News

The GCS subscription - Flintshire Local Authority

Do have a read ‘about us’ from our colleague and very experienced LA officer, Kim – Over 130 years ago – the emphasis on providing high educational standards was as important as it is today! We hope we play a part in helping you to provide effective quality governance to ensure the best possible outcomes for our learners. We know it’s not easy out there – the pressures are immense but with our support we hope we make things a lot easier.

Schools in Flintshire have had access to the Governors Cymru subscription service since its inception. For those of us in post long enough to remember the national support service, the then Governors Wales funded by the Wales Government and which became a casualty of ‘government cut-backs’, it was reassuring to have the opportunity to subscribe to resources and a helpline from Governors Cymru.

Accessibility to, and expert advice from Jane and Sam is critical to the Authority as it does not offer a full time governor support service to its Governing Bodies. Although in my role with the Authority, I have responsibility for Governor Development, the timely and consistent advice available to all the Authority’s schools from Jane and Sam is so valuable.

I see it also, from the ‘chalk-face’, as a Chair of Governors of a Federation. The resources, guidance documents, templates etc which help with trying to be an effective Governing Body are there for us to use.

When we became governors, how many of us really understood what being a governor entailed?

– A term of office of between 3 and 5 years
– Of between 11 and 21 members including representatives of council and town councils
– Local finance
– Management of school affairs
– School buildings
– Provision of the school curriculum
– Appointment and dismissal of headteachers
– Determining the number of staff and their rate of pay
– Dismissal of a child for misconduct
– Ensure religious instruction is given at school

The year? Welsh Intermediate Education Act 1889! It was also noted at the time by the Welsh Joint Education Committee that some councils ‘may be too small to provide governing bodies with sufficient experience to ensure the maintenance of high education standards’.

So, some 130 years later at the heart remains our strive for high education standards. A lot is still asked of school governors. Yes, we have a ‘job description’. Yes, there are entry level training modules – but we need to continue to gain skills and experience in the role -every day is a school day! Governors Cymru helps with that role. Diolch yn fawr!