The Ealing governor toolkit has been developed by the governance development team, other Ealing officers and governor associates, to provide support to Ealing school governing boards (GBs) and Ealing local authority (LA) officers/associates working with them.

As a council our vision for all schools is that they are well supported by good or outstanding GBs which, efficiently and effectively, carry out their three core functions as described in the Governance Handbook (January 2019) (GOV.UK).

The templates, information and guidance below have been designed to offer support and ideas which GBs can use and develop as appropriate to suit their own needs.

These documents should be adapted and used as appropriate as a result of gaining information, self-assessment, needs identification or to help with priorities.

Feedback on their content and use will be much appreciated. Other documents you think would provide additional support for GBs would be welcomed. Comments and documents can be sent to governors@ealing.gov.uk.

Recruitment, induction, succession

• Wellbeing and workload guidance for governing boards
• Job description – school governor
• Job description – chair
• NGA co-chairing practice
• Job description - vice chair
• NGA code of conduct mantained schools
• NGA code of conduct academy trusts
• What governing boards and school leaders should expect from each other
• New governor induction checklist
• Delegation of key governor roles (Michele Robbins)
• Governing board succession planning — summary
• National Co-coordinators of Governor Services (NCOGS) succession breeds success February 2017 (pdf)

GB structure and membership

• NGA skills audit and skills dashboard
• DfE competency framework for governance.
• Governor qualification and disqualification criteria
• Full governing board terms of reference
• Westminster Council standing orders template

Declaration of interest

• Declaration of interests form
• Register of interests form

GB meetings

• Annual governance planner(NGA) - Maintained
• Annual governance planner(NGA) - Academy
• Governing boards work schedule and annual plans 2020-21
• Annual governing board work planner (three committees)
• Governing board agendas
• Effective governing board minutes – how good are your minutes?
• Governing board minutes audit
• Governing board meetings health check

GB committees

• Committee structures
• Kent model terms of reference no committee
• Committee terms of reference
• Terms of reference for curriculum committee
• Terms of reference for finance committee
• Terms of reference for personnel committee
• Kent model terms of reference committee

Monitoring progress

• HT report to governing board– generic template for use with Ealing primary GBs (summer 2023)
• HT report to governing board – primary exemplar (summer 2023)
• Governor visits to school
• Questions — ie examples of governor questions

Finance

• School Financial Value Standard (SFVS) - an overview
• DfE SFVS assessment form
• Valuable lessons (pdf)
• Apprenticeship levy claim form

Self review

• Governing board NGA 20 questions (NGA website)
  [Based on the All-Party Parliamentary Group’s “20 questions for school governing boards to ask themselves”] - replaces the GB self review based on 20 questions as questions have been now been updated by NGA.
• Individual governor review
• Chair of governors review

GB statutory policies

DfE statutory policies and other documents governing boards are required to have by law (July 2023)

Ofsted

• Being prepared for Ofsted inspection - briefing paper with checklist
• Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development *