Mentoring

The benefits of mentoring are significant. As far as school governance is concerned, effective mentoring can play a key role in developing a governor’s proficiency to be involved effectively in the work of the governing body. There are several different ways mentoring can assist, here are a few:

Many governing bodies will have a policy in place for the mentoring of newly appointed or elected governors. New governors are linked with an experienced governor to help them understand all the jargon, school governing body information, committee structures and procedures. This will help to build on the material cascaded at the mandatory induction training for new governors, as well as any school induction information already provided. Much will of course, depend on the experience of the new governors. Examples of specific tasks the mentor governor could carry out are outlined here:

take the new governor through the induction materials they receive from the School and the Local Authority / Regional Consortium;

provide an overview of governors’ roles and responsibilities;

meet with the new governor as soon as possible before the first Governing Body meeting, so that there is at least one person present that the new governor knows; As most meetings are now virtual, this should be easy to arrange and is a nice gesture to make the new governor feel more at home;

explain how governing body meetings are conducted, e.g. go through the agenda papers, helping them with any jargon, discussing the issues that are a priority for the school and that may arise during the meeting;

explain the rules of the meeting, such as speaking through the chair;

ensure that the new governor is introduced to the other members of the governing body during their first meeting;

sit with the new governor at their first meeting to answer any procedural or other questions;

provide any background or additional information of items discussed following their first meeting;

provide advice and clarity on all governance issues where possible, and sign post the new governors to other appropriate officers for further information e.g. Chair, Clerk, Headteacher, LA Officer etc;

help the new governor to identify interests and skills that may be helpful to the governing body;

explain the importance of governor training and the requirement for new governors to attend Local Authority induction training and data training.

Here is a handy checklist to ensure that new governors have received everything they need in order to start their school governance journey.

Becoming a Chair of governors for the first time is a daunting experience and whilst new chairs are required to attend the mandatory governor training, the benefits of teaming up with a very experienced Chair to provide support and enthusiasm can be very welcomed. The mentor Chair could be a chair from a feeder or cluster school or someone recommended by the LA. The role of the mentor will be to offer support based on the new Chair’s skills, and priorities, as well as providing up to date experience and increasing confidence in the role.

When the governing body is considering its succession planning for the position of chair / vice chair. A mentor approach is a useful way of encouraging people to sign up for these roles.

It is not just new Chairs that may find mentoring useful. Sometimes even an experienced Chair might need some extra support, help and a sounding board when facing new problems or scenarios at school.

The role of the clerk is key to the smooth running of the governing body. Without an efficient clerk the work of the governing body can fall apart. Depending on the clerk’s experience. it can be a daunting role so for new clerks, it’s useful to team up with an experienced clerk as a mentor. This could be the previous clerk or maybe a clerk from a cluster or feeder school. Local authorities may provide the opportunity for clerks to join a clerks’ forum. This is an ideal way to share ideas and learn news ways of working. Governors Cymru Service provides a range of bespoke support for clerks.

All governing bodies will be at different stages of development. When change is needed within a governing body, looking at how effective governing bodies operate is important. Sharing effective practice and having an experienced governor or Chair from outside as a mentor, can be a breath of fresh air. Some LAs have consultant governors who are deployed to assist. An external governor perspective from someone who knows and understands the governor role inside out and who is impartial can help to develop and improve an ineffective governing body relatively quickly Here is a useful article from John Brown, governor at The Rainbow Federation, Cardiff on his role in Supporting a Governing Body.