The Board of Governors of the John of Gaunt School has a new Chair - as well as
the old one! At the last full governing body on 7th September the Board approved the establishment of co-chairs for the school and Sarah Bergg and David Whewell were unanimously elected.
So how will it work? We are planning a clear split of responsibilities between the two of us, but certain tasks will be shared. We know that co-chairing will only work well with good communication, trust and understanding. It helps that we have known each other for more than 9 years. We intend to make sure we keep in touch and let each other know about any issues and developments, regularly speaking on the phone as well as emailing.
The school therefore benefits from both our sets of experience, skills, networks and knowledge. Two of us can cover more events, meetings and media than one. We benefit from having someone we can discuss and share issues with. And our three-way meetings with the Headteacher also benefit from having an extra and different viewpoint.
Of course, there are potential difficulties. There is scope for miscommunication or confusion about roles. Diaries can sometimes be more complicated. But we have agreed that ‘no surprises’ is a crucial rule. Making sure we both know what is being done and what has been agreed is key. There may be times when we don’t agree, but we believe that there’s nothing like a healthy disagreement to help move things on.
We will continue to review how the board is working and we will seek the views of fellow governors on the value of our co-chairing arrangement and how it compares with other boards they sit on.
Co-chairing may not be for every school and every governing body, but we passionately believe in the old saying “two heads are better than one”.
