Welcome to Governance

Welcome to Governance 12th Edition

Welcome to Governance is an induction guide for new school governors, trustees of standalone academies and those governing at academy committee level in a multi academy trust (MAT). It is also invaluable/ideal for those wishing to refresh their knowledge of key roles, responsibilities and good practice.

This guide will help you become a more effective governor/academy committee member/trustee and will help you understand your role and how to apply that to your school/trust’s performance and success.

Overview

This new edition of Welcome to Governance has been updated to place emphasis on the four core functions of governance and provides a clear and concise structure to support you through your first 12-18 months of governance. The guide covers:

• the schools system, how governing boards work and how to be effective

• the four core functions – ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction; holding executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the organisation and its pupils, and the performance management of staff; overseeing the financial performance of the organisation and making sure its money is well spent; and ensuring the voices of school stakeholders are heard
• further resources – including governor and trustee role descriptions and new guidance on the responsibilities of academy committees
• an updated glossary – a condensed version that focuses on common terms for new governors and trustees, helping them to navigate acronyms and jargon

It acts as a reference guide so that you can return to chapters and topics as and when you need to, with additional signposting to resources to help you can address the challenges in your school/trust.

To continue to support you, there are links to resources in NGA’s Knowledge Centre and to specific NGA Learning Link e-learning modules that will help to embed your learning and provide further opportunities to develop your governance knowledge and skills.

New governors/trustees receive a complimentary copy

If your school has GOLD membership, all new governors/trustees will receive a complimentary copy of this guide. If you’re the account holder, chair or clerk, log-in to your board’s membership account and click on ‘My account’ to check your board’s details are up to date – you can add any new governors/trustees and they will then receive a complimentary copy.

Order your copy

Members: £8 per copy
Non-members: £16 per copy

To order your copy of this guide, simply add it to your basket. To enquire about bulk discounts (15 copies or more), please call our team on 0121 237 3780 or complete the enquiry contact us form, choosing publications from the dropdown.

If you are not currently a member and would like to be, find out more about the membership options available to you.