INFORMATION
The team will respond to enquiries for information and advice by both telephone and email. Each member of the administrative team has specific responsibilities and we will aim to put you in touch with the right person to answer your question as soon as they are available. Callers need to make clear whether they are ringing for information as an individual, or for advice on behalf of the governing body. We do not offer a helpline to anonymous callers, since we cannot give appropriate advice without at least knowing the name of the school concerned.
The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) funds an independent helpline for any governor who wishes to ask for information or discuss concerns confidentially. The Governorline number is 08000 722 181.
We also know that governors appreciate written information and advice. We aim to produce publications that will meet the needs of governing bodies for information and which can be reproduced and circulated in the most cost effective way. Consequently, we will provide written communications according to three key principles:
- The Governor Support Team abides by the national and county expectations that we make best use of electronic communication, and keep printing and circulation costs to a minimum (yours and ours!)
- Governors are members of a school’s governing body and it is that body’s responsibility to ensure that its members are kept appropriately informed.
- The clerk and link governor have distinct roles in ensuring the dissemination of information to members of the governing body.
Most of our communications are sent electronically via the school ‘portal’; a secure website for every school in the county. We now offer an additional service of two dedicated email addresses, usually 'clerk@schoolname,' and 'chair@schoolname.' This means that key letters and publications can be sent to your chair and clerk without having to access your school’s Internet system. At present, only the GST team can send emails to these addresses, but this policy is under review.
We will also mail to schools or direct to chairs of governors home addresses for certain critical matters.
Finally, the 'Governors’ Briefing' aims to be published sufficiently frequently so that it can provide timely information; checklists of items for your agenda; briefings on new developments and changes in the field of governance and Children’s Services; and notices about additions or amendments to the training programme. The 'Governors’ Briefing' is sent electronically to the school for the headteacher and to the dedicated, non-school email address for the chair and the clerk. Three paper copies are posted to the school for distribution as the governing body sees fit.