About Govas

GOVAS works closely with the Stockport Children and Young People Directorate, but we are a fully independent association of governors affiliated to the equally independent National Governors Association. Every governor in Stockport is automatically a GOVAS member (as long as your institution pays their subscriptionof £10.00 PA)and our Management Committee is made up exclusively of serving volunteer governors in Stockport’s schools – nursery, primary secondary and special. Our biggest strength is our links with all the school governors in Stockport through our newsletter, special communications, and this website.  

 

 

GOVAS VIRTUAL MINI CONFERENCE

The Annual General Meeting was held on Thursday 23rd November 2023

 

It Commenced at 7.00pm

 

 

 

 

 

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This years conference took take place virtually on the 25th of March 2023 - platform Microsoft Teams

 

Keynote speakers:

Tim Bowman Director of Stockport Education

Young Carers speaker - Katy Frankland & colleague from Signpost for Carers

Poverty Proofing speaker - Nicki White Senior School Improvement Adviser Primary

 

Conference Agenda

09.00     Registration

09.15     Welcome

09.20     Tim Bowman Stockport Director of Education

09.50     Young Carers in Schools

10.15     Workshops session 1

11.00     coffee/break - boil the kettle in advance

11.15     Workshops session 2

12.00     Key note speaker on Poverty Proofing -Nikki White

13.00     Close

 

There were 6 virtual workshop available over 2 sessions

  1. Safeguarding - led by Julia Storey, Senior Adviser Safeguarding Children in Education
  2. Finance - led by Peter Hughes CSS Finance Manager
  3. Impact of austerity on SEND - led by Tom Gadsby Senior School Improvement Adviser Primary & Rob Rogers Senior School Improvement Adviser Secondary
  4. Succession planning and recruitment for your board - led by Janet Myers, NGA Regional Lead(North West), NGA Consultant, National Leader of Governance.   
  5. Diversity are we making progress - led by Nicole Hand Ethnic Diversity Head of Service & Pam Dunham Head of Governor Services
  6. Staff wellbeing - led by Tracey Higgins, Senior School Improvement Adviser Primary and Tanya Cross, Health and Wellbeing School Coordinator

 

Dear Governors

The annual Govas AGM will took place Wednesday 2nd November 2022 at the Alma Lodge followed by information on Multi Academy Trusts.

Link to all the paperwork

6.30 PM -Refreshments

7.00 PM -AGM

7.30 PM -Role of the Governor in Multi Academy Trusts lead by Janet Myers  NGA Regional Lead(North West), NGA Consultant, National Leader of Governance.   

Hopefully in the current climate this discussion will be of interest to governors of maintained schools and those in of existing academies who will be able to share experiences.

9.00 PM -Close

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Govas Governor Conference 26th March 2022 in partnership with SMBC

Governance with Covid 

Please put this date in your dairy registration will start in Feb 2022

Agenda for the Day

08.30 - 09.00 Registration and Coffee

09.00 - 09.10 Open conference Anne Trafford Chair of Govas

09.10 - 09.45 Tim Bowman Director of Education for Stockport and Tameside

09.45 - 10.00 Janet Meyers NGA Northwest Representative

10.00 - 11.00 Workshops: delegates can choose one with one reserve

11.00  - 1200 Brunch and networking

12.00 - 13.00 Keynote speaker, Sharon Warmington, Founder of National Black Governors Network (NBGN) and National Association of School and College Clerks. Director of Unstoppable Ltd
                    – presentation and Q&A on Diversity, Inclusion and Equality in schools

 

Location -Marple Hall School, Hill Top Drive, Marple SK6 6LB

 

 

 

The maximum number of delegates is 150, so we will keep a reserve list for anyone who applies after we have reached that number so we can offer places if anyone cancels

 

We will be requesting that you take a lateral flow test the day before the conference and we will be asking that participants wear a face covering until they are seated.

Who are the Schools Forum

The Schools Forum (an elected group of Head teachers, Principals, Governors and other associated members) is the key decision making and consultative group required by DfE regulation which oversees/governs all financial and administrative matters relating to the Schools Budget financed by the dedicated schools grant (DSG).
The roles and responsibilities of the Schools Forum can be found in the new short guide recently published by the DfE (November 2013) - found here -

The DfE has identified as part of their review of Schools Forum that effective best practice relating to Schools Forum and its operational duties includes communication to all the wider stakeholder audience of the business matters discussed and decisions made. (i.e. ensuring all decisions made at forum are duly recorded and shared).

For the latest schools forum minutes      -Click this link-

The Schools’ Forum (an elected group of Head teachers, Principals, Governors and other associated members) is the key decision making and consultative group required by DfE regulation which oversees/governs all financial and administrative matters relating to the Schools Budget financed by the dedicated schools grant (DSG).

There is currently a vacancy for a primary governor

In 2021 there will be a vacancy for a secondary governor

Anyone who is interested in filling these vacancies should contact Peter Hughes or contact Govas. Obviously if there is more than one interested party there would have to be an election

The current make-up of the Stockport Schools Forum is:

Schools members

  • · 5 Primary head teachers – including 1 from a VA school
  • · 5 Primary governors – including 1 from a VA school
  • · 2 Secondary head teachers - including 1 from a VA school
  • · 2 Secondary governors
  • · 1 Special school head teacher/governor
  • · 1 Nursery head teacher
  • · 1 PRU head teacher
  • · 3 Academy representatives

Non-schools’ members

  • · 1 Diocesan representative
  • · 1 Trades union/professional association representative
  • · 1 non-Executive elected member
  • · 1 Vulnerable Children representative
  • · 1 Post 16 representative
  • · 1 PVI Early Years sector representative

The roles and responsibilities of the Schools’ Forum can be found in the guide recently updated by the DfE in May 2020 -click this lnk to read the guide-

 

Dear Governors

GOVAS has met a few times in the past few months in a virual enviroment discussing the current issues that are going on in schools.

Based on that success we are considering a virtual AGM with some speeches via most likely -"zoom"

Date set for this to take place would be the 21st January 2021 -1900hrs, if you have any ideas or thoughts then please do not hesitate to contact us via the -contact us- link above (then click -contact form-)

Govas

 

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