Board Development Strategy
This strategy describes how the Governing Body will maintain and enhance its effectiveness on behalf of its key stakeholders.
The Governing Body of South Devon College is committed to maintaining a high performing and effective Board so that it can meet the demands of its stakeholders. These stakeholders include, students, staff, the local community, employers as well as its regulators: the Department for Education (DofE), the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), Ofsted and the Office for Students (OfS).
This document sets out the intent, implementation and impact of this strategy. It is a public statement of how the Governing Body will maintain and enhance its effectiveness on behalf of its stakeholders.
INTENT: To ensure the Board has robust mechanisms in place to support and enhance the effectiveness of the Governing Body.
IMPLEMENTATION: The Board will have the following mechanisms in place to enhance its effectiveness:
a) Opportunities for diverse members of the community to join the Board to ensure the membership represents and reflects the diversity of the communities and stakeholders served by the College. Collectively the Board will ensure it is well connected with the local community and employers and where necessary its wider stakeholders – these connections and networks will be kept under review when making new appointments to the Board.
b) Opportunities for regular governor engagement with the key stakeholders that it is serving, ie students, staff, employers and businesses through annual events such as ‘Meet the Students’, ‘Meet the Staff’, Learning Walks, A Tour of the Campuses and attendance at Award Ceremonies that celebrate student and staff achievements. These events will help to ensure Board discussions and decisions are always informed by the needs and experiences of key stakeholders.
c) Opportunities to ‘triangulate’ executive reporting by attending and reporting back to the Board on termly management meetings in the areas of Teaching Quality; Careers; Safeguarding; Equality, Diversity & Inclusion; Health, Safety & Welfare and Sustainability.
d) Opportunities for regular governor training and development, both internally and externally to ensure the Board fulfils its responsibilities as detailed by its Instrument and Articles of Government, and as set out in the AoC’s Code of Good Governance for English Colleges. This includes a comprehensive induction programme and mentoring support for new governors and well as half-termly ‘Training and Development Updates’.
e) Opportunities for regular governor feedback on the effectiveness of the Governing Body and the Committees on which they serve. This includes annual 1:1 review meetings with the Chair or Vice Chair of the Governing Body.
IMPACT: The impact of this Board Development Strategy will be regularly evaluated through an annual self-assessment report and through undertaking an external board review at least once every three years. Both reports will result in an Annual Board Development Action Plan. This Development Plan will be monitored termly by the Governing Body through its Search & Governance Committee to ensure the Board continually reviews, develops and enhances its performance on behalf of its stakeholders.
The following appendices provide further details of how this Strategy will be implemented.
APPENDIX A: Governor Recruitment Target
APPENDIX B: Stakeholder Engagement Strategy
APPENDIX C: Designated and Lead Governors – Roles and Responsibilities
APPENDIX D: New Governor Induction Pack
APPENDIX E: Training and Development Strategy
APPENDIX F: Board Development Plan