The Foundations of Strong Governance

Governor Induction and Refresher

Any settings outside of borough will be contacted and charged £90 + VAT for this training unless you are subscribed to Hackney's Governance Services or any Hackney CPD packages.

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The Hackney School Governance induction session establishes the foundational principles for strategic and effective governance of schools within Hackney and beyond. It encompasses the legal frameworks and ethical objectives of governance, including the core functions of oversight. The session clarifies national and local educational challenges pertinent to the education sector and enhances attendees' understanding of the current context within Hackney. It delineates key responsibilities of governing boards, such as strategy development, compliance adherence, and financial oversight, while also defining public service behaviors in accordance with the Nolan Principles. The training addresses effective board operations, emphasizing the cultivation of an appropriate balance between challenging and supporting leadership. Furthermore, it covers stakeholder engagement and collaboration with external partners. Throughout the session, attendees are encouraged to adopt a perspective informed by diversity, inclusion, and equity. The training provides practical guidance, including illustrative questions, best practices and pitfalls, exemplary reports, and tools available to governors, such as board organizational frameworks. Additionally, it outlines further resources, training opportunities, and networking avenues for fostering effective governance.

By the end of this training, attendees will have: a foundational understanding of strategic and effective school governance, including legal frameworks and ethical objectives; clarified national and local educational challenges; delineated key responsibilities of governing boards and defined public service behaviors; addressed effective board operations, including governors / leadership effective working relationships, stakeholder engagement and collaboration with external partners, and been encouraged to adopt a perspective informed by diversity, inclusion, and equity.

• National and local challenges to educational systems, and the Hackney context
• Legal framework of governance and the Nolan Principles of public service
• The 4 core functions of governance
• The responsibilities of governing boards: strategy and legal compliance
• Finance and resource
• How governing boards work, tools for effective governance
• How governors can support and challenge leaders effectively
• How to work with external partners effectively
• Stakeholder engagement
• Diversity, Inclusion, Intersectionality, Equity
• Training, Networking, knowledge sharing, Resources and Advice
• Questions and Feedback

Type: Induction, highly recommended to all governors/trustees.

Suitable for: New governors/trustees, governors/trustees seeking a refresher, SLT working with governors, governance professionals.

Resources toolkit: Slides, recording links to policies and guidance in slides, relevant guidance and useful articles

Facilitator: Madalina Brockmann.

• Target audience:
• Primary
• Secondary

• Included in package:
• Primary

Preparing for Ofsted

Any settings outside of borough will be contacted and charged £90 + VAT for this training unless you are subscribed to Hackney's Governance Services or any Hackney CPD packages.

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This training equips governors and school leaders with the knowledge and skills required to effectively enable governors to prepare for and engage with an Ofsted inspection. It covers the legal and strategic roles of the governing board, the specific tools governors can use to fulfill their responsibilities, and how to interface effectively with school leaders and Ofsted inspectors. The training aims to foster a deep understanding of the inspection framework and how to demonstrate the school's strengths and areas for development.

After this training, governors and leaders will be confident in their ability to use the mechanisms of governance to ensure the school is ready for inspection and that they can articulate the school's vision, strategy, and performance effectively to inspectors.

Type: Induction (mandatory for new governors, refresher is mandatory every 2 years).

Suitable for: All governors, new governors, senior leaders, and governance professionals.

Facilitator: Calvin Henry, School Improvement Partner

Training is updated regularly to reflect changes in the Education Inspection Framework (EIF).

• Target audience:
• Primary
• Secondary

• Included in package:
• Primary

Strategic Leadership of Achievement, Curriculum and Teaching

Any settings outside of borough will be contacted and charged £90 + VAT for this training unless you are subscribed to Hackney's Governance Services or any Hackney CPD packages.

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This training will equip governors to understand and oversee their school’s approach to ensuring high standards of pupil achievement, based on a well-designed curriculum, delivered by expert teachers. The training will orientate around the new Ofsted framework, providing an opportunity to unpick and clarify the language it uses.

Key learning will include:

• Pupil outcomes data: How it works, what it can tell us and how it can be used.
• Curriculum: What a well designed subject curriculum should look like and how it can work for your school’s community.
• Teaching: What the key elements of strong pedagogical practice are.
• Overall: What questions you could ask to ensure you are well informed, able to set a meaningful strategic direction for your school, and to challenge leaders appropriately.

The course will delve into the legal responsibilities of governors concerning the curriculum, their strategic and compliance roles, and the tools they can use to fulfill these duties. The training also aims to foster effective collaboration between governors and school leaders.

After this training, participants will be confident in their ability to use the mechanisms of governance to ensure the school's curriculum and approaches to teaching are of high quality, legally compliant, and effectively promote the achievement of all pupils.

Type: 

Suitable for: All governors, new governors, curriculum link governors, senior leaders, and governance professionals.

Facilitator: Damien Parrott

• Target audience:
• Primary
• Secondary

• Included in package:
• Primary

Strategic Leadership of Complaints and Stakeholder Engagement

Any settings outside of borough will be contacted and charged £90 + VAT for this training unless you are subscribed to Hackney's Governance Services or any Hackney CPD package.

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Complaints can be a big worry for all those involved. This session enables participants to understand how a school can manage concerns and complaints from parents and carers effectively and robustly. The session will focus on comprehensive strategies for parental engagement and early resolution, as well as formal strategies which include an understanding of the principles underlying complaints policies, and best practice in complaints handling and review. Participants will receive tips on how to manage communication, and deal with complex, persistent or aggressive complaints from parents. The session will offer guidance on how to strategically optimise both stakeholder engagement and the complaints procedure in order to resolve and close down concerns and complaints effectively. Governors will understand the role and structure of Complaints Appeal Panels. This session is applicable to diverse school types in various partnership and federation arrangements.

This course will focus on:

• Developing an understanding of school complaints process management, ensuring robust complaints handling mechanisms in line with legal requirements.
• The role of governors in the complaints process, including policy design and review, and ensuring lessons learned from complaints are fed back to the board and inform strategic decisions.
• How effective governing boards gather parental views, act on them appropriately and report results, and how parental voices can be used to inform the shaping and impact assessment of key decisions making.

Type: 

Suitable for: All governors, new governors, curriculum link governors, senior leaders, and governance professionals.

Facilitators: 

• Laura Stagg, Parent Engagement System Leader
• Madalina Brockmann, Governance Services Manager

 

• Target audience:
• Primary
• Secondary

• Included in package:
• Primary

Strategic Leadership of Health and Safety

Any settings outside of borough will be contacted and charged £90 + VAT for this training unless you are subscribed to Hackney's Governance Services or any Hackney CPD packages.

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This training will cover governor legal responsibilities, risk management, emergency procedures, and the role of the governing body in ensuring a safe environment. It should equip governors with the knowledge to challenge effectively, assure themselves of effective policies, and promote a whole-school approach to health and safety. 

Type: Induction, reresher (mandatory for new governors, refresher is mandatory every 2 years).

Suitable for: All governors, new governors, curriculum link governors, senior leaders, and governance professionals.

Facilitator: Alex Ruddiman, Head of Corporate Health Safety & Wellbeing

Regular updates and refresher training should be attended to ensure governors remain up-to-date with best practices and legal requirements.

• Target audience:
• Primary
• Secondary

• Included in package:
• Primary

Strategic Leadership of Inclusion - through the lens of managing behaviour and building relationships

Any settings outside of borough will be contacted and charged £90 + VAT for this training unless you are subscribed to Hackney's Governance Services or any Hackney CPD package.

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This training covers a broad range of legally complex areas - governors will be provided with an overview of key information, as well as links to more detailed sources of guidance and information. It is designed to support a thorough understanding of the importance of governance in creating inclusive schools and settings that create an environment of belonging and inclusion for all children, not just the majority.

Type:

Suitable For:

Facilitators: 

• Kate Cracknell, Head of Wellbeing & Education Safeguarding
• Madalina Brockmann, Governance Services Manager

• Target audience:
• Primary
• Secondary

• Included in package:
• Primary

Strategic Leadership of School Finance: Budgeting and the Governance of Sustainability

Any settings outside of borough will be contacted and charged £90 + VAT for this training unless you are subscribed to Hackney's Governance Services or any Hackney CPD package.

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This training equips attendees with the knowledge and skills needed by governors to effectively oversee and challenge the school's financial management. It includes a comprehensive overview of school finance, covering key areas such as funding streams, budgeting, and financial monitoring. It emphasises the governors’ responsibilities in understanding school funding, budget development, and monitoring in line with school priorities and sustainability, and ensuring value for money. It includes the use of tools such as policy development, financial benchmarking, and robust internal controls, as well as practical opportunities to scrutinize financial reports and identify potential irregularities. It clarifies the financial responsibilities of governors in relation to budget sign-off and the Schools Financial Value Standard (SFVS), as well as the responsibilities of the school leaders and the finance officer. 

After attending this training, governors and stakeholders will be confident in how to harness the power and mechanisms of governance to improve financial oversight and enhanced decision-making, leading to sustainability, more effective safeguarding of public money and making a significant contribution to better educational outcomes.This training provides governors with the essential knowledge and skills to effectively oversee and challenge school financial management. It offers a thorough understanding of school finance, covering funding, budgeting, and financial monitoring. The programme emphasises the governor's role in comprehending school funding, developing budgets aligned with school priorities and sustainability, and ensuring value for money.

It incorporates practical tools like policy development, financial benchmarking, and robust internal controls, alongside opportunities to scrutinise financial reports and identify irregularities. The training clarifies the financial responsibilities of governors regarding budget sign-off and the Schools Financial Value Standard (SFVS), as well as the responsibilities of school leaders and finance officers.

Upon completion, governors and stakeholders will be confident in using governance mechanisms to improve financial oversight and decision-making. This leads to greater sustainability, enhanced safeguarding of public funds, and a significant contribution to improved educational outcomes.

Type: Induction, refresher.

Suitable for: all governors, new governors, senior leaders, finance officers / School Business Managers, governance professionals. 

Facilitators:

• Suhal Kadir, Finance Manager
• Maggie Kalnins, Lead of Governor Services

Training is updated regularly to reflect changes in legislation &  best practices. Training will be delivered by individuals with expertise in school finance and governance and could be tailored to the level of the participants. Please note this training will run in two parts, foundational and advanced. Please attend the session(s) you feel are a best fit for you.

• Target audience:
• Primary
• Secondary

• Included in package:
• Primary