Support, training and resources for school governors

Professional clerking service

The Governor Support Service offers a professional clerking service through a service level agreement, to assist with the administration and routine communication including statutory responsibilities. Many South Tyneside schools, as well as schools outside of the Borough, use the clerking service.

The Department for Education recognises that the quality of the clerk is a crucial element in the effectiveness of a governing board in fulfilling its strategic function of;

Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;

Holding executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the organisation and its pupils, and the performance management of staff; and overseeing the financial performance of the organisation and making sure its money is well spent.

In ensuring that these functions are met the clerk's role to the board is key - responsible for providing:

  • Procedural and legislative advice
  • Administrative and organisational support
  • Guidance to ensure that the board works in accordance with the legal framework and is compliant with necessary regulations.

The clerking service offers support with:

  • Programming meetings, including advice on the timing and agenda for meetings to comply with:
    • Statutory requirements of current and new legislation
    • Previous decisions of the governing board
    • Best practice
  • Convening meetings, including:
    • Production of reports on school governance to comply with current and new legislation
    • Agenda preparation
    • Expedite all other reports and papers
    • Gather, print and distribute all papers 
  • Attendance of a clerk at meetings to:
    • Give advice on school governance matters as they arise
    • Take minutes of the meeting
  • Post meeting follow-up, including:
    • Produce draft minutes
    • Record attendance
    • Notification of appointments
    • Liaise with the Council and other agencies on resolutions of the governing board
  • Help for governors:
  • Other support services including a range of tasks, such as:
    • Monitor attendance of governors
    • Disqualification of governors where required
    • Monitor expiry of term of office and liaise with appropriate institutions
    • General administrative support in the provision of material and information

If you're interested in using our clerking service

Please get in touch to find out more about how we can support your governing board.

Call us on 0191 424 7725 or email school.governors@southtyneside.gov.uk.

"South Tyneside's Governor Support Service provides an excellent clerking service for our governor meetings and information delivered at their governor briefings, workshops and conferences provides an invaluable source of the most up to date, pertinent intelligence for our governing board."

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