Hackney School Governor Services (School Governance)

Overview

The Governor Services team provides high-quality advice, information, and training to governors, trustees, school leaders, and governance professionals. 

We are committed to promoting good governance in all Hackney settings, supporting a highly effective interface between school leadership and governance that is focused on financial sustainability and working in partnership.

 A large part of our services are free for Local Authority-maintained schools, but we support all types of settings. 

Working closely with Hackney experts across the organisation and in partnership with neighbouring councils, our cutting edge expertise aims to enable governing boards to fulfill their statutory duties, ensuring effective school operations, high standards, and legal compliance.

We support schools by:

• serving as champions of good governance and ensuring governors / trustees and school leaders have access to timely support, advice and training on strategic aspects of governance
• enabling key players to fulfil their roles effectively in order to improve the life chances of every child, young person and learner in Hackney
• as part of the School Improvement Team: designing and implementing mechanisms to monitor and work in partnership to oversee compliance across finance, safety and performance in maintained schools

Meet the team 

• Maggie Kalnins - Head of (School) Governor Services
• Madalina (Maddie) Brockmann - (School) Governor Services Manager
• Donna Knight-Olds - (School) Governance Officer
• Jo Murray - (School) Governor Services Administrator

View the Governor Services team biographies.

The best way to reach us is to email governorservices@hackney.gov.uk. We will endeavour to reply within 48 hours. Please indicate if you need urgent assistance or a call back. You can also call 020 8820 7369

How we support schools

Our statutory duties

Our team is responsible for the following Local Authority duties for maintained schools:

• Managing the Local Authority Governor nominations / appointments process 
  One local authority governor position is legally part of maintained schools governing boards constitution. We welcome proposals for suitable candidates from our schools. Find out more about the Hackney Local Authority Governor Process
• Monitoring for compliance and processing Instruments of Governance
  If your Governing Board is seeking a variance, find out more about the Instrument of Government variance process
• Appointment of Parent Governor representatives to LA committees
• Maintaining a database of Chairs of Governors
• Organising Independent Review Panels (IRPs)
  In the case of permanent exclusions, the local authority or the academy trust must arrange for an independent review panel hearing. This hearing will review the decision of a governing board not to reinstate a permanently excluded pupil. Find out more about IRPs and how to get support
• Assisting in establishing Interim Executive Boards or shadow governing bodies in under-performing schools
• Supporting administrative changes to school status / federating processes

For any of the processes above, please contact us on governorservices@hackney.gov.uk for support.

Additional support

We also:

• Provide the Governor community with access to essential up-to-date local and national information, policy updates and model documents, via:
  • The termly Governors Forum and annual Governors Conference - The Forum is a frequent session open to all Hackney Governors, School Leaders, and Young Governors which provides updates on national governance headlines, priorities and actions in Hackney.  Subscribe to our governance newsletter to join the forums live and receive information and updates from Hackney Governance Services
  • The termly Chair of Governors Update / Governance Newsletter - Read past newsletters and subscribe to our governance newsletter
  • Resources, model policies, and helpful templates
• Provide expert counsel and support to governing boards and school leaders on complex issues and strategic decision-making
• Facilitate communication and networking, assisting to build a strong, connected governance community
• Assist diverse representation on boards, through support in Governor recruitment, including the Hackney Young Governors Programme

Strategic Governance training and professional development

See more details of upcoming courses and register to attend.

Costed support, including bespoke advice and training on other key themes

Our Governance Services traded offer delivers bespoke support on key strategic themes tailored to your circumstances and need such as:

• Enhancing governance effectiveness - training
• Optimising board dynamics and the governance interface with school leaders - training / bespoke advice
• Confidentiality and conflicts of interests training - bespoke advice
• Chairing hearings - training
• Enhanced governance of school finance - training
• Complaints management, including case-work and investigation - support / training
• Complaints and exclusions hearing support - procedural advice / clerking / training
• General and bespoke clerking services- agendas / minutes / advice

Please contact governorservices@hackney.gov.uk for any other information on the above.