Mary Isherwood OBE is the headteacher at Camberwell Park School in Manchester, which is a primary special school. Mary talks about the need for good governors on the board, and the challenges the school faces. “Camberwell Park is a special school for pupils of primary age who…
Concerns over childhood obesity are never far from the headlines. Pupils today experience increasing stress in school from a number of sources – with exams being just one factor. As governors, what part do we play in this? While there isn’t just one simple solution, the School Sport and…
“I’d been thinking about becoming a school governor for a while. I hadn’t been a governor when my daughters were at school and had always regretted it – but as a single parent with a career, I didn’t have the time. Approaching retirement, I wanted to give something back…
Carol Shutkever is a trustee of a multi-academy trust in Hertfordshire. “Stepping down from my full time role as a lawyer to do part time consultancy got me thinking about local charity work. I’d previously been working very long hours but now with some more time to spare, I…
Honey Clarke is a governor for Quercus Federation (Northiam and Hurst Green Church of England Primary Schools in East Sussex). Honey runs her own management consultancy business after building a successful career in Human Resources. She talks about the professional experience she brings to her schools and why now was…
Our CEO Hannah Stolton explains why understanding the professional benefits of school governance is so important, and how our new research is supporting our volunteers and partners in getting the most out of the opportunity. Upskilling employees is a priority for many of our business and university partners. By encouraging…
How can schools support mental health in children – and why is it so important? Hope Virgo is a leading advocate for people with eating disorders, having battled against anorexia. In this guest blog, she shares her story, and explains how schools can support children in looking after their mental…
This month, our CEO Louise Cooper talks about our recent MAT survey, what we’ve learnt about the skills needed for both trustee boards and LGBs, and how the results will affect our work going forwards. Understanding how we can best support schools in finding effective governors has always been our…
Langford Primary School is in a deprived area of London, sandwiched between very affluent areas. Five years ago, the school was Inadequate. At the end of last year, Ofsted visited and judged the school Outstanding. We asked Chair of Governors, Dominic McGonigal, to give us the inside story. How…
Preparing for a visit from Ofsted can feel daunting, but we’ve outlined our top tips for keeping calm and having a smooth inspection to help you on your way. Unfortunately, there isn’t a secret recipe to an Outstanding Ofsted rating, but these tips can help to mentally prepare you for…
It’s National Careers Week, which provides an excellent opportunity for schools and governors to think about how they’re supporting children and young people for life after school. Our CEO Louise Cooper talks about the importance of work-related learning and early action when it comes to careers – and…
We caught up with Bav Shah, a governor at Woodlands school in Luton and graduate of Nottingham Trent University, to hear about how he found the role and what motivates him to volunteer. What’s your professional background? I studied Real Estate Management at Nottingham…