Why is CPD important?

May 10th, 2017

Governance that works for Everyone

As governors, we have a passion for improving the education and life opportunities of the young people in our schools and we have already signed-up to the belief that we are all lifelong learners. Education and learning is continuous and never-ending – but do we practice what we preach?

Mandatory training for school Governors is often discussed but as yet, has not become mandatory. As Governors and Trustees, we are the driving force of the Strategic Direction of schools as well as holding legal responsibility for millions of pounds of public money. We oversee school spending and one of our core responsibilities is the instruction to ‘Oversee the financial performance of the organisation and make sure its money is well spent.’

Governors and Trustees come from all walks of life and professional backgrounds and Continuing Professional Development is an essential part of governance. CPD is the opportunity to enhance the skills, capabilities and knowledge of the skilled people around the table to understand education and enable them to hold the school to account and steer the future strategic direction of the school.

Nationally, Ofsted have incorporated their expectations into the Schools Inspection Framework where it is clearly stated that inspectors will consider “how committed Governors are to their own development in order to improve their performance”. Ofsted will also make a judgement on whether governors are hindering school improvement because of a lack of understanding of the issues facing the school.

Locally, the governors in Bromley and Croydon schools are committed to training as is evidenced by the growing number of governors attending our sessions. This high quality training offers excellent value for money where Governing Boards can effectively evidence the impact of their professional CPD in driving school improvement.

Given the importance of governors being kept up to date, we felt that it was the perfect time to run our first Octavo Governor Conference,  offering CPD at a local and National level as well as valuable networking opportunities. The new Competency Framework for Governors is clear about the high expectations placed on Governors and we recognise that skills gained in Governance are transferable to our professional lives as well. We hope that as lifelong learners, this is not an opportunity that will be missed.


‘Governance that works for everyone’ is taking place on Saturday 14 October, 10:00-15:00 at Selsdon Park Hotel. Full details to come over the next few months.

For more information and to book click here