Welcome…

This blog is a collection of random thoughts, light-hearted mumblings and semi-serious musings, directly and indirectly about clerking but always about governance. The blogs are ‘penned’ by my alter ego – affectionately known as The Elbow. Musings are spontaneous and contain grammatical howlers. This is not always deliberate.

An abrupt change of direction into online support resulted in the Agony Elbow – an agony column type thing for anyone in need of an answer to governance’s great unasked questions; of which there seems to be an increasing number.

Feel free to share any of the musings but do please ask me if you’re going to cite the blogs in other places! Ta muchly.

Thank you for reading, now where’s the kettle…?

Seeing the Wood for the Trees: What Advice and Guidance Does the Board Actually Need?

Here, The Elbow offers a range of random insights into board packs and the chunks of information we have to plough through at this time of year. Here goes:

It’s the beginning of term. The governance folder is already filling up. There are 23 items on the first Board agenda of the year. The inbox contains no fewer than seven “important updates” that have arrived since the summer break. And someone has helpfully forwarded a 147-page consultation document with the subject line: “FYI – might be relevant?”

Oh, what to do next…? Please therefore find The Elbow’s Guide for Boards Who Prefer the Shrubbery to the Full on Forest.

Let’s start at the beginning.

The Clerk’s Elbow has a confession: she may have contributed to the problem of information overload. You see, the Elbow is very fond of information.

She likes a report. She likes guidance. She likes a framework (oh yes indeed). She likes a useful little toolkit with a reassuringly comprehensive contents page (life saver tbh). And if a professional body publishes a 97-page report on something even vaguely connected to governance, there is a part of the Elbow’s brain that immediately thinks: “Ooh. We should probably read that.”

This is how it happens.

One report becomes three. Three become seven. Seven become a folder. The folder becomes a spreadsheet. The spreadsheet acquires colour coding. And before anyone knows what has happened, there’s a “useful external guidance” section containing 42 background documents.

Now, 42 is, of course, the answer to life, the universe and everything (keep up at the back). But 42 is emphatically not the answer to how many external reports, guidance documents and briefings a Board needs to have on its reading list.

At which point the Elbow has to ask herself: Has she been helping the Board to see the wood for the trees, or has she simply planted more trees?

The problem isn’t a lack of information—there’s no shortage of advice, guidance, briefings, frameworks, toolkits, reviews, consultations, discussion papers, research reports, model policies, checklists and “lessons learned.” There are also an astonishing number of documents which appear to have been produced by taking a perfectly reasonable three-page point and then giving it a 68-page supporting methodology. Yikes indeed. Governance documentation should not be a job creation scheme as we are all far, far, and away far too busy for that.

The Board Doesn’t Need Everything

This seems obvious but is surprisingly difficult to act upon.

• The fact that something is relevant to the sector doesn’t necessarily mean it’s relevant to the Board.
• The fact that it’s published by a respected organisation doesn’t necessarily mean the Board needs to read it.
• And the fact that there are 42 of them does not, despite the obvious cosmological significance of the number, mean that governance has somehow achieved enlightenment.

The useful question isn’t “Is this relevant?” Because almost everything can be made relevant if one tries hard enough.

The better question is: “What, if anything, does this mean for this Board?” That requires a little more work. It also requires someone to resist the very human urge to forward the document to everyone “just in case”. Guilty as charged. New year resolution in place.

Five Questions

Before putting another report in front of the Board, the Elbow suggests asking five questions.

She accepts that suggesting questions is considerably easier than answering them, but nevertheless.

1. Why does this matter to us?

Not “Why might this be vaguely relevant to our sector?” But: “Why does this matter to this organisation, at this point in time?”

• Is it connected to the strategy? Hint: key question.
• The risk profile?
• A regulatory responsibility?
• Something currently changing?
• Something the Board has previously asked about?
• Something that has emerged from an incident, review or assurance activity?

If the answer requires a paragraph beginning “Well, you never know…” then the Elbow would suggest pausing.

2. What does the Board actually need to know?

Does the Board need to know that the report exists, what its main findings are, what it means for the organisation, whether other organisations are doing something differently, whether there is a potential gap in current arrangements, or whether something may need to come back to the Board for decision?

These are not the same thing.

“Here is a report” is not, in itself, a governance purpose.

3. What do we want the Board to do with it?

This is possibly the Elbow’s favourite question.

What do we want them to do with this information?

• If the answer is: “Nothing really. It just seemed like something they should be aware of,” then perhaps a paragraph in a regular report is sufficient.
• If the answer is: “We want the Board to challenge whether our approach remains appropriate,” that is a very different kettle of so long and thanks for all the fish.
• If the answer is: “We think this could require a change to policy or strategy,” that is different again.

The treatment should follow the purpose otherwise, the Board is effectively being handed a report and told: “There may be something interesting in here.” The clerk’s role is to provide you with the signposts to which bits you really need to be aware of.

4. Is this actually new?

A new report may say almost exactly what the last three reports said. A new framework may give an old expectation a new name. A new piece of guidance may simply reinforce something the organisation has been doing for years which is a relief one may suppose.

That doesn’t mean it is irrelevant but it does mean someone should ask: “What has actually changed?” If the answer is “not much”, perhaps the Board doesn’t need to rediscover the same lesson every six months in a slightly different shade of PDF. Thankfully the DfE are now including a ‘what’s changed’ section in their key documentation. Reading this is not the end in itself but a place to start. The opening gambit if you will.

5. Is this actually the Board’s job?

Boards need enough information to discharge their responsibilities properly. They do not need to become the school’s research department. Nor should Board members be expected to read everything that has ever been published about their sector simply because somebody has helpfully put a hyperlink in a spreadsheet.

Sometimes the correct governance response to a lengthy report is: “Management has reviewed this and identified no material implications for the Board at this stage.” That isn’t ignoring the report. It is filtering information appropriately.

Someone has done the job of working out whether it matters. That someone may even have been the Elbow. She tries not to let this go to impact on her actual elbow too much.

The One-Page Test

Before circulating an 80-page report, the Elbow would like to suggest an experiment. Try reducing the governance relevance to one page. Answer these six questions:

• What is it?
• Why does it matter to us?
• What has changed?
• What does it tell us that we didn’t already know?
• What, if anything, should the Board do?
• Where can anyone who wants to know more find the original?

If that one page can’t be produced, the Elbow would hesitate before sending the 80 pages.

AI — Useful, But Don’t Let the Shiny Robot Become the Clerk

The Elbow has been trying to resist writing an article about governance information without mentioning AI. She has failed.

She is a firm believer that this is an area where AI could be genuinely useful — particularly for the first sift. Although she is increasingly aware of the environmental impact of data centres. A conundrum indeed.

Give an AI tool a publicly available report and ask it to identify:

• the main findings;
• recommendations;
• references to governance and Board responsibilities;
• anything that has changed from previous guidance;
• potential implications for the organisation;
• questions a Board might reasonably ask;
• areas requiring further review.

That is potentially much more useful than simply asking: “Please summarise this 97-page report.” Because a summary tells you what the document says. The more useful question is: “What might matter here, and what should a governance professional investigate further?”

That said, the Elbow would like to put down three fairly large governance guardrails.

1. First: don’t outsource the judgement
2. Second: don’t put confidential information into the shiny robot
3. Third: check the source — AI can be wonderfully confident. This is not the same as being wonderfully correct. The Elbow likes to point out to her favourite AI tool that it is a bit out of date. Lovely how an inanimate ‘thing’ can be humble. Ha ha ha.

If AI identifies a recommendation, regulatory requirement or significant conclusion, go back to the original document.

And finally

Perhaps the Clerk’s job isn’t to be the person who finds everything. It’s to help the Board work out what matters.

The Elbow wonders whether perhaps the real test of good governance isn’t whether the Clerk can find every relevant document. It’s whether they can help the Board distinguish between information it needs to act on, information it needs to understand, and information it simply doesn’t need to read.

Good governance is not about consuming the maximum possible quantity of information. It’s about having the right information, at the right time, in the right form, to support good questions and good decisions.

In other words, perhaps the governance professional’s job isn’t to give the Board more trees. It’s to point out where the wood is and which bits of the shrubbery matter.

And, when necessary, The Elbow promises that she will quietly remove the trees she planted by writing this blog without digging herself a large compliance shaped hole in the process.

Mind those secateurs!

Three Meetings. Shaken, Not Stirred.

As we prepare for the new governance year The Elbow, apart from welcoming you all back, has been musing on the number of meetings we all have. She is particularly exercised about those boards who only have…

 Three meetings a year. Enough? Well, technically, perhaps. Three is the magic number for many LGBs. Autumn, spring, summer; with a possible fourth on the governance admin.  

Except ‘technically’ is doing quite a lot of work there…

The Elbow has been thinking about this lately because three meetings a year sounds perfectly reasonable when you say it quickly. It sounds manageable. Sensible, even. A nice little rhythm: one per term, governance neatly bookended around the school year.

But what has been taxing her lately is the question: “Can an LGB function while meeting three times a year?” Then, yes. Of course it can. But the question we should perhaps be asking is “Is that enough time for a governing body to properly understand, challenge and support what is happening in its school?” The Elbow is much less convinced.

Because in Elbow land governance isn’t just about turning up, approving the minutes and nodding sagely at the headteacher’s report. Although there is, admittedly, a certain amount of nodding (let’s hope this isn’t nodding off, as it is rather too early in the academic year for that), we need to accept that good governance takes time to

• understand the data rather than simply receive it.
• ask the awkward question — and then the supplementary awkward question.
• understand what sits behind the numbers.
• hear from staff, pupils and parents
• look at safeguarding, attendance, SEND, behaviour, curriculum, finance, staffing and all the other things that somehow manage to be both strategic and quite complicated.
• And time for governors to actually become a team, which is the bit The Elbow thinks we sometimes overlook.

If you only see people around a table three times a year, you’re asking a lot of those meetings. They have to be simultaneously informative, strategic, challenging, developmental, and occasionally capable of making an actual decision. No pressure then!

And then there is the clerk. The person who is often most visible during the meeting and almost completely invisible afterwards.

The clerk is the glue whose work doesn’t stop when everyone packs up their papers and heads home. The clerk is the person making sure actions are captured, responsibilities are clear, decisions are properly recorded, follow-up happens, agendas develop from previous discussions, and the governing body can demonstrate not just what it did, but how it got there.

Good clerking is part of the robustness of governance, and it isn’t simply about taking minutes, especially as lots of boards are now using AI to take the minutes (what could possibly go wrong!? What indeed). Clerking effectively is about creating the thread that runs between meetings, and this is particularly important if there are only three of them. Think: if the meetings are the punctuation marks, the clerk helps provide the sentence in between. And we all know a chair who spots the missing comma, don’t we?!

Which brings The Elbow to another question.

Is now the right time to sort this out?

The academic year is just beginning. Calendars are being populated. Chairs and headteachers are looking at priorities. Clerks are building agendas. Governors are starting to think about doing their annual compliance training and confirmations.

Now is the time

So if three meetings felt a little too thin last year, now is the time to do something about it. Or…Is it already too late? Have the dates been booked? Have diaries been filled? Has everyone agreed on the annual schedule before anyone has really asked what the governing body needs from it? Perhaps that’s the slightly uncomfortable challenge.

• So don’t start with: “How many meetings do we usually have?”
• Start with: “What does this school need from its governing body this year?”
• Then work backwards.

Of course, The Elbow isn’t suggesting that every LGB needs to meet every five minutes. Heaven forfend. More meetings don’t automatically equal better governance; after all they just lead to ending up in the weeds. We could easily create a situation where governors spend all their time in meetings and none of their time actually governing.

So, perhaps the better question isn’t “How many meetings should an LGB have?” Perhaps it’s: “How much contact does an LGB need with the school to govern effectively?” That might mean three full meetings, supplemented by focused visits, committees, link roles, informal conversations, and other opportunities to understand the school. Not all of which require the clerk. Or it might mean that three simply isn’t enough for this school, this governing body, this year.

A school going through significant change, facing financial pressures, dealing with recruitment challenges or working through improvement priorities may need a very different governance rhythm from a stable school with a well-established board and leadership team.

The aim shouldn’t be to have the right number of meetings. It should be to make sure governors have enough opportunities to know their school, understand their responsibilities and ask the questions that need asking. And enough space around those meetings — with good clerking holding the thread — to make sure that governance doesn’t simply happen three times a year. Because governance is a process, not a date in the diary.

And here’s the really uncomfortable question: perhaps three meetings is fine if the LGB’s role is genuinely advisory and focused on local context. But if that’s the case, shouldn’t we be honest about what we’re asking governors to do, rather than pretending it’s “governance” in the full sense? Because if the trust board is making the strategic decisions, if the scheme of delegation is narrow, if the real accountability sits elsewhere… then maybe we need different language. And different expectations. And possibly a different conversation about what those three meetings are actually for.”

The Clerk’s Elbow best sign off now — having caused just enough about trouble in this early in September to keep up their record of gentle provocation…

The Misadventures of Zeberdee

No, me neither. Writing the title is harder than writing the blog. Don’t say you weren’t warned…

Here, The Elbow shares some spring-related resolutions.

After what feels like ages, The Elbow has taken a breath and decided today is the day to put pen to paper and write a blog about ickle fluffy bunnies. Aaawww. Cute. Not.

Easter, for some, is about rebirth, redemption, and resetting. Traditionally, we don’t think about making Easter Resolutions in the way we do about making (and then failing to keep) New Year Resolutions, but The Elbow woke up this morning thinking, why not? Why don’t we make resolutions at this time of year? Though, of course, you might. The Elbow is not a mind reader, heaven forfend.

Before we go on, there are lots of reasons why you might not make resolutions at this time of year, mostly relating to one’s personal faith, but if we change this to ‘Spring Resolutions,’ The Elbow thinks she might be on firmer ground. Boing.

Anyway, here are some suggestions for governance-related Spring Resolutions. Boing. The Elbow will save you from a Magic Roundabout-themed blog, but will start with a Boing. Boing.

Keep your Governance Professional in the loop.
Especially, particularly, and always if any of the following apply:

• A decision needs to be taken outside of the normal spin cycle, and you’re asked to respond by email. Everyone else has “replied all’ but you think it’s perfectly fine to respond to a random person who wasn’t the originator of the email. Please stop it. You are creating extra, unnecessary work.
• A member of the board (or a Member) resigns. Although they should resign in writing to the clerk, people usually don’t. It’s like platting fog on one needle.
• There’s a new executive leader or other key person who suddenly appears in email threads, and your Governance Professional is thinking, ‘who’s this then?’

Remember, your Governance Professional needs the full picture, not half the knitting pattern. They provide independent governance advice, guidance, and effective administrative support to the board, helping you meet high standards of governance, including fulfilling legal or regulatory requirements and decision-making. They can’t do this effectively if they’re working with incomplete information. So spare a thought for Governance Professionals dealing with board members who have the irritating habit of bouncing about like spring lambs – the agenda is there for a reason, folks.

⚠️Written Warning – maintained schools cannot make decisions by email; Trusts, please check your Articles; and no one should ever, ever, ever make a decision by WhatsApp.

Read the papers. Yes, all of them. Before the meeting.
Not during. Not five minutes before. Not while someone is presenting them as if it’s a live audiobook. The clue is in the word pre-read. If you don’t have time to read everything, be honest about it.

Stop confusing information with insight.
Just because you’ve been given 47 pages of data does not mean you are informed. Ask: What does this actually tell us, and what are we going to do differently as a result? If the answer is “nothing,” why was it in the pack? A quality summary with judicious hyperlinks beats pages and pages of what feels like unfiltered data every time. If you, dear reader, can’t reasonably consume the links before a 2-hour meeting, there are probably too many. A word of caution, though – 1) it is harder to write a good summary than you think, and 2) a good summary should include all the salient points from Here Be Dragons to Thoughtful Reflections.

Test your board’s “so what?” muscle.
The Elbow suspects many boards are excellent at nodding thoughtfully and saying ‘thank you’ for that report. Let’s go for asking: so, what does this mean for pupils? If your meetings end without that question being asked at least once, have a quiet word with yourselves. The Elbow is experiencing a very bad case of déjà vu here.

Audit your silence.
Not the awkward tumbleweed kind of silence – those have a power all of their own. But they never speak and we never hear them kinds of silence. If the same three people dominate every meeting, you do not have collective governance—you have a podcast in the making. Governors and Trustees should hold leaders to account appropriately and effectively for the school’s support and provision for disadvantaged pupils, those with SEND, those who are known (or previously known) to children’s social care, and those who may face other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing. If certain voices are never heard or their opinions never sought, how can the board be confident it’s asking the right questions about all pupils? Make a deliberate and intentional space on the agenda for inclusion and don’t be shy about it. Serious bit over.

Get curious about what you’re not seeing.
Not everything important is in the board pack. What are you not being told? What is being reported verbally or in haste that really should have been planned into the agenda, properly constituted as AOB (i.e., not left to the Governance Professional to go, erm, should that not be on the agenda?)

Stop agenda item hoarding.
If something has been ‘on the agenda every term since 2019’ it is no longer an agenda item. It is part of the furniture and arguably could end up on the asset register. Either do something with it or let it go. 2019 might be a slight exaggeration on the part of The Elbow, but seriously, if something has been deferred more than twice, it needs a good looking into.

Practise saying: “I don’t understand.
Governance improves dramatically when people admit they do not understand early instead of nodding along and Googling acronyms later in the car park. The Elbow is fully aware, as no doubt all of us are, that acronyms in education breed faster than a fluffle of rabbits in a thunderstorm. Fluff Zed.

Check whether and where your challenge is landing.
Asking a question is not the same as making an impact.
If nothing changes after your “robust challenge,” it may not have been as robust—or as clear—as you thought. Moving swiftly on to the novel idea of asking AI to help you shape the question. Remember that whilst it is ok to use AI to help you shape your questions or the format of your report or even to check your blog for gaps it is absolutely not appropriate to use it summarise anything at all that includes pupils names, staff names, sensitive data, or anything that you would not want published on the front page of the local news website. Perhaps adding something to this effect to our codes of conduct might not be a bad idea.

Make one decision better, not ten decisions faster.
Speed is not the goal. Making quality decisions is.
If your meetings feel efficient but nothing meaningful shifts, you may just be efficiently going nowhere. How sad is that? Get your maps out and seek directions. Plan properly for key decisions, so you have time to seek advice, be reassured, and to debate properly. A rushed decision is not good governance.

Talk about risk like grown-ups.
Not just talking about scoring on the red/amber/green spreadsheet or the heat map, but about what’s missing, what is not being captured on the risk register because it is caught up in a maelstrom of its own making – the risk register that eats itself if you will. Think: what actually keeps you awake at 3am? What are you worried about but not quite saying out loud? Start there and move assertively forward.

Interrogate your board culture (brace yourselves).
Would a new governor joining your meeting feel:

• welcome?
• able to contribute?
• slightly terrified?

If it’s the third, you need to do something about it PDQ.

Spend less time looking backwards.
The Elbow has hinted at this before, but let’s push it further…ahem
If 80% of your meeting is retrospective, you are governing history, not shaping the future. There is definitely a management style guru cliché in there somewhere, but none of this resolution should come as a surprise to anyone, as The Elbow has talked about this many times before. And, no doubt, will continue to do so into the future.

And finally – the challenge, or indeed the easter egg hunt if you will.

Do one thing differently next term. Properly differently.
Not a tweak. Not a reworded agenda item. Something genuinely new:

• a different meeting format – it is ok to change, but if you have been sent a ‘must follow agenda’, you can still mix things up a bit, just make sure you cover everything you are required to cover
• a themed deep dive – not on the curriculum but on something novel like an aspect of local governance, or extracurricular activities, or even the values
• a pupil-led discussion with board members (some of you do this already, which is fantastic, but equally many trust boards never hear or see pupils or pupil voice…)

And finally, dear readers, if you find yourselves doing exactly the same things this term as you did last term but expecting governance nirvana to descend like a well-behaved Ofsted inspector (apologies, some amazing people are inspectors, this is not personal)…The Elbow suggests a strong cup of tea and a gentle rethink.

No bunnies were harmed during the writing of this blog; actually, no bunnies were seen either. And thinking about it, the closest The Elbow has been to a real-life fluffy bunny recently is one she bought in a shop.

Is it time for bed yet?

Boing.

It’s not just a load of old baubles …

Morning campers. How’s things in your governance world today? The Elbow woke up this morning feeling mildly more chipper than yesterday in spite of watching several wheels fall off and disappear into the gloaming. They were not all of her own making for once. One hopes the majority of said wheels will return to their respective owners to have their pecans tightened. With a wheel wrench and a raised eyebrow. Two eyebrows even. Ouch.

Put the kettle on friends, The Elbow has no clue where this is going to end up. Be brave.

Right, let’s start with that phrase don’t sweat the small stuff. Time on the agenda incorrect? Easy sorted. Happens a lot (three times to The Elbow in the last 7 days since we’re sharing). A quick all email/message with a “just to confirm we’re meeting at such and such a time; we look forward to seeing you there” message. Put the time and date in the message header. Remember, we’re all human, and we’re mostly tired. Dunna wurry. If there’s a numerical error on the end of year accounts and it’s obviously a mistype…sort it. Mildly irritating but there’s still time to sort things out. So a huge festive thank you to the trustee who read the whole document and knew what they were looking for and (for added emphasis) pointed the mistake out kindly; glue their shoes to the floor PDQ. If, however, there’s a whopper in there that blows a b* great hole in things…that’s not a don’t sweat the small stuff scenario, it’s a omg one. The Elbow can only advise that you make sure you have experienced finance people on your boards. And get them externally trained on finance in schools and academies. Remember this is not someone who like The Elbow (and this is not a secret santa) looks at the management accounts as sees a blur of numbers, but someone who knows one end of the spreadsheet from another and more importantly what questions to ask. Oh, and use your finance committee wisely and get them to scrutinise properly and not nod a lot; serious issues need serious attention. (Thankfully, and before anyone gets too upset, there does seem to be quite a bit of scrutiny going on but as a wise friend of The Elbow’s is wont to say, ‘if you don’t know what you don’t know, then you can’t know what you won’t know’).

Gosh. That was a bit un-Christmassy wasn’t it? Let’s try again shall we…

Here are The Elbow’s top tips to get to the end of term in one governance peace on earth… (that was stretching a metaphor till it twanged there; sorry!)

1. SING. Out loud and in good voice and let’s all try some…Seasonal Initiatives for Nurturing Governance. Say thank you and mean it, be kind, be realistic, read all the documents that have been prepared – leaders are busy and it’s not fair if you don’t. Also, try to use your processes wisely, your resources caringly, and your time with good grace (it’s not a race after all). And remember attending school Christmas events is not governance per se. #ducksandruns…

2. TREE. Plan to get the Transparency, Review, Effectiveness and Engagement up by planning ahead. This type of activity doesn’t happen once a year. You cannot expect your governance professional (even if cunningly disguised as Father Christmas) to drop down the metaphorical chimney with a sack full of pre-wrapped effective governance evidence. Being a good TREE takes effort and getting the tree down from the loft in November even if you think you are planning ahead is probably too late. Deck the halls early and all that.

3. BAUBLE. Be focused i.e. not dangling limply like a bunch of dried out mistletoe that’s never been KISS’ed (check the safeguarding policy please)…think Belonging, Aspiration, Unity, Balance, Learning and Empathy. Keeping it simple is so important. All those values that every school and academy has that are rarely aired at trust board or full FGB level. If that is a provocation my friends, then let it snow.

You may suspect by now that there’s too much caffeine in The Elbow’s cup and you are probably right…so she will spare you from any more pain and get back to updating her Christmas ditty about Ofsted getting stuck up the chimney or some such in time to publish in the last week of term when Ofsted will have parked their sleigh for a few weeks.

And relax, but not too much. You know what happened last time you relaxed too much – Mrs Influenza came a-calling like an unwanted carol singer and over stayed her welcome.

Happy days.

The Declarations Dance – Why Conflicts of Interest Matter More Than You Think

The latest musings from the Elbow are perhaps a little more serious than her usual offering as she contemplates the perennial issue of declaring conflicts of interest.

Let us begin. ‘Conflicts of interest’ is the part of the agenda where everyone either groans with boredom or their eyes glaze over. Come on, admit it.

We all know we must all declare our interests at the start of the meeting even if there are none. Usually, The Elbow finds that there aren’t any and therefore no one pays much attention. We all also know that we must sign the annual form declaring our interests (after being prompted more times that The Elbow cares to comment about – you know who you are). And we all know, on an intuitive level but aren’t quite sure why, it is important to tick the right boxes to keep those who do the audits happy.

So, let’s tackle Item 02 on the agenda. The one after welcome, apologies and confirmation of quorum. That item where there is always a brief silence because you see your life flash before your eyes as you wonder if actually you do have a conflict but are really unsure. Far less serious a question than ‘and where were you on the night of the 15th last?’ The Elbow grants you but still a legal requirement. Have you noticed that there is always a slight beat of delay (you will now!) when someone either says “nothing to declare” in a slightly worried voice or worse asks “why do we have to have declarations of interest on every agenda?” Forehead, table, bang. Cross emoji.

Managing conflicts of interest isn’t about bureaucracy or box-ticking though. It’s about trust, integrity, board culture, and the credibility of your decisions. It’s about being able to look parents, staff, and regulators in the eye and say, “We made that decision for the right reasons” and being confident about the process. It’s about working with your clerk or Governance Professional to make sure that the minutes accurately reflect not only that you declared any interests but that they were mitigated if needed. By the way it should not be the clerk or Governance Professional who calls out your interests for you in a meeting – you should be doing this yourself.

The truth is, managing conflicts of interest is one of the most powerful ways a board (and you as an individual) can protect the integrity and therefore the reputation of the whole school or trust. It’s not about catching anyone out; it’s about demonstrating that decisions are made for the right reasons and not because of who sits around the table. It is all having transparency front and centre; and unfortunately sometimes behind too. More of this later.

Sometimes conflicts are about those connections, loyalties, or overlapping ‘hats’ that quietly tug away at impartiality. Some examples; and this is by no means an exhaustive list;

• You’re a trustee and also a parent at one of the schools.
• You’re a parent governor and your partner runs a maintenance or IT company used by the school.
• You’ve built long-standing relationships with staff, and you want to see them succeed.
• Your partner/child works in school. This is a common interest.
• You chair a board in a neighbouring school.
• Your exclusions panels are populated by staff who all work in the trust.

None of these are issues or problems in and of themselves but being clear about them is really important. The last one may raise a few questions though if anyone is paying close attention.

So what actually counts as a conflict?

It’s easy to think of conflicts as financial — contracts, tenders, employment etc, but they’re often more subtle and that is what makes it difficult sometimes to be clear about what constitutes a conflict. The problem arises when we forget that what feels harmless or unimportant and easy to overlook inside the room can look questionable outside it.

Conflicts are about anything that might (or might appear to) influence a trustee or governor’s judgment. That includes:

• Family connections
• Governance roles elsewhere in education; directorships and trustee roles in charities
• Political or community positions
• Personal values or loyalties that could cloud objectivity

In summary, a conflict of interest arises when a trustee, governor, member, or senior employee (or their close associate) has a personal interest (financial or non-financial), or other duty or loyalty, that could or could be perceived to interfere with that person acting impartially and in the best interests of the school or trust. And breathe.

So, ask yourself:

• Could someone reasonably think I might be biased in this situation?
• If this decision was challenged, would I be comfortable explaining my involvement?
• Would it still “feel fine” if it appeared in the minutes or a freedom of information request? Or the front page of the local community newspaper? Or worse the Daily Fail.
• What would you declare? And do you know where to declare it?

The slippery slope of silence. Why does it matter so much?

Most conflicts don’t erupt dramatically. They creep in quietly — a trustee who stays in the room a bit too long, a well-meaning suggestion that edges towards influence, or a decision where everyone knows who benefits but no one quite says it aloud. Trust her on this The Elbow like many of her governance professional colleagues have seen it all. Not major conflicts but the subtle ones; the ones where actually identifying them is like pinning jelly to a wall.

The real danger, don’t you think, isn’t the conflict itself; it’s when no one feels confident enough to name it. Most of the time is it not a problem of any sort which is reassuring when you think about it. If it gets really, really worrying you do have recourse to the whistleblowing policy. The Elbow prefers the term confidential reporting procedure but there she goes sharing a personal opinion again!

This is all about why culture matters more than any policy because conflicts, if unmanaged, can undermine trust — and potentially invite serious scrutiny from regulators. But more often, the risk is subtle: hesitation, blurred judgment, or an uncomfortable loss of confidence.So, it’s not about having conflicts — almost everyone does; it’s about how you handle them.

Remember declarations are not just annual: when a new conflict arises or a board item is under discussion, individuals must declare the interest at the earliest possible stage and (in recuse themselves from discussions / decisions if required.

Do you:

• Speak up early and openly when a potential conflict arises?
• Step out of discussions where needed?
• Challenge others (politely but firmly) if something doesn’t feel right?
• Have a conflicts of interest policy that is clear and easy to understand?

A culture of transparency

Clerks and Governance Professionals play a key role in prompting reflection, recording decisions clearly, and ensuring registers are live documents. Not put in the corner and forgotten about until the website is audited. Ducks to the sounds of cleared throats.

The Elbow asks you to think about;

• When did you last review the Register of Interests and have a discussion about everyone’s understanding of what constitutes a conflict. It is okay to be unsure.
• Does everyone understand why each conflict is recorded — and how it’s managed?
• Do your policies make it clear who decides what, and when conflicts must be escalated?

After all an effective board makes it normal to say, “I might have a conflict here” without embarrassment or defensiveness. A good chair invites the reflection.

The minutes should clearly record who declared what, what was decided, and how it was managed. Did the governor or trustee leave the room? Did they abstain from voting? Was the conflict minor but noted? We all know when staff or leaders should leave the room but are we as confident as to when a governor or trustee should?

The register itself should be carefully managed with a clear lead person. The Elbow’s advice on this is to use a spreadsheet type of approach and to have a tab for each governance layer and one for employees with financial and leadership responsibilities as a minimum. You can of course go further if you wish. But do not let the spreadsheet become a behemoth. Explain to everyone why keeping their interests up to date at all times is so important. Once everyone understands something compliance becomes second nature. If you need to remind the chair of the audit, risk and/or finance committees to complete their declarations one may wonder if they are a good role model or not. Ahem.

After the fact – not a good look

After the fact is where things can get awkward and quite frankly it’s never a good look as I am sure you will agree. The Elbow asks you to picture this – the decision is made and the minutes are approved, then suddenly and usually at a totally random point in the meeting, someone pipes up with ‘oh by the way I probably should have mentioned…’. Cue the collective groan from those present and a grinding of teeth from your clerk or Governance Professional. Retrospective declarations don’t just undermine the process they cast doubt on everything that came before. It’s a bit like trying to put the toothpaste back in the tube – messy, frustrating, and almost impossible. Slight over exaggeration there but you get The Elbow’s point. The Elbow would argue that the only thing worse than a conflict of interest is the appearance that you tried to hide one. You will get found out. So don’t wait for the awkward silence or the audit trail to catch up with you follow the golden rules… because doing the admin after the fact is a headache that nobody needs; especially your clerk or Governance Professional as their patience may already be as taut as a stressed out neck muscle.

Other considerations

Because of the importance of declaring conflicts, the handling of Related Party Transactions (RPTs) is tightly regulated. Your school or trust should have a form for you to complete and RPT should be reported and managed carefully. Basically, try to avoid them if at all possible (but that is a personal view of The Elbow who three quarters of the way through the blog ought to declare she has no legal background and offers this blog as a think piece – so when in doubt seek advice). There is also a useful evidence checklist.

In addition to RPT there are also novel, contentious and/or repercussive transactions which must always be referred to the DfE for approval, and the request must be made to the DfE before the transaction occurs regardless of value. No wonder we get a bit confused! Here the business manager or CFO is the first point of contact. You can see why being transparent and asking questions early is the best course of action.

If you are into some extra homework have a squidge at this: CC29. Two house points if you guess the sector.

Anyway before this turns into an essay …

The golden rule – Declare. Discuss. Document.

If in doubt — declare it.
If declared — discuss it.
Once discussed — document it.

Be proactive in corrective action, self-report when necessary, maintain open dialogue with DfE/LA and others.

See, minutes really do matter don’t they!

A Most Unsurprising Fact

Welcome, welcome. It has been some time since the last Elbow blog. – hope you are all ok out there. The Elbow is not sure why there has been no blog since June other than it has been a massively busy start to the term (again) and The Elbow is prioritising self-care and governance above tangential musings about clerking. That being said she starts this blog with One Big Tip (a cri de Coeur if you will) one that leaps with all the grace of a pinged elastic band from the keyboard of every clerk and governance professional across the land…Governors, Trustees, Members lend me your ears and fill in your flipping declarations and confirmations PDQ, ASAP and all points in between. It’s getting boring now. Ahem.

The Most Unsurprising Fact that The Elbow wished to share with you is that she is a Victoria Wood fan – loves the silliness of word her play and the not so gentle self-deprecation (in case you hadn’t guessed). The other not so surprising fact is that like many of us she is popping a tentative toe into the world of AI and using it to help shape thoughts and generate ideas. Today she thought she would ask a well-known AI function to write her a Wood-esque monologue in the voice of The Clerk’s Elbow. Reader, the result is mildly terrifying and mostly unusable. Thankfully else The Elbow would be packing up her tired old keyboard and retiring. Here are some of the best (or worst depending on your point of view) bits…

Now, technically, I’m just here to minute the meetings. But last year I had to break up a fight over the font on the behaviour policy. Times New Roman was accused of being “aggressive.” Ok – how many times have you, my lovely clerking friends, had people comment on the format and layout of your minutes above the contents? 1-0 to AI.

I bring my own pen. And a spare. And a third one, just in case it kicks off. The Elbow writes long hand minutes – she cannot type fast enough to keep up otherwise. One day not so long ago she did land at a meeting with no pen. Now she carries 5. Confidential items are in pink or purple so governors and trustees can see that she is taking the confidential bit seriously. Mind you she heard of one clerk who was told not to minute something because what is said in the room stays in the room – this is somewhat concerning. Surely we should be creating a psychologically safe space meeting not being a smidge threatening. Dear oh dear. As an aside in all her years of clerking The Elbow has only ever seen it kick off twice. 1-1 methinks.

Item 5: Staff morale. No one said anything for 11 minutes. Then someone coughed and we moved on to the boiler fund. Nothing wrong with a pause for thoughts but tumbleweed moments are not a good look. 2-1. Mind you The Elbow is clerking a lot about roofs at the moment. Must be something in the air. (Yeah rain – don’t know the roof is leaking otherwise. Give me strength ).

You’ve not lived ‘til you’ve seen a retired dental hygienist argue with a Year 2 parent about the moral implications of branded PE kits. At one point, someone said the words “late capitalism” and threw a custard cream. There were biscuits! 2-2.

The Elbow was beginning to fear for humankind at this point. AI darling don’t give up the day job. Although when The Elbow posed AI a question about what would governance look like in 2041 when our reception pupils leave school it did have the good grace to make comments about the ethics of AI use. May be that point one will merely need to think the words and they will appear on the page. Anyway we continue…

I always bring biscuits. Because nothing calms educational warfare like a Viennese whirl. Here The Elbow was wondering if AI was either hungry in which case we are in more trouble than we can possibly imagine or it was mining the internet for references to governor meetings and the lack of sustenance. One sincerely hopes it is the latter. Anyway Viennese whirls are not what they were. Penalty goal to AI. Brilliant. 3-2 to AI.

Still, it’s rewarding work. If by “rewarding” you mean underpaid and occasionally involves gluing googly eyes on a school vision board called Dream Big, Tidy Your Tray. By this point in reading AI’s interpretation of a meeting The Elbow was beside herself. Nothing cheers up a set of minutes like a pair of googly eyes. There are times are there not when there is a noticeable disconnect between the vision and values and the actuality. Here it is the governor’s responsibility to check in and pay attention. 4-2. VAR. 3-3. The world needs less unnecessary plastic items.

At the last meeting, someone asked what I actually do as Clerk. I said, “I make sure no one dies, cries, or uses Comic Sans on an official document.” At this point The Elbow had tears in her eyes. Her views on Comic Sans are a matter of public record. Extra time due to an inquorate meeting (yes, The Elbow has had one of those this term – it generates extra work just so you know).

Anyway. It is raining and the daylight is fading faster than a clerk’s energy levels after 4 hour panel meeting. As she types this it is Friday afternoon and the weekend looms. The Elbow who is in IRL nursing a dodgy shoulder, is not looking forward to the 5 sets of minutes that need to be typed up before she forgets the bits she didn’t write down.

As she read in a book recently, ‘governance professionals thrive where others hesitate‘. She cannot and will not make your decisions for you so if you let the silence unfold you have been warned. Let us hope AI doesn’t start making those key decisions for us.

Watch this space.

The Power of “And”

Here The Elbow shares with you her thoughts based on a speech on the word And she partially gave at a governance conference recently. She thinks it shows her more sensible side and hopes you agree. In her non-Elbow life, she is a Chair of Trustees, Independent Governance Professional, trainer, and governance consultant. Hopefully, this blog will demonstrate that not all her thoughts or writing are tangential or mangle grammar (although there may be a few misplaced commas!)

The Power of “And”

Being curious plays such a key role in governance. There is a very insightful book called The Art of Gathering[1] which challenges us to always be clear about the purpose of why we meet – the answer to which should never be ‘because we have a meeting! Simon Sinek in his book ‘Start With Why’ reminds us to be careful about the assumptions we make when presented with information. I would like to take this one step further and ask us to think about what we think we are asking when we ask questions at governance meetings and to pause for a moment to take the question to a deeper level. To be more curious if you will.

When thinking about being curious we often overlook a key word, a powerful word, a small word. A word that is often considered unimportant due to its simplicity and shortness but is absolutely fundamental in its ability bring a school or Trust vision and values to life. That word is “And.”

At first glance, And may seem unremarkable—a modest word, just three letters long. However, And is the bridge that connects ideas, the catalyst that fosters collaboration, that invites inquiry, that seeks challenge. For me And is the cornerstone of effective governance – it should follow every question we ask – we should use it to take our conversations deeper.

There are lots of ways to investigate the power of the word And – let’s take each in turn;

Firstly And is a Symbol of Belonging, inclusion and connection

Let’s think about the word And in terms of how we can belong and connect; how we find common ground, how we can share and understand common definitions – when did you last stop and talk about the definition of the word governance, or effective, or challenge, or delegate as a group? What it looks like; what it feels like?  Or are we expected to understand the language of governance by some weird process of osmosis?  In the context of governance, the word And signifies that everyone has a place at the table — that diverse voices, even when different, can coexist and contribute and indeed should be actively encouraged.

And also emphasises that governance is a collective effort. It acknowledges the importance of diversity—diversity of thought, background, and perspective. By embracing joint understanding of the word And we are rejecting the false dichotomy of “either-or” (or the first answer given) and instead are adopting a more open mindset of “both-and-all” and should begin therefore to  feel more confident and comfortable (individually and collectively) in asking deeper questions

I asked AI to give me a quote about the word And in terms of Belonging; it offered this “And is where belonging begins”. At the end of this blog are some questions to ask about how we can support and encourage belonging. You will of course have questions of your own.   

And as a Catalyst for Progressing

Effective governance thrives on collaboration. And enables dialogue, builds partnerships, fosters and builds mutual respect. And opens the door in the conversation – it is invitational. When we are asking questions in the governance meetings – not every time of course why not ask that deeper question to understand for example not just what happened but why it’s happening and what it means for the pupils, staff, Trust and so forth.

Increased use of the word And is both curious and also an end in itself if you think about it – and apologies to the school leaders who may now find themselves with a lot more curious questions to answer. There are various coping strategies – see me later!

And helps us make impactful decisions

Next let’s consider the role of And in decision-making processes. Effective governance requires balancing short-term goals or targets and long-term vision. By recognizing the interconnected nature of these priorities and the challenges – attendance, outcomes, safeguarding, finance, etc we can make clear decisions that make a difference. If the only decision you are making in a meeting is to accept the minutes – is that an effective use of everyone’s time and expertise? Stop and think what other decisions you are making perhaps without realising; think about what you are influencing; giving assurance on or silently endorsing. There is a great quote on this ‘the standards you walk past are the standards you accept[2]’. If we take a more curious; a more and so what approach to questions and discussions at governance meetings especially when presented with data or outcomes then the meetings themselves will become more meaningful and the impact of governance more overt.

Next “And” is a Promise of Inclusivity and thriving

Governance is neither about imposing power nor just about process but about building consensus; about creating safe spaces to challenge each other. And is a pledge to be inclusive – to engage with everyone in the Trust and just as importantly in our communities. Do we as governors know with whom and where our schools are engaging – what organisations, partnerships and networks are we part of? Does belonging and engaging with those partnerships help us deliver our vision better?

And is also a welcoming word – where all pupils matter, where their voices are heard, their successes celebrated, individual strengths encouraged, and where we make connections. Why not add pupil voice to every agenda?

A quick question – did everyone speak at your last LGB meeting? Is it worth taking a moment to wonder why?

And helps us demonstrate Progress

Governance behaviours must navigate the delicate balance challenge and support – between leadership and management, strategy and operational – I am sure we understand this – it is the foundation  of all the governance training we have ever been on after all.

And, for me,is the bridge between challenge and support — it is not a divider, but a connector.

Imagine a square – now divide it into quarters. At the top we have the word strategic, at the bottom the word operational; on the left values on the right compliance. Now think about which box you would put the last question you asked at a governor meeting? Most questions should be in the top left – in the strategy/values box; questions about attendance – in the values/operation box; safeguarding on the operation/compliance box but close to the centre – up near the strategy box. Now think about how we can all ensure that we work together to so that we as governors and trustees challenge leaders with rigour and high expectations so that we recognise which ‘box’ our questions are in, and at the same time, offer the support, trust, and resources (not just financial) they need to succeed. After all, challenge without support becomes criticism, and support without challenge drifts into a lack of focused action at the heart of which are pupils and staff. We should also of course challenge each other too!

And finally The Ethical Imperative of “And”

Effective governance is founded on the commitment to serve others with honesty, fairness and kindness.  We have of course our systems and processes – policies, codes of conduct, public promises and governance board pack platforms – which are there to ensure we remain compliant but they also provide us with an ethical framework in which we can operate. Sitting alongside the Nolan Principles, with which we are all familiar as they underpin all of our codes of conduct. we have the principles of ethical leadership – Trust, Wisdom, Kindness. Justice, Service, Courage and Optimism. When did you last hear these words spoken at a governance meeting or during a visit to school?

Thinking more about the word And reminds us that governance is not about power but about service in its widest sense. It calls on us to recognize the interconnectedness of our actions. By choosing to focus some of our attention on the word and will be able to articulate even better core values that should underpin all that we do in schools and Trusts.

Conclusion

In conclusion from my work across the sector I find that too often, meetings are dominated by backward-looking compliance — what’s already happened, what we can’t change, or a ‘ticking boxes’ mindset so that our minutes show to the external observer that we are asking questions. Of course, scrutiny and accountability matter but if 80% of our time is spent looking in the rear view mirror what do we need to do to change the narrative and ask key questions such as;

1. What’s changing in our context and why?
2. What opportunities are we not yet exploring?
3. What will success look like in a year — and how will we know we’re on track to succeed? What Key Performance Indicators are we using to check? This is the ‘how will we know question?’

By asking deeper questions and intentionally using the word And more often, we open up space for curiosity, connection, and more thoughtful decision-making. We move beyond either/or thinking and begin to explore complexity, nuance, and possibility — essential qualities for effective governance don’t you think?

Thank you for reading

For more information or an informal chat please contact

• fiona@sbwgovernance.co.uk
• LinkedIn:  Fiona (Fee) Stagg

And is where belonging begins[3]

On Culture and Inclusion

1. How do we create a culture around the board table where ‘and’ — rather than ‘either/or’ — is this the default approach how we develop the questions we ask?
2. In what ways does our governance practice reflect a mindset of ‘and’—one that holds space for both challenge and kindness?
3. Do all governors and trustees feel they can bring their whole selves to our trust or school community—and if not, why? Can all school and trust leaders? Is there space for honest reflection and vulnerability?

 On Leadership and Listening

4. Whose ‘voices’ are currently heard most, and whose are missing—and how can we encourage diverse opinions in a safe space way?
5. Are chairs and trust or school leaders modelling the principle of ‘and’ by balancing strategic direction with careful listening? What is not being said?

On Policy and Decision-Making

6. Do our policies support both excellence and equity? Are we evaluating impact across all groups? Are the policies in line with the values?
7. How do we reconcile different perspectives without falling into binary thinking—and how can ‘and’ thinking help with this? How can we be effective and efficient without our meetings taking too long?

On Impact and Accountability

8. Are we holding the right people to account for outcomes and experiences—for what is achieved and how it feels to be part of the journey? Have we asked the pupils what they think – are we listening?
9. How do we measure belonging—and are we acting on what we learn from that insight? Do you think it is important to measure to belonging?

---

[1] The Art of Gathering – Priya Parker; Penguin ISBN 987-0-241-97384-4; 2018

[2] There is much discussion who actually said this first but is it commonly attributed to a speech given in 2013 by Lieutenant General David Morrison of the Australian army in a speech to an international women’s day conference in 2013.

[3] Generated with the use of AI. And why not!

It is a Truth Universally Acknowledged…

It has been some time since The Elbow put forefinger to keyboard – touch typist she most definitely is not – as she has been busy unravelling a misplaced knitting pattern with a little help from her fellow knitters. Anyway here goes.

The Agony Postbag has once again almost burst at the seams. Overflowing with cries for help, some successes (keep ‘em coming), some work requests (always appreciated) and the odd head scratcher. The Agony Elbow has done her best to respond directly to those kind enough to seek her tangential advice but there are some issues that need a wider airing. If you were lost at the mention of knitting patterns think constitution, agendas and the correct order of things. If you drop a stitch your garment will unravel. And it really matters that they don’t.

Dear Agony

I know you have addressed this issue many times before (probably, The Elbow does suffer from déjà vu a lot these days; perhaps it is her age?) but how can I stop my chair rewriting whole sections of the draft minutes? Picking up the odd typo or misplaced comma is one thing but drafting great chunks of text using track changes is really upsetting me. I do my best to capture discussions and decisions impartially so am worried that I am possibly missing something. Any suggestions gratefully received. Yours in despair.

Oh dear. Oh dear. Let us unpick this bit by bit shall we. Apologies in advance (oh how we wish!) as The Elbow takes us all through the seven stages of good minutes.

1. The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. The clerk must write down what is said at the meeting not what the chairs, Heads, CEOs, CFOs and others wished they had said or worse should have said but did not. Sometimes there may be a need to temper things down a little or reword something so that a diplomatic incident does not ensue but clerks clerk what is said out loud from the start of the meeting to the end of the meeting. This is why it is so important that meetings end clearly and decisively and not wander off in to the meanderings.
2. Whose truth is it anyway? The clerk must not put words into the mouths of others and put things into the minutes that trustees or governors should have done but did not. We cannot cover up gaps, inadequacies (ouch) or glaring mistakes. A good clerk can be economical with the actualite as they say but not at the expense of the truth. It might be a good idea for some Chairs and Heads etc to remember that. Sorry not sorry for the bluntness. Once the minutes are approved at the meeting that’s that – they can’t be changed but you can list any changes that may be required (hopefully not too many) in the next set of minutes.
3. Drafts matter too. Be clear as to who you are sending the draft minutes to and what you want them to do with them. Prompt a response if you don’t get a reply but remember governors and trustees are volunteers so be reasonable but not too flexible.  
4. I can see clearly now the meeting’s gone. Minutes that make sense to a non-participant 12 months after the meeting are a joy to behold. Don’t be sesquipedalian for the sake of it (why not? It’s fun!) and remember to KIC at all times (answers as to what KIC is at the end of the blog if you can bear it that long that is).
5. Prof reding is important. Sometimes spell check and autocorrect are not your friend. (Elbow – listen to your own advice here for once please Ed.) Start at the bottom of the minute sand work your way up. Works every time. See what The Elbow did there? Check you have spelt everyone’s name correctly. This is really important – especially if you have governors and trustees with the same initials.
6. Time goes by so slowly, slowly. No, it doesn’t. Be reasonable with your expectations. Some clerks can produce minutes within hours of a meeting; others may take a little longer. If as a Chair you haven’t received the minutes about say 10 days after the meeting send a little nudge. The Elbow’s advice on this is to always agree in advance the timescale for drafts to be received and an agreement on who is to receive a copy, who is responsible for making the changes (it should be the clerk by the way) and who is responsible for uploading, sharing and distributing (again it should be the clerk but we all know that this is not always either the case or possible). Clear lines of communication are important. The chair has final sign off on minutes – that one doesn’t always go down too well unfortunately.
7. Do not regurgitate the whole meeting word by word. The Elbow has seen some quite concerning practice recently where she had to go hunting for decisions amidst the noise and haste. So many words so few actions. Reader, she wept. Keep those minutes taut and short.
8. And finally, because we all know that The Elbow can’t count – the minutes belong to the board and need board approval to confirm they are a true and accurate record. In the olden days chairs used to sign the minutes with a fountain pen and the copies were kept in a big old Minute Book. The Elbow does wonder if we have not lost something of ourselves now everything is digital.  One misplaced hack and the whole lot could be lost.

Dear Agony,

I am losing governors like it is going out of fashion. Any suggestions before I lose my quorum? Thanks.

This may not be very comforting but you are not alone in this. The Elbow is witnessing resignations all over the place. At other times she knows of people who are really keen to join a board and have all the qualifications, skills and capacity and it is taking months to get approvals and confirmations. Think about letting them know the processes by which they will be appointed so they know it can take a little while. Does the Trust chair make the decisions themselves, is there a committee for appointments, do the Members need to be approached with a Written Resolution, are you waiting for the Diocese? Leaving a keen person hanging around waiting will probably mean they give up and go elsewhere. Your loss in that case. Whatever method you use for appointments – keep it transparent and democratic.

 There are some amazing organisations out there who can support recruitment – paid for and otherwise, but there is a lot you can do yourselves. Have you thought about asking why people are resigning? Good to know if this is related to workload for governors and trustees ( which is increasing), the role is not what they expected, personal reasons, etc. Sometimes it is worth being a bit more accommodating if there is a great governor who can’t fully commit but when they are there they are brilliant. Have a think about your induction programme too – have you got one? Spend some time thinking about what your next steps are well in advance and don’t leave succession planning to the last minute. Good luck!

Dear Agony,

Do I need training to clerk a panel meeting? I have been asked to clerk one for the first time and I am not sure. Thanks.

Here The Elbow gets serious. It is strongly advised that you do undertake some training before clerking a panel or HR meeting as it is a different type of clerking to clerking a governance board meeting. If you are asked to clerk an Independent Review Panel The Elbow more than strongly advises she would say that it was essential that you are trained. Thankfully there is a lot of good quality training out there so good luck. The Elbow does not herself clerk panels but knows lots of colleagues who do. Get in touch and she will make connections!

And finally we have this

Dear Agony,

Who is responsible for setting the meeting agenda? I am working with some schools where there are 4 or 5 people all trying to set the agenda and I am getting confused. Yours in perplexion.

Oh dear. Sadly this is increasingly common. As we go from blindly following a set agenda provided by the LA (no disrespect meant) to clerking in a myriad of different structures with a myriad of different approaches it is no wonder we clerks get more than a little het up at times. As with minutes (see above) here are The Elbow’s five stages of good agenda setting

1. Check the facts. Make sure you have the right date, location, time etc on the draft agenda before sharing. If you cut and paste from the previous agenda template – check and quadruple check and check again. Don’t want too many own goals do we now? Send the draft to the chair, the head and the business manager. Set a deadline for replies.
2. Be iterative – follow the last template where possible. Don’t keep reinventing the wheel, changing the font, colour, or layout on a whim.
3. Use what you know already – if there is a set template for the agenda from the Trust or LA – follow it; but find out if there is any flexibility. Some Trusts are very flexible as long as everything is covered and others are, to be frank, somewhat rigid in their approach. One can see why this might be the case as the Trustees need to know that everything is being done when it is supposed to be and governors or academy committees are asking the right questions at the right time etc. If you are following the LA agenda – check where there is scope to amend if needed but do so with caution. If you have an independent clerk or governance professional, have a pre-meeting to discuss the agenda a few weeks in advance – that way things don’t get missed. Do what works best and keep those lines of communication open, and find out what is in your clerk or governance professional’s SLA. Keep the agenda on message.
4. Set the date. Agree amongst yourselves what the final deadline for the agenda to be uploaded to whatever system you are using is and stick to it. Even if you need to make tweaks after the agenda is finalised at least you have an agenda in advance of the meeting.
5. Don’t overload the agenda with too many items, columns or text – Keep It Crisp. That way everyone knows what is expected from each agenda item and what reports are needed. This is not rocket science and we all know what can go wrong with rockets. This also gives reassurance to some of the 4 or 5 people who are trying to set the agenda!

And The Elbow thanks you for reading and asks if you spotted the KIC?

New Year Resolutions

Now, The Elbow is active in many forums as some of you may know. On one forum just before Christmas (remember that?) clerks began to share the number of sets of minutes they had to do. Whilst some of you may see this as some form of competition (ooh look How Busy I Am) although not many The Elbow wagers; most clerks were mildly hysterical at the scale of the challenge (sadly some meetings had no challenge at all; sigh) they faced. This got The Elbow thinking. How could she help make the lives of clerks a teeny weeny bit easier – a few moments per set saved over the year soon mounts up – opportunity cost and all that (The Elbow dobbed out of A Level Economics many, many years ago and is still a bit sad about that decision).

Here goes – most of these tips most clerks will already be doing but you never know.

Pre Prepare the minute template before the meeting – just double check names of those attending and get them in the right place. Not all people round the table have voting rights and form part of the quorum. Easy to overlook this in the excitement of finishing the minutes in one sitting. Ooh and check the time and date is correct – easy to overlook this if you are using the last set of minutes as the template for the current set. Ahem.

‘Paste not Waste’ – there are some phrases and, dare she say it (oh yes she does) decisions that are the same across the land. Why re-invent the wheel? Just be careful that if you do this that you check you have the correct names and school. Don’t want any unnecessary oops moments do we now?

Less is Always More. So Don’t Fill The Minutes (capital letters for added emphasis) with content or pages of narrative from the attendant (big word not related to attendance) reports – cross reference is your friend here. Most reports for a meeting are public documents after all. Who wants to read 20 pages of minutes? Or 10 for that matter. Remove unnecessary spacing on the format – adding space does not improve the content it just makes the minutes look empty. Ouch.

Be Clear About Decisions – it is ok for the clerk to intervene in a meeting to check that a decision on something has actually been made or not made. It does not take bravery to do this it just takes someone to be paying attention to the clerk. Where you sit in a meeting is very important so sit next to the Chair or in their direct eyeline. They cannot avoid the Paddington Hard Stare for too long if you add additional laser glare for good measure. Tutting or wincing also works – The Elbow did the latter once and the Head stopped the meeting on her behalf and said ‘the clerk is wincing’ (sounds more painful that it actually was). Turned out the wince was the correct thing to do. Some meeting habits are shocking so it is always good to pierce the norm.

Set Your Own Expectations on when drafts will be ready – some of us have SLA deadlines (this is helpful but can be over-facing – if this is you and you are struggling say so for your wellbeing’s sake). If a board wants a 3 day turn round then be very up front about whether this is reasonable or not. More time spent drafting and proofing saves time in the end as there are chairs out there who like to chase down the missing comma or comment on the grammar. If they have time for this and are not doing link visits or are spending hours in the headteacher’s office one may well indeed wonder. Indeed one might. Setting expectations over any holiday period is very important – clerks have families, friends and lives too.

Always Find The Jolly – every meeting whether audit, risk, educational standards (not a committee name The Elbow is personally fond of, there she’s said it) should have an agenda item where Trustees or governors can hear and share something about the difference the school or academy or Trust is making to the lives of children and young people. After all this is why we govern (yes, The Elbow has that hat as well).

Remember your agenda; all together now to the tune of Remember You’re A Womble (you’re all very welcome). An agenda is more than a list it is a road map outlining purposeful compliance, impact, outcomes (in the widest sense) and next steps. Meetings that only look backwards make for a very sad clerk indeed.

And always, always, always save as you go along. You don’t always recover as The Elbow knows only too well.

Shine bright it’s gloomy out there.

Oh no they didn’t, oh yes they did…

Here The Elbow shares some pre Christmas joy. She’s not bouncing towards the end of term with much bounce at the mo as she has, like half the country, some coldy virus thingy and it’s winding her up and wearing her down. The end result of this is that’s she’s feeling a tad fractious. Achoo.

Right then Dear Reader hold tight as Storm Elbow tackles 10 ‘oh no they didn’t, oh yes they dids’ that are guaranteed (possibly) to wind your clerk up but they may be too polite to say anything. In no particular order we have…

10. School leaders marking minutes for missing fullstops. Yes, you have read about this before, and no, The Elbow won’t stop moaning about it. Clerks aren’t sitting their KS2 SATs or a GCSE in English Language, they’re clerking multiple meetings and having to re-live every meeting they clerk as they prepare the minutes. Be kind. 🎄

9. Trusts actually forgetting to tell people they’ve actually been appointed. Seriously this has happened. Erm. Also out of date websites. The Elbow found a governance newsletter proudly shared on a website the other day dated January 2020. This was the last edition available. Has anything happened since one wonders? What will 2025 bring? We can barely contain the excitement.🎄

8. Tumbleweed moments. Silence in meetings as the chair reads the minutes. Silent night it should not be. 🎄

7. Arranging social outtings without inviting the clerk. Now, the clerk may not be able to attend, or it may not be appropriate that they do, but excitedly organising your governance social after a meeting with no questions or challenges is not a good look. The Elbow assures me this has never happened to her. Has this happened to you? Hugs. 🎄

6. Not following policy and ending up in a pickle. Seriously folks it’s not hard. Not following policy is like a Christmas cracker that keeps on giving. Ask any clerk. 🎄

5. Having so many policies there’s a policy for policies, like pass the parcel with nowt between the layers of wrapping paper except two out of date hyperlinks and several irrelevant appendices. And yes, The Elbow has actually written such a policy. No one read it when she submitted it to her line manager but she felt better for making the point. (And yup, you know who you are, oh yes you do, and no you didn’t, and yes, you should have. Just sayin’). 🎄

4. For the want of a comma the sense was lost. Less eats, shoots and leaves; more eats shoots and 🎄🎄. If you can read the minutes for a missing bit of grammar but you can’t read the Head’s report to ask a question then get that little compass from your Christmas cracker and go find your true purpose. 🎄

3. Changing meeting times at the last minute. Now exceptional circumstances like The Call from Santa  (Monday mornings will never be the same again will they?) are a perfectly acceptable reason for changing but sometimes there’s no rationale. Thankfully this happens less and less. But if you do cancel a meeting at short notice you will get charged. Clerks have to make a living too. We deserve a few lumps of coal for the fire and a new pair of fingerless gloves I’m sure you’ll agree. 🎄

2. Next let’s play a little game of pinning the tail on the reindeer shall we? Here The Elbow asks you to honestly think about when you last did some training beyond your statutory safeguarding training? Is training on your agenda more in hope than expectation? Let’s redefine training and call it something else that makes it more invitational as an activity to encourage more of the choir to join in. Deck the halls with lots of questions, trah lah lah lah lah lah etc. There’s nothing more depressing than chairs fixating on training and no one doing anything. Pity the poor clerk who sees this multiple times a week.🎄

And finally sitting proudly atop the 🎄 of things that wind up clerks the most is…

Well, The Elbow thinks you will all have your own bete noir so she wouldn’t like to say. So as we reach the end of 2024 let’s share the wisdom from the clerks’ favourite Christmas song and…

Let it Go. Let it Go

“The snow glows white on the mountain tonight
Not a footprint to be seen”…bit like The Elbow and her colleagues under the Minute Mountain.

Oh happy day! 🎄