Background
While not compulsory, all governors, however experienced, need training to improve their effectiveness in the role and to keep abreast of developments that may affect their school and their role as governor.

Responsibilities
The governing body has overall responsibility for the training of its members. The National Strategy for Governor Support has been prepared to help governor trainers in LA's, diocesan boards, chairs of governors and headteachers to ensure that new governors have the information they need to become effective school governors. The aim is to make sure that governors, irrespective of where they live, should have access to consistent information about their role, their responsibilities and the expectations of them, as well as the way in which they should be working with their headteacher.

Opportunities for training and support

New governors
The National Strategy for Governor Support calls for new governors to be assigned an experienced governor as a 'mentor' to help introduce them to their role and to identify where their training needs lie. The mentor should also ensure that new governors receive the appropriate induction training available from their LA.

The National Governors' Association produces a publication, Welcome to governance: A handbook for new school governors (also known as the Trigger pack), which provides a comprehensive introduction to school governance for new governors. 

Existing governors
Governing bodies often choose to nominate a 'Link governor' who has overall responsibility for ensuring that individual governors' training needs are identified and addressed. The link governor will liaise with the LA and be aware of the portfolio of training which governors can access locally to help them carry out their duties effectively.

Edexcel provides a BTEC Advanced Certificate in School Governance (short course) (Ref:BA005212). For more information contact Edexcel.

Funding for training
Training provided by the LA must be free of charge to the individual governor (although it may incur a cost to the governing body).

Time off from work
Under employment law, employers must give employees who are school governors 'reasonable time off' to carry out their duties. The employee and employer have to agree on what is reasonable time off. Employers may give time off with pay, but do not have to do so.

Guidance

• A Guide to the Law for School Governors – Chapter 4 provides additional information on support and training for governors
• National Training Programme for Clerks
• National Governors’ Association: Welcome to governance: A handbook for new school governors (Trigger pack) – provides detailed information for new governors
• National Development Programme for Chairs of Governing Bodies and Headteachers: Leading together and Taking the chair (distance learning)
• National Training Programme for New Governors: Guidance for headteachers and chairs of governors, Toolkit for trainers (2005 version) and Workbook for governors (2005 version) – see the Attachments section.