Between May 2011 and July 2014 I have provided the following services in ten different local authorities:

• Training sessions for governing bodies, including Academy governors
• Keynote speech at conferences for governors, clerks and governor associations
• School governance reviews and reports
• Research project on commercial services for governors
• Research and publicity article for a governors' intranet provider
• Helpline advice for governors in a city area
• Setting up and developing a chairs' mentoring project
• Reviewing an authority governor appointment process
• Development work with a city wide collaborative project
• Chairing an Interim Executive Board (IEB)
• Investigation of allegations against a governing body
• Evaluation of an IEB
• Leading a primary school towards sponsored Academy status
• Advising a Free school on policies and governance
• Facilitating a workshop for headteachers in a partnership cluster
• Supporting governance professionals in writing bids for a national project
• Advising a group of clerks on accreditation
• Reviewing an LA Governor Services team and offer
• Reviewing a dispute between governors and a headteacher
• Setting up two networks for chairs of governors
• Investigating three cases of alleged misconduct and writing a report on the investigation for a governing body
• Facilitating teambuilding between the head and staff at a primary school
• Advising an LA on the establishment of a team of governor consultants to add capacity to school improvement work

If I can help you in any of these ways - or any ways I haven't thought of yet - get in touch!

I have also:

• Written a training workshop for chairs of governors for the National College
• Assessed National Leaders of Governance for the National College
• Written articles for a governors' newsletter
• Written articles for School Governor Update
• Revised Being Strategic and Monitoring and Evaluation and contributed features to the School Governors' Yearbooks 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014
• Drafted the basis for "Knowing Your School: Governors and staff performance" for NGA
• Written two articles for Governor Doc (Adamson Books)
• Written an e-book on performance related pay for Optimus Publishing
• Provided consultancy for Best Practice Network in relation to the national programme for chairs of governors
• Delivered a webinar on Governing Body Self-Evaluation for Optimus Publishing
• Written a governor's calendar and supporting articles for Optimus Publishing
• Written e-bulletins for governors via Optimus Publishing

Making your life easier

Summaries and commentary on documents for Governors

I know from experience that it's hard to find the time to read, absorb and make sense of the implications of the constant flow of documents governors have to read. Wouldn't it be great if there was someone else who could do it for you?
Well, there is.

With my extensive and deep experience of governance and governor support, as a governor and LA Head of Governor Services and a 21 year career as a secondary school teacher and deputy head, I can help you make sense of all the latest reading you're expected to do.

Other document summary services do exactly that - summarise documents. Whilst I do that, too, I also comment on the document, pulling no punches, helping you to assess how important it is, how it relates to other documents, what's good and bad about it and, if relevant, what you should do in response to it - which may be nothing at all!

Star ratings tell you instantly whether it's essential or well worth reading, to skim read or read only if you've nothing better to do. If it's particularly bad, I'll tell you not to waste your time on it. My electronic-only summary and commentary comes out within a week of publication of the main document - and often quicker than that, so you're kept right up-to-date with a minimum of effort.

My focus is only on documents from national bodies, like the DfE, Ofsted and the National College that are of interest to governors - not everything that's published in education.

For two free samples that show you what you would be getting, click on the links below:-

Governance models in schools 2011.pdf
NC Academies.pdf

Summary/commentaries now available through subscription only:

Governor Impact survey
Unleashing greatness - the report of the Academies Commission
Good governance
The missing middle
Competition meets collaboration
Plan A+ Unleashing the potential of academies
Parents' and Young People's Complaints about Schools
The growth of academy chains: implications for leaders and leadership
Oversight of financial management in local authority maintained schools
Education Act 2011
School governance: learning from the best
Leading governors: the role of the chair of governors in schools and academies
Who governs the governors? School governance in the twenty first century
Leadership of more than one school: an evaluation of the impact of federated schools
The role of school governing bodies
Must do better - spending on schools
Detoxifying school accountability
Schools that stay satisfactory and (Un)satisfactory? Enhancing life chances by improving 'satisfactory' schools
State of the Nation
HMCI annual report 2013
Establishing Free Schools
Watching the watchmen
Effectively managing headteacher performance
The state of school governing 2014

Fees:-
Price per 10 summary/commentaries or one year: £50 per governing body.

If you're interested, please use this sites Contact Me page to get in touch or alternatively, e-mail me at the following address:-


Thanks,

David

"Thanks for this. We like it a lot!! The content, level of detail and tone are just right."

Claire Foxwell
Governor Development Service Co-ordinator
Bristol CC

"Your service would probably help me a lot with info I need to know but don't have the time to find out."

Governor Services Manager
SW Shire authority