You can access past governor workshops below.
To see future governor workshops planned take a look at our Training & Events menu.
Chairs of Governors
Raisel Freedman, Assistant Director (Public Affairs) at PaJeS
The public affairs landscape facing Jewish schools has rarely been busier, and Chairs of Governors need to know about it. In this session, Raisel briefed Chairs on the key legislative and policy developments affecting Jewish schools right now — including the Sir David Bell antisemitism review, the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, SEND reform, Religious Education in the national curriculum, KCSIE gender questioning guidance, RSHE implementation, Ofsted’s new inspection framework, the kosher food funding gap, and voluntary contributions.
Admissions Governors
Simon Goulden, Education Consultant with extensive experience of the Jewish School sector
Simon considered the scope of the remit of the admissions governor and the statutory and contextual frameworks for governing body compliance in this area.
Finance Governors
Rolanda Hyams, former Finance Chair, Governor and Trustee at Yavneh College
Rolanda considered the complementary roles of the Finance Chair and School Business Manager and how they can work effectively together. She facilitated discussion and sharing around areas such as financial monitoring, managing departmental spending and shared services.
See presentation here
Jewish Studies Governors
Sharon Radley, Director of Education at PaJeS
Sharon described how PaJeS supports the work of Jewish Studies leads in schools and consider how governors can work with the lead to provide support and challenge.
Safeguarding Governors
Gita Patel, Safeguarding Lead at JFS and Susie Kaye, Safeguarding Governor at JFS
From her perspective as a highly experienced DSL, Gita, together with Susie, described the safeguarding role in school and how the safeguarding governor can work effectively with the DSL to both provide support, and challenge and ensure that governors fulfil their safeguarding duties.
See presentation here
See handouts here
SEND Governors
Gail Roston, formerly SEN professional, SENDCO and longstanding SEN Governor
From her perspective as a SEND professional and a highly experienced SEND governor, Gail described the SEND Governor role in school and how the postholder can work effectively with the SENDCo to provide support and challenge.
Governing AI in Schools – responsibilities, risks and opportunities
Jonathan Roe, NGA Consultant
This session covered the current use of generative AI in schools and governance, focusing on workload benefits and challenges to both teachers, leaders and those in governance. Jonathan shared key NGA guidance around governor and trustee accountabilities and compliance issues.
Supporting School Leaders in Crisis Management
Julia Alberga, PaJeS Wellbeing Manager
As schools increasingly encounter moments of crisis, ranging from antisemitic incidents and sudden tragedies to concerns about potential risk; this presentation explored how school governors can effectively support and guide school leaders during these challenging times.
See presentation here
Governor responsibilities
Monitoring the curriculum – roles, responsibilities and impact
Jillian Dunstan, Educational Consultant
The session focused on how the curriculum lead governor and other governors provide strategic oversight of the school curriculum and clarify responsibilities.
It covered understanding curriculum expectations, monitoring impact, asking effective challenge questions, working with school leaders to contribute to school improvement and accountability.
See presentation here
This session, presented by Richard Gold, looked at the governance structure of schools with a religious character – voluntary aided and academies – and in particular at the relationship between the foundation trust that has oversight of the religious ethos of the school and the governing body. It was designed specifically for trustees of the foundation trust, chairs of governors and foundation governors.
Richard is a retired Education Lawyer and a former member of the PaJeS Advisory Board. He served for many years of as a governor in both Jewish and non-Jewish schools, primary and secondary. In recent years Richard has drawn on his deep understanding of governance to give generous support to governing bodies in Jewish schools.
Updated DFE Guidance for School Governing Bodies
Felicia Epstein, Department for Education
Felicia highlighted several updated guidance documents, including those on Special Educational Needs (SEN) and disabilities, school governance, and the Equality Act as it applies to schools. She also pointed out the process for raising SEND-related concerns with the Department for Education (DfE). Additionally, she referred to the Statutory Guidance on the Cost of School Uniforms.
See presentation here
Don’t Lose Your Head
Susy Stone, PaJeS
A successful relationship between school leaders and governors makes a significant contribution to senior staff retention.
This session explored the role of school leaders and how governors can provide both challenge and support, in the best interests the leader and the school community.
See presentation here
Handling Complaints
Matt Miller, National Governors’ Association
Handling complaints effectively helps maintain trust and transparency between schools and their communities. This workshop focused on the important role governors and trustees play in managing complaints and include how to ensure they are managed fairly and timely. An interactive session allowing governors to share their own experiences, we explored practical solutions to ensure complaints are kept to a minimum.
