Creating and Sustaining Healthy Boards in Good Times and Bad
Healthy boards don’t just happen by accident; they need to be planned, directed and managed if they are to operate effectively. This four hour course helps ‘responsible persons’ understand the characteristics of effective boards and the factors that help create and sustain them, as well as providing insights into the forces that can derail effective governance while providing constructive ways to combat and manage crises.
Content covered includes the importance of focussing on the mission, what makes a great board, characteristics of high quality governance, code of conduct, conflicts of interest, exceptional boards, the importance of ongoing learning, sustaining a healthy board, handling crises, increasing pressures on boards, common features of unhappiness, forms of protest, dangerous reactions by boards, the role of the Head and the board in a crisis, and right and wrong actions under pressure. Understandings of crisis management are developed through four hypothetical case studies.
This course is designed to help ‘responsible persons’ [as defined under Section 47(1)(b) of the Education Act in New South Wales] understand and implement sound policies and ongoing procedures for effective governance in ways that comply with the NESA requirements upon school boards. Specifically, the course is designed to provide in-depth appreciation and practical application of ways in which ‘responsible persons’ can work together to enhance their board operations to ensure (a) effective implementation of established principles of ‘best practice’ in school governance and (b) compliance with relevant NESA requirements in the area of creating and sustaining healthy boards. Furthermore, the course provides opportunities through discussion and problem-solving for ‘responsible persons’ to build unity of understanding, a common purpose, and a commitment to implementing ‘best practices’ for effective school governance in a strategic manner that enhances the school’s outcomes. While the emphasis of the course is addressing ongoing professional learning needs, it is also highly suitable as a component of the induction of new ‘responsible persons’.
Four hours, usually one morning or one afternoon or one evening.
Face-to-face workshop with all the ‘responsible persons’ in one group, usually delivered at the school or at another suitable venue organised by the school.
The importance of focussing on the mission.
What makes a great board?
Characteristics of high quality governance.
Walser’s six characteristics of high quality governance.
Evidence of compliance with NESA section 3.9.3.1-A.
Code of conduct.
Conflicts of interest.
Evidence of compliance with NESA section 3.9.3.1-D.
Exceptional boards.
The importance of ongoing learning.
Evidence of compliance with NESA section 3.9.3.4.
Sustaining a healthy board.
Handling crises.
Increasing pressures on schools.
Common features of unhappiness.
Forms of protest.
Common dangerous reactions by boards.
The role of the Head in a crisis.
The role of the board in a crisis.
Right and wrong actions under pressure.
Four hypothetical case studies.
This course covers the following governance requirements as outlined in the Registered and Accredited Individual Non-government Schools (NSW) Manual (September 2019):
3.9.3.1-A; 3.9.3.1-B; 3.9.3.1-C; 3.9.3.1-D; 3.9.3.1-G; 3.9.3.2; 3.9.3.4.
Upon successful completion of the course, a signed certificate is issued to the school stating the name of the course, the content covered, the duration of the course, the venue, and the names of those persons who attended. Upon request, schools may instead request an individual certificate for each attendee. Participating schools also receive a password-protected PDF copy of the presentation slides used during the workshop for the use of attendees.
We are a NESA approved and accredited training provider of courses relating to proper governance in non-government schools.
D2015/35965 – D2019/8657 – D2019/23247 - – D2019/134103
