Black Pear Trust provides quality governance services support across schools in Worcestershire. As part of this service we can provide the following support:
- Comprehensive, professional clerking services
- Clerking support for a clerk already in post
- Governor training
- Support with governor recruitment and induction
As we are part of the Black Pear Trust, we fully understand how important effective governance is in driving school improvement and ultimately outcomes for all children. A professional clerk does more than attend meetings and write the minutes and we are passionate about providing an all-round governor service that adds significant value.
Our clerks are provided with regular training and CPD, we put a strong emphasis on continual development for both our clerks and the governing bodies we support. The aim of Black Pear Trust Governance Services is to ensure governance is effective and professional, providing appropriate support at a reasonable and fair price – this is why the price of our SLAs is based on the support you require, not on the number of pupils you have.
We currently support many different types of school – schools in two and three tier systems; faith and community schools; local authority maintained, SATs and MATs; with Ofsted judgements across all four categories.
What does a clerking Service include?
- Support headteachers and chair of governors (CoGs) in setting suitable agendas, using a strategic agenda planner
- Devise a governor action plan with the headteacher and CoG to ensure that there is a constant drive for improvement in governance
- Provide a governor report to each Local Governing Body (LGB) or Full Governing body (FGB) meeting
- Support a rolling programme of governor visits, throughout the academic year
- Provide role outlines for all key roles on the governing body – including link governor roles
- Provide up-to-date advice and guidance to governing bodies, to allow them to fulfil their statutory obligations effectively – with access to external advice too.
- Devise and support a rolling statutory policy schedule
- Ensure school websites are compliant in terms of statutory governance information
- Provide meeting papers 7 days prior to a meeting, to ensure that governors can read and digest information, allowing them to attend prepared with questions
- Produce quality minutes, which effectively highlight governor challenge, within 5 working days of the meeting
- Devise and management a suitable filing system that allows easy access to documents that may be required by external agencies
- Can support the governing body in utilising the technology available to maximum effect
- Can produce effective and relevant Terms of Reference and statutory governor policies such as Governor Visits Policy and Governor Allowances Policy
- Complete an annual skills audit which informs a governor training schedule for the following academic year
- Take the lead in the induction of new governors, providing a comprehensive introduction to governance and the school
- Ensure Get Information About Schools (GIAS) is kept up-to-date
- Provide a bespoke service that fits your school and governance arrangements
- Help negotiate a new governance structure, if required, that will ensure your governing body works in the most efficient way
- Can support governing bodies to gather and present appropriate evidence of governor impact
- Can clerk for MAT Boards and independent appeal and review committees
To arrange a meeting to discuss your requirements please email K Reilly on mailto:kreilly@blackpeartrust.org or call 01905 23159.