Additional support for governors
Governor training programme
The Local Authority (LA) offers a comprehensive programme of training each year for governors.
Full details of the current programme is available from the Governor Training Co-ordinator contact:
Library facilities
A large selection of resources are available for use by governors at the Education Library based at the Jennie Lee Centre.
The centre is open late each Monday evening and is open throughout the year, only closing for Bank Holidays. Opening times are as follows:
- Mondays, 8.30am to 1pm and 2pm to 6pm
- Tuesday to Thursday, 8.30am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm
- Fridays 8.30am to 1pm and 2pm to 4.30pm
Resources include open learning materials, books, videos, journals, newspapers etc.
Visits to the library for members of your governing body can be arranged. Contact Pam Waldron for details.
Library staff are always happy to receive your enquiries regarding resources.
- Sylvia Jenkins, Librarian: Phone: 01902 555906
- Janice Pope, Senior Library Assistant: Phone 01902 555907
Governing Body support, administrative and clerking service
The Authority offers a Service Level Agreement for Governing Body support, administration and clerking. This service is provided by the Governors' Support & Advisory Service.
For members of those Governing Bodies which have entered this Service Level Agreement the following members of the Team are available to answer any queries you may have regarding governorship or about your meetings.
- Wendy Mills, Governor Services Manager - Phone: 01902 554106
- Linda Legg, Governor Services Officer - Phone: 01902 554107
- Dawn Cooper, Governors' Clerk - Phone: 01902 554181
- Emma Thackwray, Governors' Clerk - Phone: 01902 554736
- Linda Price, Governors' Clerk - Phone: 01902 554126
- Jayne Pownall, Governors' Clerk - Phone: 01902 552358
- Carole Betteridge, Governors' Clerk - Phone: 01902 554137
- Caroline Bradley, Clerical Assistant - Phone: 01902 552959
- Chris Miller, Administrative Assistant - Phone: 01902 557915
The Clerk to the Governing Body is responsible for ‘calling’ the meetings of the Governing Body and for producing agendas for meetings in consultation with the Chair/Headteacher.
For a meeting of the governing body to be official and to ensure that any decisions made can be implemented, the notice of the meeting must be issued by the Clerk.
The Clerk is also responsible for ensuring that governors are aware of the regulations which govern their proceedings.
Following the meeting, the Clerk produces the minutes, again in consultation with the Chair and the Headteacher, and, where appropriate, will ensure that the decisions of the governing body are communicated to Members/Officers of the LA.
Governors' Clerks are responsible for the administration and clerking arrangements for Pupil Discipline Committees (relating to exclusions).
For further information contact Jayne Pownall
Phone: 01902 552358
E-mail: jayne.pownall@wolverhampton.gov.uk
Training Link Governor support
Training Link Governors are the contact point on governing bodies for training and development issues. Training sessions are arranged to support them in this.
The Governor Training Co-ordinator will also provide individual support sessions in schools.
Governors’ Advisory Forum
The Governors’ Advisory Forum meets regularly throughout the year.
Its remit is to offer advice to the Members and the Director for Children and Young People regarding Wolverhampton governors’ views on the future priorities and planning issues to be addressed by the LA in relation to schools and on all aspects of school governance.
Regular feedback from the forum is received by each governing body.
Parent Governor Representatives
The Government introduced the role of Parent Governor Representative (PGR) in 2000 to represent parents on their local authority’s committee dealing with education.
Following consultation, parents elected to have 5 PGRs in Wolverhampton, which are representative across the various phases and categories of schools, with a 3 year term of office.
PGRs must be parent governors in Wolverhampton. However, their role is to represent not just parent governors but parents across the City.
PGR’s are part of the Children and Young People Scrutiny Panel and have carried out various scrutiny reviews over the last few years on topics such as:
- Information Communication Technology in schools
- low level disruptive behaviour
- Special Educational Needs
- Healthy Eating.
Chairs' Forum
The Forum is held three times a year for Chairs of Governors to participate in informal discussions/exchange good practice ideas and cover any other issues that may arise.
Future meetings will be held on:
- Thursday 14 January 2010
- Thursday 22 April 2010