Our Services can help your Governing Board with finance, academic standards, school improvement, value-for-money purchasing, regulatory compliance, disciplinary matters, and personnel/HR issues.
Browse the tabs below to explore our wide variety of services dedicated to supporting School Governance.
New Governors’ Induction Training
25/06/2026
Gain unlimited access to over 12 governor training courses for your entire governing body all year round.
Here’s the deal: booking a single course costs £90+VAT per delegate. But with our annual SLA, from just £560+VAT, you can enrol 14 people in unlimited courses throughout the year. By signing up 6 delegates, you’ve already matched the cost—everything beyond that is essentially free, offering incredible savings and comprehensive training.
We can offer bespoke and tailored training to full governing bodies, MATs, academies and school clusters.
All dated courses and training sessions can also be tailored to meet the needs of your school/setting. See below for examples of some additional training that is available:
Our team goes beyond mere minute-taking; they are recognized as Governance Professionals, offering expert support and guidance to schools.
Each member becomes an integral part of your school, aiding in the achievement of your goals. We invest in their continuous development to ensure they deliver efficient administrative support and impartial advice.
Use our Clerking Service for anything from full governing board meetings, committee meetings, complaints panels, admissions hearings, exclusion hearings, head teacher appointments and disciplinary hearings for both maintained and academy schools.
Our Governors Service offers clerking and correspondence for specialised meetings for handling complaints, pupil Exclusions, staff grievance, disciplinary issues, and admission appeals. These sessions support governors in making informed decisions and maintaining high standards in school management.
We provide support to Governing Bodies for Headship and Deputy Headship appointments.
Edsential offers GovernorHub, a secure online portal that simplifies school governance and ensures compliance.
Used by over 8,000 schools, the portal helps governing boards manage documents, meeting schedules, and communication in one secure place.
As a preferred supplier, we provide it at a significantly reduced rate compared to direct purchase.
We have extensive experience in offering support and advice for setting up Interim Executive Boards (IEBs) and providing clerking services for them afterward. An IEB is a temporary governing body appointed to take over the governance of a school in certain situations, usually to address significant weaknesses. Clerking involves administrative support and ensuring that the board’s meetings and decisions are conducted according to legal and procedural requirements. Through our wider networks we are able to commission or recommend National Leaders of Governance (NLGs) to support schools in Governance Reviews or investigation work.
Section 20 of the Education Act 2002 requires all maintained schools to have an instrument of government which determines the constitution of the governing body and other matters relating to the school. Every governor should have had sight of it, if not a copy of the document.
It is good practice to review your instrument of government annually. Any changes to the instrument have to be:
Your clerk will able to support you with this process.
This statutory guidance highlights the importance of appointing governors with the necessary skills and experience. Local authorities should understand the governing body’s needs and nominate suitable candidates, but it’s ultimately the governing body’s responsibility to ensure nominees meet their criteria. This is why it’s crucial to apply if you have the skills and experience needed for effective school governance.
Once completed it can be submitted to schoolgovernance@edsential.co.uk where it will be considered by the Local Authority panel.
