National Leaders of Governance Chris Williamson 4 February 2014

Overview  What are National Leaders of Governance (NLGs)?  How can an NLG help me?  What are the benefits of being an NLG?  Can I be an NLG?  What support does NCTL provide for governors?  Next steps

What are National Leaders of Governance (NLGs)? Who are they?  Highly effective Chairs of Governors who use their skills and experience to support Chairs in other schools and academies What is their aim?  Purpose is to increase leadership capacity to help raise standards so that improvements can be sustained

What do NLGs do? Topics that a Chair of Governors may want to work on with an NLG will vary according to context, but could be amongst the following:-  developing the Chairs’ leadership, effectiveness and confidence  reviewing governance procedures, protocols and behaviours  mentoring a Chair to provide support through a particular process  providing more effective support and challenge  developing the Chairs’ relationship with the Headteacher or Principal  raising standards and leading improvement  understanding and interpreting pupil performance data including RAISEonline

How can an NLG help me?  The Chair identifies the topic on which they want coaching and/or mentoring  Chairs of Governors can request free support from an NLG by ing  The NLG will discuss with the Chair what they want, and they will both agree whether they can work together and how  The NLG will ask the Chair to confirm that the Headteacher is aware of the NLG’s input, and will agree who else needs to be aware of the support – the Local Authority, the Diocese, the Academy Trust, etc.  The NLG will provide support for an agreed period, according to the Chair’s requirements

What are the benefits of being an NLG? “The National Leader of Governance role has given me opportunities both to support other Chairs in bringing about improvement in their schools and also to reflect on and develop my own practice. It’s so important for the system that we share experience and this has been a great opportunity to do so.” Ruth Agnew National Leader of Governance

Can I be an NLG? Potential applicants should review the eligibility criteria:  Tenure: Chair of Governors for 3 years out of the last 5 years  Skills: attributes to coach and mentor  Track record: ability to lead significant and successful school improvement and lead and develop a Governing Body  School performance: most recent Ofsted judged the school to be at least good for overall effectiveness and leadership and management; and has consistently strong levels of pupil performance and progress  Next application round now open

Cohort 5 NLG  Application round opens: 10 January  Application round closes: 14 February  Deadline for receiving reference: 21 February  Outcome of application communicated to applicants: 28 March  Training induction at National College, Nottingham: 1 May  Online application – your details, details of your school  Offline application – your track record in school improvement and leading your governing body; your skills in coaching and mentoring  Review the eligibility criteria and the application guidance

Next steps  To receive free support from a National Leader of Governance  To register your interest in applying to be an NLG, and look on the website for details of the next application round:  To contact me, Chris Williamson -