The Role of the Training and Development or Link Governor

An enthusiastic and well informed Training and Development Governor can make a significant contribution to ensuring that governors have the support and training to perform their role effectively.

Effective Governing Bodies

Governing Bodies play a key role in helping schools to provide the best possible standards of education for their pupils. Training for governors will enhance the individual governor’s skills and knowledge and contribute directly to a well informed and effective governing body.

Governors are required to fulfil a demanding role in the shared leadership of schools and ongoing new legislation means that governors are required to keep pace with considerable change.

The Training and Development Governor

The concept of a Link or Training and Development Governor is a national one which most education authorities including Kent promote and support. The needs of each governing body will differ and the Training and Development governor role can be adapted to best reflect the context of the school and the role played by the governing body

The role of the Training and Development Governor is:

• to raise the profile of training and development for governors and to assist the governing body to identify its training and development needs

• to encourage governors to consider their own needs and to attend training and development sessions designed to meet their need

• to provide a link between the Local Authority (LA) , the governing body and with other governors and schools in the cluster

• to welcome, encourage, support and arrange mentoring for new governors

A framework for training and development governors

The Governing Body should:

• make clear what is expected of the Training and Development Governor and should encourage governors to participate in opportunities to develop their skills and competences.

The Training and Development Governor should:

Assist the governing body to use training and development opportunities to develop its effectiveness by:

• identifying training sessions to be attended by governors to reflect the priorities in the school improvement plan as well as reflecting the individual needs of governors

• encouraging governors to attend training

• agreeing a system for disseminating the knowledge gained from training usually by written reports or handouts to the governing body

• discussing individually with colleagues the experience of training attended

• maintaining a record of attendance of governors at training sessions

• presenting a brief report to the governing body each term to cover training and development issues

• giving a lead to their colleagues by attending training which supports their own development

• ensure that financial resources are allocated to support the training and development needs of the governors

• ensure that training needs form part of the school improvement plan

• liaise with the chair of governors and Head Teacher to make sure newly appointed governors receive a warm welcome and are well inducted.

The arrangements to include:

a) a meeting with the chair and the head

b) an organised and planned visit to the school within the first term after their appointment with another governor

c) provision of information about the school

• acting as a key contact between the governing body, other schools locally and the LA by identifying and responding to training and development needs

• attending regular seminars for Training and Development governors to share good practice and contribute to the development of governor training

• briefing governors on the content of the programme and the need for updating knowledge and skills

• discussing and arranging whole governing body training and/or cluster based training

Support for the Training and Development Governor

• the LA will maintain an ongoing commitment to sustained improvement in the Kent Governor Training Programme

• provide general advice and support to Training and Development Governors including access to regular seminars specifically geared to supporting their role

• provide information about resources available for governor training

• be responsive wherever possible to development needs identified by Training and Development Governors

Further information

If you have any queries or for further information please contact the Governor Training Team

Address: Advisory Service Kent,
Shepway Centre,
Oxford Road
Maidstone,
Kent.
ME15 8AW
Telephone: 01622 203800
Email: Advisory Service