Governor support has been rated as the best education authority service overall in more than 90 per cent of LEAs so far inspected. Chief inspector Mike Tomlinson gave the good news to co-ordinators of governor services at their national conference at the beginning of October (See TES, October 12).

But Mr Tomlinson also highlighted the difference between the effectiveness of LEA-provided support for governors (92 per cent good or satisfactory) and the lower rating for support to school management (77 per cent).

He did not have a solution to raising the effectiveness of support for school management and looked to conference delegates for help. So what is to be done?

Training provided on-site for whole governing bodies is well-established as a crucial element of support. However, there is still a need for centrally-provided, accessible training for all.

Individuals who attend may find it hard to educate and influence their fellow members after the event. But a school-based training session gets the same message across to most board members at the same time. As a result, it is more likely that real action will follow.

Demand for in-house training continues to expand, year-on-year. Yet there is an even more effective form of training and development which could contribute to closing the gap between the effectiveness of support for governors and school management.

It happens when governors and teachers get together for a day to work on a topic of mutual interest. Schools must organise five teacher-development days annually, sometimes increased by one or two to cover government initiatives.

Often governors have an open invitation to attend these days and may do so, in ones or twos. But an increasing number of schools are including a teacher-and-governor development day in their annual training programmes.

In secondary schools, logistics may limit teacher involvement to key members of senior and middle management, but at primary level both teams can be fully represented. If too many governors are unable to attend, then a Saturday may be an alternative. But if the day is planned long enough in advance, most governors can overcome any obstacles to attendance.

Often the focus of the day is on strategic planning, including activities around reviewing or developing a truly shared vision and values for the school - one of the 11 classic features of effective schools. It can include “blue sky thinking” (focusing on creative ideas) as well as medium and short-term planning at various levels of detail. Plans, policies and achievements can be reviewed and evaluated.

This format is particularly helpful to a new head who is keen to build effective working relationships with and between staff and governors, as well as agreeing a way forward for the school.

Solid outcomes can be achieved in a way that is not possible in other forms of training which are more limited by time and the exclusiveness of the group involved. Often the day takes place off-site, to get away from phones and the familiar environment which can sometimes limit creative thinking.

Governing bodies often include members who can help with providing an interesting alternative venue - or know a man who can. Teambuilding can be both implicit and explicit. For example, lunch can involve everyone bringing something to the feast. It has both a practical and symbolic function on a day like this.

In nearly every case where schools have tried this for the first time, it has felt like a significant breakthrough and led to requests to make it an annual event, which it usually becomes. It is often the first time governors and teachers have ever worked together on something of equal relevance and importance to both contingents.

The joint training day can help to clarify respective roles and responsibilities. Governors are occasionally criticised at national level for encroaching on the head’s territory but teachers - and some senior managers - can be unclear about governors’ responsibilities.

The process of working together helps to build bridges and shed light on each other’s proper roles. Similarly, the day can also foster better relationships between governor trainers and the school’s link adviser, particularly where both are involved in planning, contributing to and evaluating the event with participants.

Where a school is placed in special measures, it is now our county’s policy to offer an “awayday” to teachers and governors as an opportunity to move forward together. We have found that it saves a lot of time which would otherwise have to be spent in separate meetings and in complex, indirect communication between the different groups. It has proven to be a cost-effective investment in school improvement.

Maybe LEAs should integrate support for governors, teachers and heads more effectively. The joint training day is a practical way of making this a reality.

David Marriott is head of governor support at Wiltshire County Council and author of ‘The Effective School Governor’ published by Network Educational Press, tel: 01785 225515