Governor Conference 2018 – Feedback

The Trust’s annual Governance Conference took place on 24 November.  There were 85 attendees – a record for the Trust! Governors of all types were represented (e.g. staff, ex-officio, LA, parent, partner), though the majority were Co-op Sponsor governors (38%) or Co-opted governors (24%).  Five members of the Trust Board and 17 members of the Central Trust Team and Co-op group also took part in the conference.

Feedback from the conference was:

• All respondents indicated their total enjoyment of the day
• 85% felt that they had learned a lot and 80% felt empowered to share their learning with their governing body
• All felt the day was very well organised
• 60% felt that they benefited from attending the afternoon workshop.

The input about ‘The Role of the Co-operative Coordinator’ was a strong favorite amongst governors followed by the opportunity to have table discussions about governance topics.

Some examples of feedback from the conference included:

• “As a new member of the Trust, it was really comforting to once again see your values permeating everything that you do. In a time where some MATs have been reported to behave in a rather different way, it makes me very happy to see our school in safe hands where the children will always come first.”
• “I really enjoyed meeting others and it reinforced the feeling that you are part of something bigger than your own school.”
• “It was a good day, lots of useful sessions and information that was shared.”
• “Fantastic facilities, food/drinks. Well motivated colleagues. I feel our school is in safe hands.”

Some ideas for future conferences included:

• “Be more insistent on attendance without being aggressive or rude.”
• “Some areas could have done with a little more time – particularly table discussions.”
• It would be useful to have “Information / presentation about all the Coop academy schools”
• “it would be good to share information on any key educational topics that may impact us in the future and details of our financial performance.”
• “Please consider a workshop for parent governors and coco’s to work together. Please consider using more examples and less corporate language.”