As in several schools across the country, governing boards in the Diocese of Clifton have seen vacancies for foundation governors increase.
A few weeks on from a recruitment drive, however, and diocesan governance officer Bill McEntee has 40 applications to become foundation governors and academy trust directors and 34 further expressions of interest he’s following up, with some areas now oversubscribed.
Here’s how he did it.
The Bishop’s letter
Many parishioners in the diocese attending Mass on the weekend of 17-18 May would have heard a letter by the Rt Rev Bosco MacDonald, Bishop of Clifton, read out by their priest. The letter was an appeal for more Catholics to volunteer as foundation governors and academy trust directors. A copy of the letter was attached to church newsletters.
The letter referenced an accompanying video featuring testimonials from foundation governors and directors, headteachers and the Bishop, which was launched on the diocesan website and social media at the same time.
Bill asked schools and colleges to post the letter and video to their news pages, and requested headteachers or chairs of governors to stay on afterwards at Mass that weekend to answer any questions. In addition, he had printed out and sent over promotional posters, leaflets and CES-produced postcards, which some schools had enquired about.
These activities initially yielded around 15 applications, but the campaign was only part of the way through.
Follow it up
A week later Bill asked parish priests to include the campaign in church newsletters, and to do so for the next few weeks as well.
This brought in the rest, with applicants telling him they had either missed the first appeal, or had seen it but were glad of the reminder to prompt them into action. The application form revealed that it was the letter and the appeal at Mass which persuaded most people to come forward.
The next stage will be a targeted recruitment drive to those living in particular areas of the diocese where there remain vacancies, including for directors of Catholic multi-academy trusts. Similarly, the appeal will now focus on those with particular professional skills or experience such as in accounting or Human Resources.
Education Sunday
Ahead of every Education Sunday, held on the second Sunday of September near the start of the school term, Bill asks chairs of governors and headteachers to make an appeal for more foundation governors and Catholic multi-academy trust directors at Mass. This yields some new applications, though not as many as the main campaign.
For a variety of reasons not every request for assistance with the campaign could be carried out in every parish, though enough took part to make a difference.
Overall, no single method of promoting the appeal will work on its own, Bill said, a foundation governor and academy trust director recruitment campaign should involve a range of measures over a period of time.
Bill said: “The involvement of the Bishop is key, it makes it special. You should also find a weekend with no other appeals going on, or taking place at weekends either side – and follow it all up!”
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