Agenda item

Governor Succession Planning and Recruitment

Report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services.

Minutes:

Members received reports of the Director of Community and Children’s Services regarding the appointment of a Governor to the Local Governing Bodies (LGB) of City of London Academies Trust (CoLAT) and the Governor recruitment and planning processes for LGBs across the ten City of London academies.

 

Members noted that Randall Anderson had been appointed to the LGB of The City Academy Hackney and that this had been ratified by the CoLAT Board of Trustees since the last meeting of the Education Board.

 

The Director of Community and Children’s Services explained that the strategic interest of the Board commits to effective leadership and good governance across the family of schools. Succession planning was therefore important as it enabled an appropriate mix of skills and experience from governing bodies allowing them to be diverse and represent the school communities that they served. It also ensured that no gaps or long-standing vacancies existed and that governing bodies were compliant with all national and local policies. Members were informed that the report focused on the CoLAT Board as responsibility for appointment processes for the Independent Schools was assigned to the relevant governing Boards.

 

Recommendations were made, in consultation with CoLAT, for continual development of the process. Members were reminded that these had been previously shared with the CoLAT Board but were invited to provide comments.

 

Several Members expressed support for expertise to be shared across the family of schools with the Head of the City of London Freemen’s School adding that cross fertilisation across the leadership teams would be helpful. It was also suggested that Governors could be encouraged, where capacity allowed, to sit on more than one Board to facilitate this.

 

The Director of Community and Children’s Services highlighted the work of the Education Unit, in collaboration with the Volunteering Network, to encourage staff to volunteer for governing roles.

 

A Member highlighted that the Corporation also nominated Governors for schools outside of the family of schools, including Christ’s Hospital and King Edward’s Witley, and added that it may be beneficial for Members to be more aware of their commitment to these schools.

 

The Director of Community and Children’s Services confirmed that the Education Unit could consider how better to engage with the wider school network.

 

Another Member expressed support for working in collaboration with senior leadership teams to identify the skills and experience required for vacancies. It was suggested that cultural alignment to the School’s, Trust’s and Corporation’s objectives and aims would result in a more cohesive approach by Boards.

 

RESOLVED, that the reports be noted.

 

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