Guidance

On these pages can be found NGA guidance for governors and governing bodies.

NGA Guidance Papers

NGA Guidance Papers are short focused guides produced with the aim of helping governors and governing bodies. The Papers are a resource for NGA Members.

Written by governors, for governors, they are an invaluable resource for anyone who takes the governor's role seriously.

NGA members can use the links to the right to read the Papers.

National Honours for Governors

The NGA has produced this guidance, which is designed to help governing bodies, governor associations and individual governors maximise the effectiveness of their nominations for national honours, in the hope that more governors might be honoured in this way.

Download the guidance here

NGA / ASCL / NAHT Joint Guidance

What governing bodies should expect from school leaders and what school leaders should expect from governing bodies.

In September 2008 the NGA signed a national agreement with the Association of School Leaders and the National Association of Headteachers setting out how these important groups should work together. The agreement establishes ground rules for the relationship between headteachers and governing bodies. The document can be downloaded here

Mentoring support for Chairs of governing bodies

Produced together with the National Co-ordinators of Governor Services (NCOGs) and with the support of the Department for Children, Schools and Families this framework provides a framework for local or local governor associations to develop a mentoring scheme.

The framework has been developed in two parts, guidance for those wishing to develop a scheme and a leaflet that can be used to recruit potential mentors.

Download the complete framework here
Download the recruitment leaflet here
Downoad the guidance for developing a scheme here

Good Practice in Developing an Allowances Policy

The good practice guide followed from a survey the NGA conducted for the Department for Education and Skills in 2005. The purpose of the research was to investigate current practice in the payment of governors’ allowances; to raise awareness and encourage debate amongst governors on this issue; to look at the barriers to governors claiming allowances; and to make recommendations about possible improvements to the current system and practice.

The document contains the outcomes of the research, the recommendations stemming from it, and a model allowances policy.

The document can be downloaded here

Improving School Performance – A guide for school governors

Produced by the National Audit Office in collaboration with the NGA this booklet provides advice and guidance to governing bodies on the key issues relating to school performance. The guide is split into thirteen areas and sets out:

Key questions governors need to ask
Facts and figures relating to the key questions
Good practice.

The booklet can be downloaded here

NGA / VSO Guide to sabbatical opportunities for teachers

The NGA encourages governors to support their staff to make the most of the opportunities offered by Voluntary Service Overseas. For many experienced classroom teachers, VSO offers the first taste of management, and volunteers report returning with enhanced confidence; the ability to cope in difficult situations and other skills they never knew they possessed.

The NGA/VSO booklet (beware large file) can be downloaded here

NCPTA

The National Confederation of Parent Teacher Associations (NCPTA) is a national charity for parent teacher associations and home/school organisations in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The NCPTA works closely with the NGA and has produced a number of briefing notes for governors on the work of the PTAs.

A briefing about the benefits a PTA can bring to a school can be downloaded here.

A briefing about the ways in which a PTA can raise funds can be downloaded here.

The latest briefing (Sept 09) from the NCPTA for governors can be downloaded here.

The latest briefing (Jan 2010) from the NCPTA for governors can be downloaded here.

Workforce Reform Publication

A new short guide to governors' responsibilities in relation to the workforce has been published by NGA in conjunction with other partners. The document Workforce reform for a 21st century school: a brief for governors can be downloaded here.

For paper copies of these publications (where available) please telephone: 0121 237 3780 or email: governorhq@nga.org.uk

Find information about our paid-for publications >here<

Find the full content of the NGA Papers >here<