First conference for University school governors marks a thriving initiative
05 Jun 2013
If you missed the UMSGI Conference on 25 April 2013, you can watch a video of the keynote speaker's presentation online.
On 25 April, the inaugural University of Manchester School Governor Initiative (UMSGI) Conference brought together the University’s school governors for the first time to develop their skills, improve their knowledge and confidence, and share their experiences face to face.
An important part of the University’s agreement with the Office for Fair Access, UMSGI was set up in July 2011 to encourage more members of University staff to make available their talents and skills to local state primary and secondary schools by volunteering as school governors.
In less than two years, UMSGI has:
- Increased the number of governors in the University by 50% to 125 (known);
- Filled 10% of school governor vacancies in the North West, making us the region’s leading employer for state school governor recruitment;
- Achieved fourth place in the country for school governor registrations via partner charity School Governors’ One-Stop Shop (SGOSS), ranking higher than many famous names in the private and public sector.
The conference attracted 48 delegates, including representatives of Manchester City Council and SGOSS, who gathered in the Cordingley Lecture Theatre, Humanities Bridgeford Street.
One of the highlights of the conference was a presentation by keynote speaker Chris Caroe, Head of the School Governance Unit at the Department for Education, on school governance policy, which can be viewed online at:
Delegates gave a warm welcome to the opportunity to share expertise and network with colleagues, and new governors emerged feeling more confident in their role.
Pia Pollock, Admissions Policy Advisor, DSE, said: “As a new governor, there is a lot to take in and events like this definitely help to deepen understanding of the key areas and offer an opportunity to network and learn from others. Well done!”
Further information
If you'd like to find out more about becoming a school governor, visit: