Upcoming Events
24th June 2021 17:00 – Governance Conversations – Norfolk SEND Strategy
Join us to find out more about the updated SEND Strategy for Norfolk and how important governors are for children and young people with SEND.
Free remote event for Governors and Trustees
For more details and to book your place please visit Eventbrite
9th October 2021 – NGN Annual Conference
Our 2021 Conference takes place virtually on Saturday 9th October, the theme this year will be on rebuilding governance in our schools and looking forward to how to ensure robust governance during times of change.
Past Events
NGN 2020 Resetting Governance Conference Presentations
NGN Chair Anne Gibson introduces Ofsted’s East of England Regional Director Paul Brooker
Update on the phased return to inspections
NGN Chair Anne Gibson introduces Dr Louise Smith, Director of Public Health, Norfolk
Covid-19 and Schools
Sarah Shirras, Chair of Norfolk’s Schools’ Forum and Mike Grimble, NGN Vice-Chair present Schools Finance, Current Challenges & Future Planning
Chris Snudden, Director of Learning & Inclusion, Norfolk presents SEND Joint Area Review and Norfolk SEND Transformation
Fay Spencer, Just One Norfolk Lead presents
Digital Health Profiles
NGN Governor Questions will follow shortly
Meet our 2020 Keynote Speakers
Paul Brooker
Ofsted Regional Director for the East of England
Paul Brooker became the Ofsted Regional Director for the East of England in November 2016.
Paul was appointed Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) in 2001 and has specialist expertise in the development of assessment and training from his role as an A level and GCSE chief examiner. Since joining Ofsted he has worked in school improvement in both primary and secondary schools and has held the role of Ofsted’s national lead for academies and free schools. His previous post in Ofsted was Senior Her Majesty’s Inspector in the East of England.
Prior to joining Ofsted, Paul was a senior leader in a secondary school and worked briefly as a local authority adviser.
Dr S. J. Louise Smith, MB ChB, PhD, FFPH Director of Public Health for Norfolk
As Director of Public Health for Norfolk, Dr Smith leads the Council Council’s strategies to protect, promote and improve the populations’ health. She is the lead officer support for Norfolk Health and Wellbeing Board, chairs the NHS Resilience Partnership and Norfolk Domestic Abuse Strategy Board. As DPH she is currently leading on Norfolk’s response to the Covid 19 outbreak.
Prior to her role as Norfolk’s DPH, Louise was Deputy Director Public Health in Hertfordshire specialising in public health commissioning, children, young people and sexual health. She retains an interest in sexual health and chairs the Association of Directors of Public Health sexual health policy advisory group.
She has recently joined the advisory panel for the What Works for Wellbeing Centre who draw evidence together and produce practical guidance that government, businesses and communities can use to help improve wellbeing across a wide range of issues including housing, employment, communities and the arts.
Louise trained as a doctor in Edinburgh, developed clinical and research experience interest in genetics, women and children; and served as senior medical advisor on women and children’s health for the Scottish Government when Nicola Sturgeon was Minister for Health.
Join Norfolk Governance Network at this year’s Conference, themed Resetting Governance. This has been an unprecedented year for those in governance and for all those in our school communities. Governing with Covid-19 as a constant presence is certainly challenging and we encourage networking so that we can support each other to fulfil our roles, our 2019 Conference theme Feeling Valued, Staying Connected underpinned this need.
- Welcome from Anne Gibson, NGN Chair
- Keynote speaker – Paul Brooker, Ofsted’s East of England Director will update governors on current Ofsted requirements for schools going forward.
- Keynote speaker – Dr Louise Smith, Director of Public Health, Norfolk, joined by Chris Butwright , Assistant Director of Prevention and Policy in Public Health will provide an important update for governors about Covid-19 in schools and the community. This will also look at local outbreaks, children’s wellbeing and health and why protective measures and risk management is so important.
- Breakout sessions covering:
- Finance – current challenges and future planning
- Professional clerking – NGA
- Digital School Health Profiles – Public Health, Norfolk
- An update about the recent area SEND inspection and how Norfolk County Council has responded and the work being done to support children and young people in Norfolk.
- NGN’s AGM – which governors are encouraged to join will close the event.
Past events
2019 Conference information
NGN Annual Conference – Feeling Valued, Staying Connected
Thank you for attending our 2019 NGN Annual Conference
Thank you to all who attended and supported our Annual Conference which took place on Saturday 9th November. We will be sharing information from the event soon.
Our theme was Feeling Valued, Staying Connected and to help support this we are encouraging you all to do so via LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter – links can be found at the bottom of every page.
If you are interested in finding more about NGN and how we represent all in governance in Norfolk then please get in touch!
On the agenda at this year’s event:
- Welcome followed by the NGN AGM
- Breckland Youth Advisory Board talk about Tackling Bullying in Schools
- Guest speaker Sara Tough – Executive Director of Children’s Services at Norfolk County Council shares Development & Education Priorities
- Three workshops covering:
- Fighting Financial Fraud and SFVS
- County Lines – The Exploitation of Children and Adults
- Ofsted: The new Inspection Framework
- Governors’ Question Time
- Mark Deveney – Mental Health Specialist talks about De-mystifying Mental Health
- Conference close
Keep in touch to find out dates for future events.
