REPORT OF THE

EXECUTIVE MEMBER

EDUCATION

PART II

VALUING GOVERNORS - POLICY REVIEW

1. The Executive Member, following initial discussion by the Education Policy Review Committee, has considered a report on the role of governors in Hampshire schools, the increasing demands made upon them, the need to improve further both recruitment and retention of governors, and ways in which the County Council can more appropriately recognise the major contribution made by governors to the work of schools. He has done so against a background of increasing expectations and responsibilities which have been devolved to school governing bodies over the years. It is therefore timely to develop improved ways of showing the County Council, and the local community, is appreciative of the work carried out on their behalf by school governors.

2. Hampshire has 541 school governing bodies and a total of 8,250 governors. The quality of school governance as judged by Ofsted shows more good, very good or excellent governing bodies in Hampshire than nationally. It is therefore, apposite that the County Council should be seen to value and recognise the demands of the role of governor and so practices and procedures have been reviewed.

3. There is scope for a more consistent way of sending standard letters of thanks to governors who have completed a four-year term of office. The information is available to ensure that all governors who complete either four or eight years service are automatically sent a certificate of appreciation for their long service, and this procedure can from now on be applied throughout the county.

4. Governors whose performance or contribution are exceptional currently receive a special certificate (on retirement from office) on the nomination of the governing body. There are occasions where an individual governor's service goes beyond that of the individual school and in those circumstances the County Council could itself recognise that particular contribution, for example to the County Governor Forum. It is therefore proposed that Outstanding Service Awards should be issued on the nomination either of governing bodies or by the County Council as appropriate, and that such awards should be re-launched and given improved profile throughout the County. In addition, the Executive Member intends to host occasional small-scale receptions to which recipients of Outstanding Service Awards would be invited.

5. The Executive Member has also endorsed specifically two suggestions made by the Education Policy Review Committee and requested that further work should be done to develop both. These are:

· A "Hampshire Hog" badge for governors, to reflect length of service.


· Recognition for employers who allow staff paid time off to fulfil the role of governor.

8FR361002