Governor Clerking

Clerking and Support for Schools

We provide advice and clerking to schools and academies to achieve and promote outstanding governance. This is a quality service that provides value for money and has been tried and tested and recommended by Enfield schools.

Additionally, we offer:

• Member Governor Forum where governors, councillors and officers can meet and discuss items of importance

• Half-termly Newsletters

• Guidance on parent and staff elections

• An induction pack for new governors

• Organisational Arrangement Document

Clerking

We strongly believe that a professional and independent Clerk is a valuable and essential asset in ensuring that governing bodies perform efficiently and effectively.

Having a supportive Clerk can make a difference to the well-being of the Governing Body.

Our high quality and dedicated Clerks will know your school and adhere to the school’s high expectations. Not only will they provide organisational and administrative support but will assist the board in understanding their role and legal duties.

All academy trusts and maintained schools must appoint a Clerk to their governing board as set out in their articles of association or in regulations, as appropriate.

Agenda Distribution (only for meetings that are clerked by GSS)

• Drafting agenda with suggested statutory & topical information

• Consulting with key stakeholders to suggest items for inclusion

• Circulating the agenda within the statutory timeframe of seven days

• Minutes of Meetings

Attending meetings

• Providing procedural advice during meetings

• Drafting the minutes within two weeks of the meeting

• Consulting with Chair and HT before circulating the final minutes

Clerks to Governors

• A professional and consistent Clerk, familiar with the Governing Body will be assigned and will attend your governors’ or committee meeting as required, on mutually convenient dates

• Clerks are internally and externally trained to provide effective support. This includes training in use of video conferencing packages and hence are familiar with virtual meetings

Record Keeping

We use the portal “GovernorHub” for document storage and circulation. This portal also has many other functionalities. Clerks update individual school’s information on GovernorHub regularly and this includes:

• Constitution

• Appointments

• Terms of office

• Committee membership

• Attendance records

• Specialist roles

Clerks can provide training to governors on the use of GovernorHub. School office staff can download this information at their convenience.

Panels

Specialist clerks are available for clerking Pupil Exclusion, Staff Appeals and Complaints panels. The minutes of these panels are prepared within 3 working days and sent to the Chair of the panel for consultation. Please note that these panels are convened by the School and the final letter sent by the Chair.

What we expect from you

Working with us to agree the agenda and minutes within the statutory timelines.

Providing us with dates at the start of the year.

Managing meetings so they do not overrun.

Prohibition

The Chair, Headteacher or school representative shall not directly or indirectly solicit or entice a clerk from the Enfield Clerking Service. If this is breached a finders fee of £1700 will be charged.