Welcome to day 7 of Blogmas 2022 in collaboration with Governors’ Virtual Office (GVO)!

Find out how to get involved with our Blogmas Bingo giveaway here and don’t forget to download your Blogmas Bingo card!

(Use this to mark your response or simply send in a list of answers, for example: Day 1: name of symbol, Day 2: name of symbol etc. to contact@proclerking.co.uk between 16th December and 11th January to be in with a chance of winning!)

Here’s today’s symbol to note down:

Spreading the news – £60 Waterstones voucher GVO referral scheme!

Everyone loves a recommendation! If you love the service and support that GVO provides, why not spread the word!

We are pleased to be able to offer a £60 Waterstones voucher to any GVO User who recommends GVO to another school/Trust/College/Board who subsequently becomes a subscriber.

We will be very pleased to follow up with anyone who you think would benefit from knowing more about the service that GVO provides. Spread the word!

“It is a pleasure to make recommendations; bringing in GVO is one of the best things I have done and it has been invaluable!!!”

Coming up in Day 8 of Blogmas – clerking career pathways

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All my best

Ellie & Becky

In collaboration with Governors’ Virtual Office

Welcome to day 6 of Blogmas 2022 in collaboration with Governors’ Virtual Office (GVO)!

Find out how to get involved with our Blogmas Bingo giveaway here and don’t forget to download your Blogmas Bingo card!

(Use this to mark your response or simply send in a list of answers, for example: Day 1: name of symbol, Day 2: name of symbol etc. to contact@proclerking.co.uk between 16th December and 11th January to be in with a chance of winning!)

Here’s today’s symbol to note down:

Myth Busting

Today we’ll be looking at a few common areas of misunderstanding in governance……

Myth 1 : All governors are appointed the same way

• There are several different categories of governor 
• The category reflects the route by which governors are appointed or elected
• Governors are appointed according to the school’s Instrument of Government (maintained) or Articles of Association (academies)

Myth 2:  Apologies must always be accepted

• Governors have the right to reject apologies
• Governors can be recorded as absent
• Apologies cannot be given following a meeting
• Governors can be disqualified for persistent absence of 6 months without consent of the governing body

Myth 3:  Associate Members have the same voting rights as governors

• Associate Members are not governors
• They may have voting rights on the committee(s) to which they are appointed
• They may attend FGBs (without voting rights and don’t count towards quorum)

Myth 4:  Governing Bodies can appoint as many additional governors as they please

• Additional Governors are appointed by the LA (maintained schools only)
• They are appointed on a need’s basis
• They are appointed in addition to the number of governors set out in the school’s constitution

Myth 5:  Governing Bodies do not need to elect a Chair

• A Chair should ideally be elected/appointed at the first meeting of the year
• If no-one steps forwards a Chair is elected for the meeting and the  opportunity to appoint a Chair is given at every meeting that follows
• The appointment of Chair is a formal procedure and nominees are expected to temporarily leave a meeting for governors to discuss and vote on the appointment
• Academies within a MAT may be required to nominate a Chair for the Trust Board to appoint

Myth 6:  Clerks must be “seen and not heard” during meetings

• It is important that governors understand the role of the Clerk, including the provision of statutory guidance and best practice

• It is important to have an effective working relationship between the Chair, Head and Clerk

• We will cover more about Clerking with confidence within this briefing

Myth 7:  A governor’s term of office changes if they are appointed as Chair

• A governors’ term of office stays the same regardless of if or when they are appointed as Chair

Myth 8:  It doesn’t matter if the information on GIAS, the school website etc. is different

• All statutory information should always match, including the consistent use of full names

Coming up in Day 7 of Blogmas – Spreading the News

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All my best

Ellie

In collaboration with Governors’ Virtual Office

Welcome to day 5 of Blogmas 2022 in collaboration with Governors’ Virtual Office (GVO)!

Find out how to get involved with our Blogmas Bingo giveaway here and don’t forget to download your Blogmas Bingo card!

(Use this to mark your response or simply send in a list of answers, for example: Day 1: name of symbol, Day 2: name of symbol etc. to contact@proclerking.co.uk between 16th December and 11th January to be in with a chance of winning!)

Here’s today’s symbol to note down:

Noticing the Noticeboard – Effective Communication in GVO

Ensuring everyone stays informed is key when it comes to engagement, but too many emails can simply cause people to switch off…..

Using the Discussion Zone or Notice Board in GVO is a great way to ‘push’ information out to your Governors and/or Trustees – ensuring everyone gets the same message, and there is a clear audit trail. No more excuses.

If a message, discussion or notice is not appropriate for everyone, simply restrict it to the relevant people, it will then be visible to them only – whether this is within a MAT or local school. Access to each notice or discussion can be restricted in a way that is bespoke to the specific content. This is a great way to keep communications secure and takes away the risk of information being ‘forwarded on’ via email. Replies and comments will be restricted in the same way, and visible only to the people with access.

Subscribe to a document or discussion thread in GVO and you will be automatically alerted any time a new comment or response is added – a simple way to keep informed and never miss an update. If you wish to ‘unsubscribe’ you can do this at any time – managing your own alerts.

Click here to find out more about effective communication and staying informed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTRfJd–viQ&t=42s

Coming up in Day 6 of Blogmas – Myth Busting

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All my best

Ellie & Becky

In collaboration with Governors’ Virtual Office

Welcome to day 4 of Blogmas 2022 in collaboration with Governors’ Virtual Office (GVO)!

Find out how to get involved with our Blogmas Bingo giveaway here and don’t forget to download your Blogmas Bingo card!

(Use this to mark your response or simply send in a list of answers, for example: Day 1: name of symbol, Day 2: name of symbol etc. to contact@proclerking.co.uk between 16th December and 11th January to be in with a chance of winning!)

Here’s today’s symbol to note down:

Head, Chair and Clerk – Effective Working Relationships

An effective Governing Body needs clear leadership and direction, therefore a good working relationship between the Head (or equivalent Senior Lead), Chair and Clerk is pivotal to ensuring a Governing Body runs smoothly, efficiently and strategically.

Speed of Trust

“The first job of a leader – at work or at home – is to inspire trust. It’s to bring out the best in people by entrusting them with meaningful stewardships, and to create an environment in which high-trust interaction inspires creativity and possibility.”

{Stephen M.R.Covey, The Speed of Trust}

You may have heard the term “speed of trust” which is taken from Stephen Covey’s no. 1 bestseller. Essentially – when trust goes up in a relationship, or a team, speed goes up with it and cost comes down. Everything happens faster and everything costs less because trust has been established. This is a key part of creating an effective working relationship between the Head, Chair and Clerk and therefore in ensuring effective Governance.

What Contributes to Effective Governance

How Each Role Contributes to Good Governance

Top Tips:

• Set clear expectations and boundaries – see Day 2 of Blogmas for more information!
• Include the Head AND Chair when communicating about Governor business
• Set up termly catch-ups – again including both the Head and Chair – to plan the term ahead
• Set clear deadlines – and articulate what you need and by when. For example – the fact you will be sending out any papers you have (even if it;s simply the agenda and draft minutes) 7 days before a meeting regardless

Coming up in Day 5 of Blogmas – Noticing the Noticeboard – Effective Communication

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All my best

Ellie

In collaboration with Governors’ Virtual Office

Welcome to day 3 of Blogmas 2022 in collaboration with Governors’ Virtual Office (GVO)!

Find out how to get involved with our Blogmas Bingo giveaway here and don’t forget to download your Blogmas Bingo card!

(Use this to mark your response or simply send in a list of answers, for example: Day 1: name of symbol, Day 2: name of symbol etc. to contact@proclerking.co.uk between 16th December and 11th January to be in with a chance of winning!)

Here’s today’s symbol to note down:

Sharing is Caring!

Everyone knows that good governance doesn’t just happen in meetings. To really be effective we need to think about what ‘continuous Governance’ looks like.

For example, sharing a visit report once it is written will allow fellow Governors to read, digest and ask any follow-up questions, in a timely way. The report can be added to the next meeting agenda, in the usual way, but discussion and follow-up actions can be progressed in the meantime. When the meeting arrives, the discussion is focused on the strategic impact and next steps, rather than reading the content for the very first time.

Sharing data and reports, as they become available, can allow Governors maximum time for effective meeting preparation. Asking questions and adding comments in advance of the meeting will ensure that face-to-face discussion is focused on the ‘so what’s’ and strategic actions, making meetings more effective.

Increasing engagement and collaboration between meetings and ensuring everyone can access what they need will help ensure Governors are fulfilling their core roles.

Top tips:

• Including a “call to action” in your email subject line – For information, for action, for urgent response, for comment etc – will help Governors understand what is expected and to prioritise tasks
• Keep it simple – Usually simple is better. Keep to the main points, identify and be clear about what you need and invite questions for anything which may need further explanation
• Reply all – When replying to an email sent to several recipients it’s common email courtesy to use the reply all function and check that everyone relevant is included (within reason – not everyone needs to know you want extra pigs in blankets at your Christmas do!)

GVO users:

Content added to your GVO can be shared with Governors at any time, with a secure link drawing their attention to papers, files or documents that require their attention. When it comes to specific actions, each share from GVO can be sent to a specific audience or selection of Users, so any ‘nagging’ can be targeted to the relevant people, without unnecessarily overloading others!

Personalise your share message from GVO to provide clear guidance to your recipients – is it something for information, action, approval and so on. Providing clear and consistent instructions will help your Governors understand what is required.

Find out more here: GVO – Effective Communication and Collaboration

Coming up in Day 4 of Blogmas – The Head, Chair and Clerk – Effective Working Relationships

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All my best

Ellie & Becky

In collaboration with Governors’ Virtual Office

Welcome to day 2 of Blogmas 2022 in collaboration with Governors’ Virtual Office (GVO)!

Find out how to get involved with our Blogmas Bingo giveaway here and don’t forget to download your Blogmas Bingo card!

(Use this to mark your response or simply send in a list of answers, for example: Day 1: name of symbol, Day 2: name of symbol etc. to contact@proclerking.co.uk between 16th December and 11th January to be in with a chance of winning!)

Here’s today’s symbol to note down:

Clerking with Confidence – Hints & Tips

If you’ve been around Pro Clerking for a while you will already be familiar with our main tagline – “Clerking with Confidence” – because at the heart of it, that’s what Pro Clerking is really about – equipping, enabling and empowering YOU as Clerks (or Governance Professionals or Company Secretaries!) to undertake your role with the confidence you have statutory obligations covered, the ability to support and advise on governance in your school and have a community of like-minded peers to fall back on for advice, resources and support.

With that in mind, I wanted to share some hints and tips about how YOU can truly “Clerk with Confidence”:

1. Three steps to compliance

If you don’t know where to start or you’re not sure if you have all your statutory bases covered – the best thing I find is to go back to basics and check your main compliance areas. A simple way to do this is to use Pro Clerking’s 3 steps to compliance:

• Safeguarding – DBS, SCR, training, KCSIE, policies, eligibility, confidentiality
• Online – website, GIAS, Companies House (Academy Trusts only)
• Governance Books – see item 2 below….

2. Get your ducks (aka governance books) in a row

To help you get started with your governance books – here’s a link to Pro Clerking’s Compliance Checklist. This will also help you prepare for Ofsted!

3. Create systems that work

Having a simple and effective filing system is paramount not only to saving time but also to help give you the confidence you have everything you need in place. Here are some top tips:

• If you work on documents saved on your harddrive – remember to save / upload documents to your online governance platform (Office 365, GVO or GovernorHub etc.) If you are saving everything to your desktop or My Documents and your computer goes caput then bye bye hours of hard work.

• Keep it simple! There is nothing worse that knowing you have created something then not being able to find it!

• Try to keep one copy of a document – rather than having versions 1 to 100000000 (!) Try to keep one copy of a working or final document – even if you have an archive folder to store the rest in case you need to reference an older version. Did you know you use hyperlinks within Office 365 to add documents that are already on the system to ensure the same piece of work gets updated? This is also a huge plus point in GVO!

Find more tips from my Business Health & Home blog post here.

4. Setting expectations and boundaries

Something as simple as setting an automatic email reply stating you are part-time or your usual availability can help not only set expectations for those trying to get in contact with you but also help you set boundaries of when you are (and aren’t!) willing to work.

Think about the boundaries and expectations you want (and need) to have a positive working relationship with your peers – and always remember my two motos – “I can do anything, not everything” and “under promise, over deliver”.

Find more tips from my Business Health & Home blog post here.

5. Regular check-ins

Do you have a regular check-in with your Chair and / or senior leader? A termly catch-up can do wonders for everyone feeling informed and organised. Also consider having a check-in with yourself – How are things going? What could be improved? What could be simplified? What areas do you need / want support with?

6. Seeking support

Who is in your support network? Could you buddy up with another Clerk? Have you joined the Pro Clerking online community? Can you find time for our termly Clerking with Confidence Workshops to connect with your peers? What support do YOU need in place?

As always – please don’t hesitate to get in touch if there is anything we can help or support you with – get in touch at contact@proclerking.co.uk or for GVO specific queries email support@thegvoffice.com.

Coming up in Day 3 of Blogmas – Sharing is Caring

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All my best

Ellie

In collaboration with Governors’ Virtual Office

Welcome to Blogmas 2022! Over the next couple of weeks Pro Clerking, in collaboration with Governors’ Virtual Office (GVO), will be publishing a new blog post every day for the next 12 working days up until the end of term (16th December 2022)!

PLUS this year we are giving you the opportunity to be entered into an exclusive giveaway with our Blogmas Bingo!

Simply match each Blogmas day post with a symbol on our Blogmas Bingo card (see link below) and send in your responses to contact@proclerking.co.uk – between 16th December 2022 and 11th January 2023. All correct responses will be entered into the prize draw – with multiple winners!

Download your Blogmas Bingo card here! (Use this to mark your response or simply send in a list of answers, for example: Day 1: name of symbol, Day 2: name of symbol etc.

Here’s an example: Day 1’s symbol is:

Mark this on your Blogmas Bingo card or note down Day 1: Snowman and so on for all 12 Blogmas posts.

Then simply send in your responses to contact@proclerking.co.uk between 16th December 2022 and 11th January 2023. All correct responses will be entered into the prize draw – with multiple winners!

Coming up in Day 2 of Blogmas – Clerking with Confidence – hints and tips

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All my best

Ellie

In collaboration with Governors’ Virtual Office