Start Point: New To Governance

Are you a new school governor wondering where to begin? Or are you a headteacher, governance lead or chair of governors looking for a practical induction resource to share with someone joining your board? Either way, this free Honeyguide checklist is exactly what you need.

Becoming a school governor is genuinely important work but the role can feel bewildering at first. Understanding the difference between strategic and operational governance, getting to grips with school data, fulfilling safeguarding responsibilities and preparing for link governor visits all take time and guidance. This checklist breaks it all down into clear, manageable tasks, from the reading you should do before your very first meeting through to the contributions you should be making by the end of your first full term.

Whether you're a parent governor, a community governor, a staff governor or a co-opted governor, this resource will help you settle into the role with confidence.

👉 For heads and SLT looking for ideas of what tasks they could undertake to support a new governor, see our free Start Point: Supporting a New Governor Checklist too!

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Start Point: New To Governance

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CONTENTS

WHO IT'S FOR

HOW IT CAN HELP

WHAT ELSE?

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How can I structure my preparation work as a new school governor?

This 13-page fully editable (Word .docx) checklist is here to support your thinking as you begin your new governor role – whether you're working through it independently or it has been shared with you as part of your school's governor induction process.

Work through it at your own pace and consider the tasks most relevant to your role and school type, from reading the DfE governance guide and understanding the three core functions of a governing body, to completing your safeguarding training, reviewing the school improvement plan and preparing for your first link governor monitoring visit.

Add or remove tasks to reflect your specific appointment, and keep the document somewhere easy to access so you can return to it throughout your first term.

Who should use this new governor checklist?

This checklist can support two different roles. For new governors – including parent governors, community governors, staff governors and co-opted governors – it provides a clear, structured guide to settling into the role with confidence.

For headteachers, chairs of governors, governance leads and clerks to governors, it is a practical induction resource that can be shared with any new governor joining the board, saving time and ensuring a consistent onboarding experience.

It is equally useful for those moving from one governance role to another, such as joining a new school's board, stepping up to chair or taking on a specific link governor area for the first time.

What will I find in this free governance checklist?

This checklist gives new governors a clear picture of what effective governance actually looks like in practice during that important first term. From completing safeguarding training and reading KCSIE, to understanding the strategic versus operational distinction, reviewing the school's financial position and scrutinising attendance and behaviour data, to conducting your first link governor monitoring visit and contributing to governor meetings with growing confidence – you'll gain a much clearer sense of the breadth of the role and how to approach it purposefully.

How can I build on my governance work after using this checklist?

As you grow in confidence and take on more responsibility as a governor, these resources can help you fulfil your role more effectively and contribute to robust, well-evidenced governance:

☑️ Headteacher's Report to Governors Template – a well-structured termly report that gives governors the data and narrative they need to scrutinise performance and ask the right questions
☑️ Reports to Governors Template Bundle – a full set of report templates covering key areas including safeguarding, attendance, behaviour and personal development
☑️ Annual Safeguarding Report to Governors Template – ensures the governing body receives comprehensive safeguarding assurance at least once a year, in a format that supports meaningful scrutiny
☑️ Safeguarding Questions for Governor Visits – a practical prompt sheet to support confident, informed link governor monitoring visits focused on safeguarding
☑️ Link Governor Roles and Responsibilities Support Pack – a clear framework for any governor taking on a link governor area, covering visit structure, questions to ask and how to report back to the board

We've also created a whole set of "New To" Start Point checklists to support school leaders and governors, whatever area they lead on.

Take leadership further...

Link Governor Audit Support Pack

Understand your link governor role in greater depth with a Link Governor Support Pack. Available individually for many link governor roles, such attendance, behaviour, inclusion & SEND, safeguarding, finance, health and safety, GDPR, pupil premium, and curriculum. For heads wishing to support all link governor roles, all audits are available bundled together in this single pack too.

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