School Governors

Governor Support
The Diocesan Board of Education has a legal duty to support Church Schools through the Diocesan Board Measure. Within these statutory duties the Board provides support to Chairmen of Governors, Governing bodies, Headteachers, Link Governors and Clerks, on issues relating to Personnel, Finance, Law, Buildings, Procedures, Development, Admissions etc.

Heads and Chairs of Governing Bodies are invited to termly briefings at the Education Centre with the Diocesan Director of Education and the schools team. Clerks to Governing Bodies also attend their own briefing here. In addition, schools and governors always have access to the Diocesan Director and the schools’ education team.

Foundation Governors
Foundation governors play a vital role in the governance of church schools. The following file sets out in some detail the role and the appointment process:
Acrobat pdf doc (178KB)

Governor Training Programme
Through this programme we seek to support our Church schools as well as Community, Foundation and independent schools. This programme is complementary to LA provision and is geared to providing quality training on all aspects of the role and responsibilities of Governors. Schools can pay a set fee for the year which gives all governors free access to courses at the Education Centre. This year we are also including free access to GEL online training for every governor. Alternatively, schools can opt to register for courses on a pay-as-you-go basis.

All bookings are made online on our Link Governor website with the school's unique username and password. Please contact Elaine Waddington (see below) for details of how to register for the programme.

Our Governor Training courses cover a wide range of areas, such as: Admission Appeals, SEN and Gifted and Talented Children, Curriculum Issues, Distinctively Christian Schools, Managing a School Building Project, Effective Financial Management, Induction Courses for New Governors. We are committed to keeping you informed of any new government initiatives affecting governors, and courses will be updated or added during the course of the year. Click for current programme

Diocesan Officers, Associate Consultants, Governors and serving Headteachers deliver the training at the Education Centre, Guildford Cathedral which offers a warm welcome and a friendly atmosphere. Refreshments are served at every session and there is opportunity to browse the resources which are available for schools, parishes and individuals to borrow from our Resources Centre.

We can provide in-school whole Governing Body training based on the courses in our programme, and can also tailor a course to your school's particular needs. Popular courses are Preparing for Ofsted and Roles and Responsibilities of the Governing Body.

New Governors
If you don't know where to begin, here is a list of suggested courses for you.

Further information:
please ring Elaine Waddington on 01483 484911,
or email elaine.waddington@cofeguildford.org.uk

• Church Schools
• Admissions and Appeals
• Collective Worship
• Easter Pause Day
• Inspection Reports
• Pentecost Pause Day
• Religious Education
• School Buildings
• School Governors
  • Governor Recognition Bishop's Certificate
  • Governor Training
• School Support and Training
• Resource Centre