Whenever a person is asked to fill a role, it is usually appropriate to consider how to make it as easy as possible for him / her to succeed, for the benefit of the organisation.  This is just as true on the Governing Body (GB) as it is for staff in school.  Planning to develop skills, knowledge and practice, in individuals and the organisation as a whole, can be crucial to success.

The Link Governor role is central to planning and managing development activities for the GB. The most frequent drivers for development are:

• Turnover of governors in GB roles and on the GB itself.
• Improvement / development plans for the school, aiming for its vision and values.
• Imposed tasks  /initiatives from Government.
• Reaction to events and changes in and around the school and its community.

There is no one right way to organise a GB, and many combinations of roles and committees work well in their own settings. Similarly, there is no one right way to develop skills, knowledge and practice.

Development activities fall into a range of categories:

• 'on the job' training
  • shadowing someone already in a role
  • visiting and learning about a function affected by or driving the role
  • having a ‘buddy’ for support when new in a role
    
    
• personal development of skills around the role
  • background reading & research
  • technique and skill training workshops/courses
  • visiting good practitioners elsewhere
  • invited external trainer
  • distance learning courses of various types
    
    
• building and developing a team
  • shared group problem-solving activities on or off site
  • structured social events, eg a fund-raising project
  • social gatherings