Today we welcomed our Members, Trustees, Local Governors and Clerks, to our annual ‘Governor Development Day’ at LEARN SEND Hub.
The event took place between 9am and 3pm and was jam packed. The day began with an introduction from our Chair of the Trust Board, Dr Stephen Hopkins, with an update about the role of LSBs within the Trust.
Jacki Bartram, Head of Communications & Fundraising then shared a reminder of resources available from the comms department, along with a Trust-wide marketing/PR, and bid-writing update.
Jane Starbuck, Strategic Lead for Trust Development & Governance introduced the Trusts new draft ‘Oversight and Assurance Framework’.
Peter Bell, CEO, gave an overview of CIT’s Strategic Plan and priorities. Delegates were then put into teams for a quick and fun acronym quiz – well done to the ‘red team’ who surged ahead and won the prize with their excellent knowledge of education abbreviations!
Next, we welcomed our pupil school councils via TEAMs. The children challenged people in the room with questions about the role of Trustees and Governors, and what impact their positions have on their individual schools. They were particularly interested in how schools are prioritised for maintenance work and decoration. The most challenging was a question around the human rights of a child in relation to the United Nations Charter and the link with school food, this led to much discussion and research.
Next up came an overview of the CIT Governance Training Padlet by Daran Bland, Chief Finance and Operations Officer, and how this supports the role of LSBs and Trustees, ensuring that all are aware of the statutory and recommended training available through the Trust.
Jane introduced the new CIT Governance Approach to SEND, to ensure everyone in the meeting understands the recommendations of DfE guidance introduced in February, as well as providing information about how all Governors could become Governors of SEND.
The day concluded with an Open Forum to discuss thoughts, questions, answers, and ideas from those in the room.
Feedback from this year’s Governor Development Day included:
“It’s been a really useful day with a lot of learning.”
“I feel able to appreciate the level of teamwork within the Trust with the co-produced nature of materials and processes being developed and made available to us as Governors.”
Lunch was provided by Sixth Form pupils who are taking a ‘Hospitality Pathway’ at Grantham Additional Need Fellowship. Thank you to all the pupils involved for their hard work.
