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Governor training and development course descriptions

Descriptions of all governor training courses available.

Finance and budgets
New governor training (mandatory)
Child protection
Premises maintenance
Disciplinary
New chair of governors (mandatory)
English as an additional language (EAL) learners training
Redundancy
Attendance
Exclusions and role of the PDC
Governors using Hwb for admin
Headteacher performance management
Health and safety
HR policy review and safer recruitment
Looked after children
Management of absence
Managing complaints
New clerk to governors (mandatory)
Keeping safe online for governors
RVE (Religion, Values and Ethics) in the new curriculum for Wales
Understanding school data
Update on RSE (Relationships and Sexuality Education) in the new curriculum
Swansea Music service
Bilingualism
The ALNET Act - the Swansea ALN strategy and the response required by schools
Assessment
Curriculum
GDPR
Diversity and Anti-Racist Professional Learning for Governors

 

Finance and budgets

This training will consider the following areas:

  • How resources are currently allocated across education services and schools.
  • Key aspects and requirements in relation to Local Management of Schools (LMS).
  • How school budget shares are determined.
  • Some important principles and advice regarding budget setting and monitoring.

The session will be interactive and encourage questions and contributions to seek to ensure that the time is focused on those areas and issues which are of greatest help to governors.

New governor training (mandatory)

This is a mandatory course for all governors. Governors who do not attend this training within a year of their appointment are automatically suspended for 6 months.

Course aims:

  • To provide an overview of the responsibilities of governors, what makes an effective governing body and the governor's role in school improvement.
  • To provide you with the opportunity to work in groups with other new governors and senior officers of the local authority who are involved with governing bodies and to receive up to date information to support you in your new role.

Child protection

Child protection and safeguarding training is delivered to governing bodies of schools. This training is also delivered at level 1 awareness only but also delivers advice and information on the roles and responsibilities on governors in terms of safeguarding and promoting welfare and what inspectors will expect.

Premises maintenance

  • The importance of timely maintenance.
  • Who is responsible the school or authority - division of responsibilities.
  • Cyclical maintenance - what needs to be done day to day.
  • Interpreting the condition survey.
  • What help and guidance is available.
  • SLAs and what they offer and why buy in.

Disciplinary

This course has been developed to specifically examine the disciplinary process and the techniques needed for carrying this out effectively. The course aims to produce a plan as well as a framework for conducting effective investigations.

New chair of governors (mandatory)

This is a mandatory course for new chairs.

The training will include:

  • the role and responsibilities of the chair of governors.
  • working with the headteacher and clerk to governors.
  • managing effective meetings.
  • dealing with difficult situations - through group work and discussion.

English as an Additional Language (EAL) learners training

The training session will update governors on the model of service delivery for minority ethnic and more specifically EAL learners.

It will explore what schools need to consider in establishing best practice for these learners and their families.

Redundancy

Suitable for all governors especially those on the appropriate committee(s).

Areas covered will include:

  • The LA / school procedures for redundancy.
  • The role of the governors within these procedures.

Attendance

Explaining the role of the Education Welfare Service and how we support schools in attendance and welfare.

Exclusions and role of the PDC

The training session aims to give governors an understanding of the role and responsibilities of each member of the Pupil Discipline Committee (PDC) and to equip governors to take up their role.

All governors are welcome to attend irrespective of whether they currently sit on this committee, however, we would advise that governors undertake this training before sitting as a member of the PDC.

Governors are further advised to familiarise themselves with the Welsh Government exclusion guidance document 'Exclusion from schools and pupil referral units' (issued November 2019) in advance of the training.

Governors using Hwb for admin

This training session will look at the tools that are freely available through the Hwb learning platform and the digital skills necessary for governors to access these tools. There will be a focus on the tools / resources that will enable governors to carry out admin tasks, securely store documents and use online communication effectively through the platform.

Headteacher performance management

  • To understand performance management legislation and the application of it in relation to the performance of the headteacher;
  • To know the plan, review, and monitor cycle for the performance management process;
  • To be able to set effective performance management objectives using a range of resources;
  • To feel confident in participating appropriately in the process.

Health and safety

This session will cover the following:

  • Roles and responsibilities.
  • Accident reporting procedures and investigation.
  • Outdoor educational visits.
  • The current top 5 health and safety hot topics.

HR policy review and safer recruitment

To raise awareness of human resources policies.

Looked After Children (LAC)

This training session will include:

  • Information regarding LAC.
  • Local authority and school responsibilities including LAC designated teachers.
  • Specific responsibilities for governors for LAC.

This training is particularly relevant for the link governor with responsibility for LAC, but all governors are welcome.

Management of absence

To raise awareness of the governors' role when dealing with staff absence in schools.

Managing complaints

All schools have a statutory duty to have a complaints procedure in place which must be published and available to parents, pupils, staff and governors. The vast majority of concerns and complaints are dealt with by schools immediately, satisfactorily, and through informal discussions by the class / subject teacher or a more senior member of staff of the school. However, there are occasions where complaints are escalated or are required to be dealt with in a more formal manner.

This session will look at the roles and responsibilities of both the headteacher and governing body when handling both 'informal' and 'formal' complaints from parents and other members of the community. The session will also look at effective practice in the various stages of the procedure to ensure that complaints are handled appropriately in order that they are resolved satisfactorily.

New clerk to governors

Mandatory governor training came into force in September 2013.

This session will provide new clerks with the statutory duties of a clerk, key roles, duties and responsibilities of the governing body, administrative functions and advisory role of the clerk.

Clerks are also encouraged to attend any governor training session that they feel would be beneficial to them in their role.

Keeping safe online for governors

With learners in our schools being brought up in an increasingly digital society, all schools have a responsibility to provide learning opportunities based on Digital Citizenship and Digital Resilience, to reduce the risks posed by the online world. To ensure this is achieved appropriately, it is important that all members of the school community are aware of these dangers and can provide support and advice. During the training session the areas that will be covered are:

  • Digital resilience.
  • Online trends - social media usage.
  • Issues facing schools around online safety - cyberbullying / online friendship / image sharing.
  • Online safety policies and practices.
  • The role of an 'online safety governor'.
  • Further support and guidance.

RVE (Religion, Values and Ethics) in the new curriculum for Wales

Presenting on the legislative changes to RE within the CfW and the implications of this for schools as the curriculum is implemented from 2022.

Understanding school data (mandatory)

This is a mandatory course for all governors. Governors who do not attend this training within a year of their appointment are automatically suspended for 6 months.

This course provides an overview of the current data used at pupils and school level to track and evaluate pupil progress, and to make comparisons between subjects, pupil groups and schools.

Topics covered on this course are:

  • Data collection systems and validations.
  • Contextual data, such as the school annual census.
  • Value-added (pupil progress) measures, such as the Fischer Family Trust (FFT Aspire) system.
  • Local authority analysers, such as those for the national tests, end of key stage results, exams results, attendance and exclusions.
  • Welsh Government data packs (secondary schools only).
  • Regional analyses from ERW.

Update on RSE (Relationships and Sexuality Education) in the new curriculum

Overview of the guidance and code and the implications for schools and statutory provision.

Swansea Music service

  • 'PlayAlong' - the exciting new 'PlayAlong' whole class music scheme, developed by the service, in order to give more opportunities and increase the number of young people learning to play musical instruments across the city. The 'PlayAlong' scheme enables whole year groups of primary and secondary school pupils in Swansea schools to have the chance to play a wide range of instruments taught by one of Swansea Music Unit's (SM) peripatetic music teachers.
  • National Music service - following the publication of the new National Plan for Music Education in Wales in June 2022, the National Music service has taken its first few exciting steps. This significant investment in music education will offer quality support and exciting opportunities for all schools in Swansea and Wales over the next three years.

Bilingualism

The course will cover:

  • Cwricwlwm Cymreig (Welsh dimension) and county new website.
  • Welsh literacy new curriculum developments.
  • Siarter Iaith initiatives within Swansea.
  • Bilingualism within our schools.

The ALNET Act - The Swansea ALN strategy and the response required by schools

The session will focus upon the challenges of the Additional Learning Needs and Educational Tribunal Act (ALNET), how the Swansea ALN Strategy is responding to those challenges and the response required by school FEIs and other settings. There will be a particular focus on the role played by school leaders and governors.

Assessment

Curriculum for Wales (CfW) guidance has changed the shape of assessment in schools. The focus is now sharply on the progress that learners make. This session will give an overview of the guidance to be aware of and some examples of the way schools are approaching the evaluation of learner progress.

Curriculum

Curriculum for Wales (CfW) is mandatory. This session aims to give an overview of the changes. It should provide governors with a better understanding in order to support schools more effectively.

GDPR

A session that will provide an introduction to GDPR and its impact on schools. All schools are data controllers in their own right and the governing body has ultimate responsibility for ensuring that everyone's data is secure. There will be plenty of practical examples and tools that are available to assist all our schools.

Diversity and Anti-racist Professional Learning for governors

We are delighted to be able to offer this opportunity to Swansea governors.

Partners of the Welsh Government funded DARPL (Diversity and Anti-racist Professional Learning) Team will be facilitating this session, which will be engaging and thought-provoking. This training session is essential for governors to develop their understanding of anti-racism and to support schools with being equitable spaces for all learners.

It is important that anti-racism is understood by all governors to better support senior leaders to drive this at a strategic level, affecting positive change and school improvement. This training session will be interactive and in person, giving governors the opportunity to reflect on the needs of their schools and also ask questions they may have. There will be opportunity for discussion through the medium of Welsh where relevant.

The Welsh Government is committed to creating an Anti-Racist Wales by 2030, which calls for zero tolerance of racism in all its guises. In order to achieve this, our education system must broaden all pupils' understanding and knowledge of the diverse cultures which have built our past and present. DARPL's vision is to ensure that those working within education develop the tools and carry out anti-racist practice that supports the aim of being an Anti-Racist Wales. Governors have a key role to play in supporting and challenging curriculum development and in setting equalities objectives as part of a school's Strategic Equality plan.

Swansea is the first local authority to commission DARPL to deliver this training and we request that every governing body endeavours to send a representative to one or other of the sessions. Welsh Government advocates the appointment of a governor who takes on the role of equality and diversity champion for their school. This training would be ideally suited to any governors in this role, to the Chair of Governors or any governor who has an interest in this area.

In advance of the event, governors are asked to complete the three sessions in the DARPL governor series. These can be found here: www.darpl.org/library

 

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