Gillian Barker

 

About me: An NLG since 2016, Gillian has over 20 years’ experience as a school governor. She is currently chair of governors at Walthamstow School for Girls secondary school and vice-chair of George Tomlinson Primary, Leytonstone – both LA-maintained schools.  Walthamstow School for Girls was judged ‘outstanding’ at its recent Ofsted inspection in June 2018 and the governing body described as ‘highly effective’.

Since becoming an NLG, Gillian has supported both primary and secondary schools in Waltham Forest. As a governor, she has made good use of the management experience gained when she worked previously as a a head of marketing at various law firms in the City of London. She has a degree in English and a Master’s degree in business.
Location: (Borough/City/County) London Borough of Waltham Forest
Governance experience:

 

 Chair of Governors of the following types of schools:

  • Primary (Vice chair)
  • Secondary
  • Maintained sector
NLG experience:

 

 

 

Support:

  • Secondary governing body
  • Chair of secondary governing body
  • Primary governing body (quasi-IEB)

Consultancy:

  • Parental complaint investigation (SEN Child)

Training:

  • Secondary governing body
  • 1-2-1 coaching of a chair of governors
Testimonials:

Areas of expertise:

  

1. STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP

– Strategic leadership of school organisations

5. COMPLIANCE

– Governance Compliance

Creating a shared vision, ethos and strategic direction

Understanding the regulatory framework for governance

Strategic planning for schools and boards

Readiness for Ofsted

Strategic HR leadership

Strategic leadership of Pupil Premium and provision for disadvantaged pupils

Stakeholder engagement & communication

 Equality responsibilities
Investigations, panels and appeals

2. ACCOUNTABILITY

 – Strategic leadership of school improvement

6. EVALUATION

– Governance reviews and health checks

Creating accountability structures, SMART targets and KPIs

 Skills audits and action planning

Planning and leading strategic monitoring

 Facilitated governance self-reviews

Headteacher performance management

Complaint investigation and management

7. Other 

3. PEOPLE

-Governance team leadership

7. OTHER AREAS OF EXPERTISE

– Other NLG Deployment Skills

Team leadership

 Developing governance support materials

Recruiting and retaining the governance team

Expectation setting and conduct

Holding the governance team to account

Creating a governance development plan

8. Training completed

Meeting management

4. STRUCTURES

– Governance Structures

8. NLG TRAINING COMPLETED

Governance team organisation, processes and structures – constitutions, terms of reference, role profiles

NLG induction

Essential deployment skills
Governance leadership programme (DfE)