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Policies & procedures

Panel work: exclusions, complaints and employment

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Training & development

12/04/2023

people looking at documents and making notes during a meeting

At a glance

Reviewing decisions made by the senior executive leader

Your role as a governor or trustee is likely to include taking part in formal panels to review decisions made by the senior leader of the school or trust.

Each of our panel work sessions will give you a clear idea of how the panel should be conducted, typical challenges you may face and what you need to do to fulfil your role confidently and effectively.

The three sessions are:

pupil suspensions and exclusions
parental and other complaints
staff employment related appeals and matters

Each two-hour session will cover:

Why panels are needed

The relevant regulatory framework

Principles and starting points

Roles and responsibilities

Judicial method

Preparing for the panel hearing

Fully bespoke

This session can be tailored to the circumstances of your school or trust.

2 hour session

At a glance

Each two-hour session will cover:

Why panels are needed
The relevant regulatory framework
Principles and starting points
Roles and responsibilities
Judicial method
Preparing for the panel hearing
The panel hearing
Post panel hearing matters
Next steps

about this course

Who is this suitable for?

Governors, trustees, and academy committee members (local governing body) appointed or likely to be appointed to a panel
The governance professional to the board (or the clerk to the panel if this is likely to be a different person)
The senior leadership team

about this course

What are the benefits?

Sitting on a formal panel and being expected to ask questions, evaluate evidence and reach a sound decision is a daunting prospect for governors, trustees and academy committee members (local governing body). Being required to attend a panel can be equally challenging for senior executive leaders, pupils and parents.

By the end of this session, you will have a clear picture of how a panel should work, your role in the process and how to follow the relevant law, guidance and policies. You should be able to participate confidently and contribute to a sound panel decision, applying the law and evidence.

about this course

How will you learn?

Each of these sessions is designed for a minimum of 10 participants and works best with between 13 and 25. It is for suitable for a number of schools to share
Each two-hour session can be delivered via face-to-face or online workshop
Each session includes a walkthrough of a panel reviewing the headteacher’s decision in relation to a particular matter such as permanent exclusion, staff discipline or parental complaint
Sessions will be facilitated by a quality-assured NGA consultant with relevant governance and training expertise
They will be interactive with a mixture of participant activities and facilitator-led explanation and discussion
They will be supported with session materials including a resource toolkit and suggested activities to help with next steps