Making the best use of your skills on a Governing Body

How do your skills and expertise fit with the work of the Governing

Body?

Skill = ability to do something well

The ability, coming from one’s knowledge, practice, aptitude. A skill can be developed through

deliberate, systematic and sustained effort.

Transferable Business Skills

Business acumenFinancial understandingLeadership skillsLegal skillsHR skillsMarketingConstruction

If you were starting a business you would look for people with expertise to help you.

One person is unlikely to have all the skills/expertise required.

How do you know what you are looking for?Do you know what skills/expertise your existing governors have?

Time to do a skills audit.

What skills do you have?

Be honest.

Decisions need to be made based on fact rather than well meaningful but inaccurate information.

Why people from business?

Making best use of their skills/expertise.

Strategic thinking.

Used to challenging and being challenged.They want to make a difference.

Making Best Use of Your Skills(This is an illustration and not an exhaustive list)

Sector Skill Benefit to a Governing Body

Financial Data analysisAccountsBudgetingIdentifying savingsTeam working

The finance function of schoolPupil trackingImpact of Pupil PremiumCurriculum dataAnalysis of results

Legal ContractsEmployment LawData analysisTeam working

Exclusion panelsComplaintsSafeguarding 

HR People skillsEmployment LawSelection & RecruitmentLeadership & ManagementTeam working

InterviewingExclusion panelsRecruitment of HT & SLTPerformance managementCPD

Marketing Project managementMarketingPeople skillsSocial mediaTeam working

Parental engagementCommunity engagementPromotion of school

Health & Social Care Working with vulnerable groupsWellbeing 

SafeguardingPupil Premium

You also need

EnthusiasmCommitment

andTIME

and you need to support the ethos and values of the school

Don’t forget

You can enhance your own skill-setYou can learn from others

You can influence decisionsYou can have an impact on the lives of children

For more information

Visit

https://www.sgoss.org.uk/