Facilitation of board away days

Away days are invaluable to help your board take the time out to review its performance. With an NGA consultant facilitating your event, you can make the most of the experience.

Consultancy

03/05/2023

Why arrange an away day?

Away day and similar sessions are particularly useful for boards which are:

looking to create – or review – their school or trust’s vision and strategy
experiencing turbulence and need to team build
newly created due to a change in governance structure – such as becoming a multi academy trust – and now need to upskill and gain confidence quickly

What should the format be?

While the term ‘away day’ suggests an event held off-site, many schools and trusts hold them on-site but out of school hours so that all participants can focus on the issues with minimum distraction.

In reality, a ‘long half-day’ is usually time enough to meet the objectives set for the event. A Saturday morning with a break for brunch, or a twilight session with a break for refreshments, can work well.

Who should attend?

In addition to board members, the headteacher or CEO and members of the senior leadership team – especially the school business manager or trust finance director – should be invited to attend. NGA also recommends that the clerk or governance professional should be present.

How will NGA help?

When planning an away day, your consultant will liaise with your school or trust to ensure that the purpose of the event is clear and that expected outcomes are defined. This will involve a conversation with the chair or senior executive leader, and preferably both.

In many cases, it is helpful for our consultant to see some of your board’s documents as this helps build a picture of how the board is working.