances of your governing body

Reduced Subscription Package

Heads and Chairs receive the draft agenda with an early copy of the newsletter and Business Planner

Helpline : Advice and Guidance FOR ALL MEMBERS OF YOUR GOVERNING BODY (Heads and Chairs may not know the extent of use by other governors)

Procedural advice,

(eg)

legal duties,
roles and responsibilities,
good practice
Induction of new governors
School Improvement Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation
conduit to further sources of information
Guidance on committees
Draft policies for use by governing bodies
governors newsletter to all members, advising of statutory responsibilities
Distribution of SASGB newsletter
information on governors website (all contributing governing bodies support this)
advice and support on governor recruitment
Governing body membership and terms of office details

Appointment of governors:

The Governor Support Team, on behalf of the Local Authority, formally appoints governors and provides them with a welcome pack.

Governing Bodies buying into the Reduced Subscription Package need to make their own arrangements for clerking meetings including the appointment and payment of the clerk, preparation and circulation of agendas and papers, distribution of minutes and follow-up action. A copy of the minutes must be provided for the Local Authority.

They will also need to provide for appropriate training and support for the clerk.

We can provide customised training and support for your Clerk upon request. We will also inform schools of courses and briefings which your clerk may attend. These will include, support for staff and governors who clerk committees of the governing body.