The Governor Champion programme aspires to support governors and governing bodies across Greater Manchester in key ways, developing the skills and understanding to assist them in challenging and supporting their school.

About the Governor Champion Programme

School governance was a key strand throughout the DCSF’s Children’s Plan and is a key challenge for local authorities in the Greater Manchester region, particularly for schools in challenging circumstances and those in OFSTED categories. This programme was developed in support of the Greater Manchester local authorities and is intended to develop Governor Champions who will be able to support and develop governors in key ways.

The Greater Manchester Challenge provided funding for the National College to lead the Leadership Workstream of the Challenge. The National College identified, recruited and trained seven Governor Champions who have been through a quality assurance process to ensure they have demonstrated an awareness of the needs of others and the ability to be adaptable to the context and requirements of the situation.

Manchester City Council, Governor Support Services is the local authority who is leading on the brokering of the newly trained Governor Champions into the Greater Manchester region on behalf of the National College.

What are Governor Champions?

A small team of very experienced governors, with strong coaching skills and a proven impact on improving governance, who can provide bespoke support to help new governors develop or a whole governing body to improve.

They are recruited from across the region, following a rigorous selection and training process led by the National College, on the basis of evidence of their impact and experience and current and detailed knowledge base.

How can a Governor Champion help?

Does the governing body want or need to:

  • Have a bigger impact and bring a stronger challenge and support to help the school to improve it’s outcomes?
  • Understand how it can improve and work at a strategic level, becoming more effective at improving accountability?
  • Keep up to date with changes in governance requirements and to make sure it knows what good could look like?
  • Make sure new governors have a big impact with individual and group mentoring and coaching for new governors?

Does an Interim Executive Board (IEB) need:

  • An experienced effective new IEB member?
  • Effective support in the transition to a Shadow Governing Body?

The Governor Champions can help!

Their very first job is to help you identify what needs to be achieved or what needs to change, to offer advice on how this might be achieved and agree a way forward.

Their next job will be to work with you in a very practical way -  whether that’s one to one support to new governors, becoming a member of an IEB, introducing new ways of working to embed good practice throughout the governing body or helping the governing body to plan and work at a more strategic level.

Who can commission a Governor Champion?

A Chair of Governors, a Head/Principal, with the agreement of the Governing Body

  • The School Improvement Partner, or School Effectiveness/Improvement Officer, on behalf of the Local Authority
  • A Greater Manchester Challenge Advisor

What’s the costs and who pays?

A one-off fee of £500 will be charged by Manchester Governor Support to cover the management and administration costs.

This is charged to whoever has commissioned the support. This could be the local authority or the school.

The Governor Champion is also paid directly by the school at a standard rate of £20 per hour plus reasonable travelling expenses.  The Governor Champion will complete a weekly time sheet and will invoice the school directly.


How do I commission a Governor Champion?

    Email Manchester Governor Support governorsupport@manchester.gov.uk 
to request a Governor Champion 0161 234 7020		    
         
    Manchester Governor Support contacts the commissioner to discuss the request    
         
    Governor Support Service ‘match’ Governor Champion to the commission and provides information on the commission    
         
    Governor Champion organises and chairs the ‘contracting’ meeting to agree the commission   Invoice from Manchester Governor Support
         
Support via local Gov Support   Governor Champion delivering support as agreed   Weekly timesheet submitted
         
    Commission ends as agreed, Customer Satisfaction From completed, Governor Champion invoices the commissioner   Governor Support close the commission

 


Meet the Governor Champions

Jeremy M.T. Sutcliffe B.A. M.Ed – Jeremy is a retired Junior School Deputy Head currently chairing a governing body of a large primary school that has achieved “outstanding” status twice. He is currently a member of a special school governing body that enjoys outstanding status and has previously served on two secondary school governing bodies.

Rachael Lewis – Rachael is a vice chair and parent governor at Templemoor Infant and Nursery School and has a successful background in Business Psychology. Her business offers evidence based strategies that help people and organisations to move forward and achieve the best results possible.

 Martin Matthews – Martin has over 30 years cumulative experience as a school governor in several schools. He has served as a Teacher, Local Authority, Foundation, Parent and Community governor.  Martin has worked both in education and in industry and his expertise lies in building a robust team who understand their responsibilities as governors.

Brian Rigby  – Brian has been a great force for success since 1990 as Chairman of Governors.  Brian’s vision has helped steer his school through many changes that have been introduced to ensure that there has been continued improvement in the services the school provides

Eddie Moores – Eddie is a Governor with 20 years experience. During this period he has served as a governor in both secondary and primary schools and has experience as a local authority, parent and foundation governor. Eddie brings a wide variety of work and life experiences to the governing body; he is able to work with people at all levels including parents, staff and LA officers. Eddie understands the need to maintain good working relationships whilst also challenging the school, he has supported senior leaders during times of transition.

Caroline SIngleton – Caroline has been a governor since 1999 and has served on the governing body of a junior school and a high performing specialist school. Her experience encompasses many roles, including Chair at both schools and chair of numerous committees as well as the role of Link Governor.

Martin Tanner – Martin has a wealth of experience as a school governor. His first role was at Wellacre Technology & Vocational College, where he has supported the school since 1989. Initially elected as a Parent Governor, Martin went on to become a Community Governor, Chair of the Finance and Policy committees and later Chair in 2000. Currently a member of the Curriculum and Personnel committees, Martin is also asked to contribute to Disciplinary meetings.