Board Training and Development

The governance functions of school boards are established in common and statute law, and high standards of due diligence are required from all directors and officers of the company in the exercise of their duties and responsibilities.

To assist the boards of member schools to meet their responsibilities, AISNSW provides advice on school governance issues and conducts governance training via workshops, courses, conferences and online modules.

In accordance with NESA regulations, all directors of school boards must undertake 12 hours of professional learning in governance over a three-year time frame. Training must be predominantly in the context of school governance, and provided by a NESA approved training body.

School Board Appraisal

AISNSW conducts a School Board Appraisal (SBA) process as part of a suite of governance services to independent schools in NSW. The SBA process seeks to assess how successfully a board discharges its dual responsibilities of compliance and performance, and how these processes may be improved to further the effectiveness of governance, and the mission and purposes of the school.   

The SBA process collects quantitative and qualitative data in relation to ten key areas of board effectiveness and performance:

Effectiveness Domains

• Board Selection
• Induction, mentoring and training,
• Monitoring and assessing the School’s achievement of key goals and objectives
• Ensuring short and long term financial stability
• Relationships between Principal and Chair
• Confidentiality
• Current strengths and areas of improvement
• Issues for the coming year
• Board skill set
• Future issues

The SBA process is facilitated by Chris Duncan, Division Head of Governance.

Process

• Documentation: Reviews board related documentation including the constitution, board charter, annual report and various board policies.
• Interviews: Confidentially interviews all board members individually including the Principal, and Business Manager (assuming he/she acts as company secretary for the Board). Interviews gather qualitative data in relation to the above key areas of board performance and also enable board members to reflect, provide insights and pose questions about the  dynamics and effectiveness of the board’s processes. Interviews provide insight into the functioning of the Board.
• Surveys: Responses to written surveys of individual board members provide quantitative data in relation to Board Meetings, Communication, Board Work and Roles and Relationships. Responses to written surveys serve the strategic activities of the board with a greater focus on mission and purpose. All data and responses to the written surveys are provided in a clear graphical format.
• Observations, Conclusions and Recommendations.

Cost

AISNSW provides a wide range of core services to member schools as part of their annual membership of the Association. The School Board Appraisal Process is a fee for service option for member schools. The cost of this service to the participating member school is $5000.

Online Training Modules