Who we are and what we do

High quality professional clerking is a crucial element to the effective functioning of a board and the Governance Handbook recognises that the clerking role is not only about effective administration, but is also about helping boards in their role, function and legal duties. The clerking role goes beyond minuting taking and embraces the need to act as a governance professional by providing advice and support.

In recognition of the diverse nature of the clerking role, the service has updated its name and role description for our team members, and you will notice the term 'Governance Professional' in our descriptions.

The Governance Professional Service has a team of Governance Professionals (clerks) across Norfolk waiting to work with your board and actively assist chairs and boards in their governance duties.

Benefits of using the Governance Professional Service

• We will always endeavour to find a stand in if your assigned Governance Professional is unable to attend a meeting
• We provide full training to all our team members and have built in preparation time to research items to prepare for meetings
• The Governance Professional has direct access to and can utilise the expert knowledge of Governance Service for complex queries
• We undertake annual appraisals and one to one meetings
• All of our Governance Professionals are quality assured, we invite feedback from your board to inform this process
• We undertake the recruitment and induction for new Governance Professionals
• We process all payroll functions so you don't have to
• Additional administration hours can be purchased to help with projects
• All our Governance Professionals are DBS checked

Activities your Governance Professional will complete

• For new subscribers, they will attend an hour courtesy meeting with the Chair and Headteacher to discuss how they will work together with you. Additionally, when the board's chair changes, an additional meeting will be undertaken
• Set agendas in conjunction with the chair and others depending on the school needs
• Collate supporting papers in preparation for the meeting
• Publish the agenda and supporting papers at least 7 days in advance of the meeting
• Produce effective and accurate minutes demonstrating how the governing board challenge and support the school/academy leadership
• Maintaining the school/academy/trust records on GovernorHub (if purchased) and ensure timely updates are shared
• Attend regular training and remain in touch with current developments

In addition, our governance professional clerks can capture the key points of any school Ofsted inspection feedback meeting, so a consistent message can be shared and actions allocated, additional fees apply for this service.