Send us a message 0208 726 6000
Send us a message
"Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit."
"Providing innovation, excellence and expertise to schools and academies across London and the South East."
Follow Us
Caroline Davies gives us her top tips – the first being, yes you can do this! Here’s how:
Your Clerk has asked, will you sit on this Governor Panel? It could be a panel for parental complaints, pupil exclusion, staff disciplinary, admission appeals or something else!
Help! What does this mean for you? You already give up plenty of your personal time to attend meetings, training and visit the school and now, a Governor Panel, something of which you have little or no experience. Are you feeling a little overwhelmed, thinking about the responsibility that this involves, what process needs to be followed, your role, making a decision that will have impact? How will I know what do, what decision is the correct one to make? I’m not ready for this, I can’t do it.
Stop! Of course you can do this!
So, what does sitting on a Panel actually mean?
Modern governance work has moved extensively beyond the traditional remit of attending Board and Committee meetings – at some point in your term of office, you are likely to be asked to sit on a formal Panel on behalf of your Governing Board. You won’t be able to avoid it altogether!
Your Panel Clerk will have endeavoured to constitute a Panel that is as diverse as possible, in terms of experiences, skills, ethnicity and gender, to reassure the complainant that a fair hearing will be conducted. So, what do you need to know to guide you along the way?
Here are 4 key steps to consider when agreeing to sit on a Governor Panel.
1. Be prepared!
Agreeing to be a Panel Member is not just about committing a few hours on the agreed day. It means:
2. Attend Training!
The decisions you may be asked to make as a Panel Member can have a significant and long lasting impact:
It is essential that you have recently attended training which looks at your role as a Panel Member, brings to your attention all of the issues and technicalities that you must take into consideration and clarifies the decision making power that you have. And, yes, you can overturn a Head’s decision to exclude a child if the Panel determines that due process has not been followed!
How recent is recent? Within the last two years of the Panel being constituted.
3. Be Open Minded, Objective and Mindful of all Parties
A formal Panel Hearing is not a process for “rubber-stamping” the Head’s decision; the Panel can decide to agree or disagree with the decision being asked of them. As a panel member you will want to ensure that the Panel’s decision making process is fair, objective and reasonable in the decision that it reaches.
Tips to consider?
Yes, it is absolutely essential that due and proper process is followed so that the right decision is reached by the Panel Members. But always remember, for the parent, child or member of staff involved, the reason why a formal panel is required can be deeply personal and incredibly emotive. Empathy, consideration and providing the independent forum for listening to the issue at hand (often the issue at hand for many parents), can go a long way in ensuring a smooth as possible Panel Hearing. Simple, but often important things, like not interrupting, fully engaging and actively listening to the complainant, not tapping your pen/foot when they are speaking, can all work towards reassuring your complainant that the Hearing is not a simple rubber stamping of the Head’s decision.
Think about how you would want to be treated and heard by a Panel if you were the complainant. You would want to leave that Panel Hearing reassured that you had been listened to, your views considered and the process adopted fair.
4. Collaborative
Remember, the Panel does not need to reach a unanimous decision; a majority decision will suffice and no one Panel Member has more power or sway over the decision making process. Dissenting views of Panel Members must be heard in a professional and courteous manner with the decision reached by the Panel respected and adhered to by all.
So, an effective Panel Member in a nutshell?
Well prepared, recently trained, open minded, objective and willing to make difficult decisions, if and when the need arises!
Remember, with the appropriate training that can be you!
Need help or training? Please contact the Governance teamEmail: Octavo.Governance@croydon.gov.uk or Tel: 020 8241 5487
You must be logged in to post a comment.