I have been chair of governors at a RC primary school for eight years. I am also a chair of directors (trustees) for a Roman Catholic MAT in Lancashire.
I have been an NLG since January 2014. Since then I have supported several chairs of governors and governing bodies. I have experience of working with governors both at primary and secondary level, in maintained and voluntary aided schools as well with an academy in a multi academy trust.
My work as an NLG has been focused on improving governance in schools, either via as a mentor for the chair of governors or through review of the governing body. I have completed the NCTL external review of governance course as well as the CST/DfE masterclass for reviews of multi academy trusts.
I have also been a mentor for the NGA ‘Future Chairs’ strand of Inspiring Governance and have experience of delivering training to governors.
Coaching and mentoring new chairs, developing effective governance, governor training, primary and secondary experience, school improvement.
External reviews of governance at primary schools
External reviews of governace at secondary schools
External review of governance in an academy (within a MAT)
Coaching and mentoring support to new chairs in both primary and secondary schools.
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John has been a chair of governors for the past 15 years. As an NLG he has sat as interim chair or vice chair in a range of primary and secondary schools across Greater Manchester. John has experience in supporting staffing restructures, sitting on appointments panels, from NQTs to head teachers and NLEs, and streamling governance arrangements in a range of schools. John regularly delivers training for governors on a wide range of topics across Greater Manchester. John is also qualified to carry out external reviews of governance.
Supporting new or existing committee chairs, Supporting appointments panels; from NQTs to headteachers and NLEs - safer recruitment trained, Staffing restructures, Governor training, Safeguarding link governor visits - Level 3 safeguarding trained
Primary academy in Moss Side, Manchester - taking the school to OFSTED 'good'
Secondary academy in Rochdale - rebuilding governance arrangements following RI judgement
Supporting a new governing body in a maintained primary school in Bury
Charing appointments panels in a variety of schools
Vice chair and trustee of the Rochdale Education and Learning Trust
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Mark Granby has been involved in school governance for over 18 years, joining his local primary school (a Local Authority (LA) maintained CE (aided) primary school) governing body in October 2001. He was elected as chair of governors at the school in October 2007, the year that the school was judged Outstanding by Ofsted. The school is now a Teaching School and leads in a local Teaching School Alliance. The school converted to form a multi-academy trust (MAT) in June 2017 with Mark elected as chair of the Trust Board. The trust now sponsors two primary schools, both with church foundations.
Mark is also chair of a trust board for a college sponsored MAT sponsoring two community schools, a role he commenced in January 2016. One of those schools moved from special measures to good in just 18 months. He is also a governor at a college of further education having started in that role in May 2014. He recently chaired the Interim Executive Board at a CE/Methodist primary school placed into special measures. The IEB was installed in June 2018 and was dissolved in May 2019 when the school converted to an academy and joined a MAT.
Mark’s professional background is in policing, although he retired from the police service in September 2014. He has also been an independent child safeguarding consultant and has chaired and authored three serious case reviews, all in the North of England.
Mark was designated as a National Leader of Governance (NLG) in May 2014. He completed his DfE accredited training to conduct external reviews of governance in May 2015 and has conducted a substantial number of reviews covering primary, secondary and MAT settings through his work as a governance consultant. He is currently the co-ordinator for governor training in Bury, a role he commenced on a consultancy basis in April 2019.
Mark brings extensive experience of effective governance in the maintained and academy sectors. He is an accredited change management practitioner and has demonstrated a sustained commitment to school governance as a dedicated system leader.
Governance, Leadership, Safeguarding
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As an NLG I have worked with schools in the Wigan area to strengthen governance, to support Chairs in dealing with concerns arising within the Governing Body and also to review actions to be taken in respect of vexatious complainants.
Supporting new or existing committee chairs, Supporting appointments panels; from NQTs to headteachers and NLEs - safer recruitment trained, Staffing restructures, Governor training, Safeguarding link governor visits - Level 3 safeguarding trained
These are NLG deployments
Bryn St Peters Primary School - undertaking an ERG which led to action plan to make the GB more effective and increase participation by all the GB members
Nicol Mere Primary School, mentoring joint chairs of the GB to clarify working relationship with each other and headteacher
Orrell Lamberhead Green Primary School - support for GB Chair in dealing with vexatious parents
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I have been a governor for over 27 years, 22 as Chair, at one of the first primary schools to academise. I have been a Trust Member and Chair of Trustees for 10 years. I am MD of a specialist academy conversion support company that has supported over 250 schools. We support MAT’s in a number of post conversion services. As an NLG, I have conducted now over 50 External Reviews of Governance both in maintained schools and Academy Trusts. I am currently writing a programme for a University on Trustee Development in Multi Academy Trusts.
Governance, governance reviews, academy conversions, MAT support, MAT Growth Audits, Due Diligence, finance
Schools in Stoke, Cheshire East, Halton, Coventry, Salford, Tameside, Enfield, Walthamstow, Cheshire West, Worcestershire
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Above all I value being allowed to support governance to enable schools to be the best they can be. Children are the heart of what schools do and that includes governance. I am a national leader of governance from cohort 1 in 2012. Since then I have supported numerous schools across different LAs, always with the aim of doing the very best for the children.
I have had four sets of written evidence published by the House of Commons. I graduated in 2014 with an MA (Ed) in governance. I have had numerous articles and blogs published. I am a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA).
I care that governance is the best it can be so children receive the highest quality education we can provide, wide knowledge of governance across all sectors, extensive governance support across many LAs,experience of IEBs governing boards etc,federations, amalgamations, schools joining MATs, schools in special measures, schools moving towards outstanding, team work with governors, DfE trained External Reviewer of Governance, teacher pay committees, head teacher performance management, significant change, SEND and governance, head teacher pay and ISR ranges, reconstituting boards, governor training, complaints, support and challenge, governance research (published by BELMAS), I have QTS, written evidence for the House of Commons, Masters Degree in Governance.
Manchester LA, Oldham LA, Tameside LA, Salford LA, Kirklees LA.
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I have chaired a number of IEB's and undertaken a number of External Reviews of Governance. I have worked with a school as it converted to a MAT and have been instrumental in defining and model of governance as the MAT grew. The MAT has grown with a combination of convertor schools and Free Schools.
Experienced in the Primary and Secondary setting, Effective Chair, Coaching and mentoring, strategic thinking, supporting Chairs, Understanding of governance in MAT’s.
IEB Chair of University of Chester Kidsgrove Primary - worked with them until re-brokered.
IEB Chair of University of Chester Kidsgrove Secondary until re-brokered
IEB Chair of University of Chester Ellesmere Port Secondary until re-brokered.
Various ERG including Reddish Vale, Bramhall and Copley helping governing body develop a new strategy and approach
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I have been a chair of a primary MAT, with three outstanding schools, for the past 7 years. Previous to that I was a chair of governors at a large primary school. I have experience in supporting staffing restructures, sitting on appointments panels, and providing advice and guidance on governance arrangements/development for both maintained and academy schools. I am also experienced in working with federations of schools, having been a chair of one. I have experience of setting up governance structures for a free school. As an NLG I have chaired an Interim Executive Panel. I am qualified to carry out external reviews of governance. In 2007 I was runner up to the Teaching Award Governors category for the North West. In 2016 I was awarded an MBE for my services to education (governance) in Greater Manchester.
School improvement planning, developing effective governance, chair’s development, succession planning for headteacher, financial and back office processes, SLT recruitment, Collaboration and Partnership – exploring different governance models eg federations
External Reviews at Secondary and Primary maintained schools
External Reviews of primary academy schools
NLG Support (coaching and mentoring) to new chairs
Training workshop for FE College
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