Hosted by Charles Western (Senior Partnerships Manager for North) and Anthony Melia (Partnerships Manager for the West Midlands), this episode of the Governors for Schools Podcast is geared towards an introduction to school governance for HR professionals. This episode was produced as part of Governors for Schools Inclusive Governance Campaign.

Charles and Anthony are joined by guests Kayleigh and Joanne whose bios can be found below. 

Kayleigh is currently Head of Human Resources at a globally recognised international charity based in the City of London. With over a decade of experience in Human Resources management, Kayleigh has mainly worked within the not for profit sector, including a London based independent School. Kayleigh is a Chartered member of the CIPD having completed the Level 7 CIPD Diploma and is currently undertaking a Masters of Law with a focus on employment law. Kayleigh has been a community governor of a secondary school in her hometown in Kent since May 2022.

Joanne is a seasoned HR leader with Level 7 CIPD qualifications and a solid grounding in accounting. Her career spans a variety of sectors across the UK, and she is currently applying her skills to SMEs in Lancashire. As a mother and a professional, she uniquely understands the importance of effective people management and its impact both in business and in educational settings. Her role as a school governor allows her to contribute to shaping the educational environment, ensuring it benefits from the strategic insights that HR expertise can offer.

If you have any questions or want to find out more, feel free to send us an email at: recruitment.service@governorsforschools.org.uk.

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HR professionals share their experiences as school governors

Listen to our teaser trailer for information about what is coming up in our new Inclusive Governance campaign [https://governorsforschools.org.uk/campaigns/inclusive-governance/] and how this plays into the Governors for Schools Podcast.

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Launching our Inclusive Governance campaign

It's Trustees Week (6th-10th November), and our Trustee Recruitment team is proud to celebrate the work of one particular MAT Trustee, Emma Hawker. Listen on to hear our team get inspired by the contributions Emma's made to her board, despite the fact she did not initially consider herself to be Trustee material.

Ready to apply and start your Trustee journey? Head to the Trustee Recruitment Service website: www.trusteerecruitmentservice.org.uk

Music by: Bensound.com/free-music-for-videos

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Trustee Voices - Trustees Week with Emma Hawker

In this episode, we explore how the University of Liverpool is working with Governors for Schools and School Improvement Liverpool to encourage more people to become governors, as well as the benefits of getting involved.

Chair: Jessica Wing, Partnerships Manager, Governors for Schools

Panellists:

 * Emma Harris, Head of Governor Recruitment, Governors for Schools
 * Christine Todd, Head of UK Recruitment, University of Liverpool
 * Kieran O’Sullivan, UK Recruitment Manager, University of Liverpool
 * Dave Cadwallader, School Governance Lead, School Improvement Liverpool

For more information about Governors for Schools, please visit our website. 

Volunteering as a school governor – Good for you, good for Liverpool

It's Volunteers' Week (1st-7th June), and we at Governors for Schools are excited to celebrate the fantastic work of governors across the country. Governors are the largest volunteer group across England and Wales, but there are still thousands of vacancies on school boards. Are you keen to get involved and help younger generations thrive? In this podcast, you'll learn more about the role, the commitment involved, and how to apply. You’ll also hear from two school governors about the difference they’re making by volunteering. 

Ready to apply and start your governor journey? Head to the Governors for Schools website: Governors for Schools - Effective Governors, Excellent Schools [https://governorsforschools.org.uk/]

Why volunteer as a school governor? - Panel discussion

It's no secret that school staffing budgets are squeezed right now. As the cost of living crisis mounts, issues surrounding teachers’ pay and working conditions are hitting the headlines, with schools across the country affected by industrial action and increasing turnover rates. As such, governors are navigating rather difficult terrain. Beyond pay and budgeting, governors must consider issues such as teacher wellbeing, recruitment processes, staff development, and more.

To discuss these issues (and more), we teamed up with Gemma Scotcher, Director of Communication and Public Affairs at Education Support.

To discover more about Education Support, visit their website: Education Support, supporting teachers and education staff [https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/]

Remember to catch up with our Counting the Cost resources here: Counting the Cost Resources - Governors for Schools [https://governorsforschools.org.uk/counting-the-cost-resources/]

How can governors address staffing issues? - Interview with Gemma Scotcher, Education Support

How can governors support schools in providing enriching learning experiences for less advantaged pupils when budgets are tight? The COVID-19 crisis has already widened attainment gaps between less advantaged pupils and their better off peers, an issue that threatens to get worse as the cost of living crisis bites. 

To discuss this issue, we're joined by three spokespeople from organisations working to boost social mobility and bridge attainment gaps - Susannah Hardyman, CEO of Action Tutoring, Martin Galway, Head of School Programmes at the National Literacy Trust, and Anne-Marie Canning, CEO of the Brilliant Club. 

Discover more about the organisations:

The Brilliant Club [https://thebrilliantclub.org/]

Home - Action Tutoring : Action Tutoring [https://actiontutoring.org.uk/]

National Literacy Trust | UK Literacy Charity [https://literacytrust.org.uk/]

Explore more of our Counting the Cost campaign: Counting the Cost - Governors for Schools [https://governorsforschools.org.uk/countingthecost/]

How can governors support enriching learning experiences? - Panel discussion

The cost of living crisis is squeezing household budgets, making it harder for parents and carers to cover education costs such as uniforms, meals, learning materials, school trips, and more. In this episode, we chat to Kate Anstey, Project Lead on the Child Poverty Action Group's Cost of the School Day project, about what governors can do to support schools and families through tough economic times. 

Find out more about the Child Poverty Action Group here: CPAG | Home [https://cpag.org.uk/]

Catch up on our Counting the Cost campaign here: Counting the Cost - Governors for Schools [https://governorsforschools.org.uk/countingthecost/]

How can governors address costs for parents and carers? - Interview with Kate Anstey, Child Poverty Action Group

With energy costs at their highest in many years, schools across the country are struggling to manage bills. On this first ever episode of The Governors for Schools Podcast, we speak to Nicola Webb from Energy Sparks, an organisation that helps schools reduce their energy consumption and tackle climate change.

Discover more about Energy Sparks: Home | Energy Sparks [https://energysparks.uk/]

Check out our Counting the Cost campaign: https://governorsforschools.org.uk/countingthecost/ [https://governorsforschools.org.uk/?page_id=8493&preview=true]

How can schools manage energy consumption? - Interview with Nicola Webb, Energy Sparks

Join Governors for Schools to learn about a wide range of issues affecting today's governance landscape. We speak to a range of guests and organisations to help new, existing, and prospective governance get to grips with the demands of the role. Find out more about becoming a governor on our website: Governors for Schools - Effective Governors, Excellent Schools [https://governorsforschools.org.uk/]