This is the fourth and final module from a course called 'Re-energising governing of colleges and training providers'.

1. Re-energising Governing of
Colleges and Training Providers
Module 4: Creating & Using a Professional Journal
(Clerk to the Corporation)

2. Introduction
This module is specifically aimed at the Clerk to the
Corporation. However, Governors and senior staff may
also find the module of interest.
Through completing this module, you will:
• Learn about the purpose of a professional journal.
• Design a professional journal format.
• Learn how to complete and interpret your
professional journal entries.

3. Do you keep a journal?
• Clerks create and use a semi-structured professional journal to
inform their working practice.
• Aspects of this professional journal can provide an additional source
of intelligence for reviewing the performance of the Governing Body.
• A key benefit from the keeping of a semi-structured professional diary
is the opportunity to collect 'naturalistic data' i.e. 'information that is
gathered in the moment and in a real environment.*'
• Thus, from notes and prompts you make during, for example, a board
meeting, you are encouraged to complete your journal record quickly
thereafter.
* From Milligan, C and Barlett, R. (2015) What is Diary Method? (p.15)

4. Characteristics of a Professional
Journal
• Regular entries - It is worth logging every Board meeting (minimum), plus
every Curriculum and Quality Committee and every Finance and Resources
Committee.
• Available for Review - The Journal should be available for review by the Chair
of the Corporation and Chief Executive / Principal: Thus diary entries must be
evidence-based & justified.
• Contemporaneous - In other words, entries should be made at the same time
as, of shortly after the time, when the event occurs.
• Semi-structured - The Journal should follow a consistent framework plus have
the opportunity for personal and local governing themes.
• Written format - Whilst other formats are possible, prose is probably the
easiest to use. the choice is yours whether you maintain your journal
electronically or in hand-written form.

5. Don’t forget…
You are creating a professional journal as an
aspect of your role as Clerk to the Corporation
and therefore the status of your professional
journal is located within that role framework, and
therefore has the same status as any other
material you produce.

6. Components of a Professional Journal
There are core governing themes that you should
track through your professional journal and also
core governing performance indicators.
• What do you think these core governing
themes should be?
• What do you think the core governing
performance indicators should be?

7. Core Governing Themes for a
Professional Journal
• Reporting for Approval / Noting, Implementation and
Achievement of - Corporate Values, Corporate Strategy,
English Colleges Code of Good Governance, provision of
maths and English.
You may wish to identify sub-themes of particular
importance to your college, e.g:
• Impact of Governor development, Governor performance,
role and performance of committee chairs, role and
performance of chair, usefulness of reporting format,
application of e-governance, board dynamics and
relations (governors / senior staff).

8. Core Governing Performance
Indicators for a Professional Journal
• Board engagement, insight and scrutiny, clarity of
board decision making, board pace and ambition,
board accountability, board risk focus and
response.
You may wish to identify further performance indicators of
particular importance to your college e.g:
• Contribution from newly appointed Governors,
succession planning for key Board office-positions,
Governor understanding of learner data, balance of
challenge and support from Governors, horizon
scanning and planning etc.

9. A Journal Grid
When you have set your basic journal framework, you will need to form a grid.
This is an example of a journal grid. This grid is the core of your 'journal'. You can
append more detailed comments if desired. These comments could be structured i.e.
themed for comment regarding each meeting and / or open prose for your record.

10. Setting grade descriptors
• What do you think would achieve ‘outstanding'?
• What do you think would achieve ‘good’?
• What do you think would achieve ‘requires
improvement’?
• What do you think would achieve ‘inadequate’?

11. How to complete the Professional Journal
There are differing ways to complete this part of your professional
diary framework. Whichever ways you select, the key component is
evidence i.e. explaining to yourself why you have taken such a
viewpoint.
Ways to complete the grid i.e. how to populate each box:
1. 'Agenda item' or 'Cultural' i.e. within discussion [Supporting report
(if used) - rate usefulness]
2. if 'Cultural' (provide some further details)
3. Rating: Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement, Inadequate
4. Simple commentary - what did you notice in particular?
You will need to provide a simple definition of your grading to achieve
your own consistency. The grading boundary is yours to set but you
will be informed by expectations of challenge and scrutiny by Boards.

12. Responding to your journal
The gain from maintaining a professional journal
derives from the action taken in response to
emerging patterns within the journal.
Therefore, after completing the journal entry for a
given meeting, it is vital that the process includes
‘response'.
What will you do to address any of the items
which, in your professional opinion, fall short
of where you believe the standard (given the
context of the college / provider and its board)
should be?

13. What to do if performance falls
short of the standard
Your action could range from an informal chat with a Governor or
member of senior staff to taking and considering professional
advice.
Such action can also inform Governor / Chair / Board / Committee
performance reviews and any Governor development planning.
There can also be a link to the Clerk's appraisal in the review of
action taken and associated impact.
Don't forget to ask yourself the question - what can the Clerk do
to improve a particular aspect of governing that appears to you to
be problematic? A quiet chat with yourself or a Clerk's mentor
might be required.

14. Some pointers
A. If the Board is having some difficulties, it may be easier to improve
performance through small steps rather than big leaps. Your
professional journal may help in mapping such progress.
B. The speed of change can vary; it may take a series of Governor
meetings before you are able to note the improvements you are
expecting.
C. Such work can be delicate and require subtle influencing skills with
Chairs / Governors / Chief Executive / Principals / Senior Post
Holders - but keep your focus on the positive impact for governing.
It is important to appreciate the centrality of defining Board values and using
a strategic plan and its expression of college / provider strategic objectives to
sharpen the focus of governing. This should include the formation of a
strategic direction for the provision of maths and English.

15. The effects of keeping a professional
journal
Positive Negative
• Able to engage with a core part of your
work in a personal way; the amount of
detail you include in your diary is for you
to decide.
• Use a diary to give yourself time to think
through emerging governing issues and
overall performance.
• Gain an outlet for thinking through your
professional persona.
• Gain a method of recording positive
events and your contribution.
• Gain a method of tracking governing
performance over time.
• Contribute to Governor, Chair, Board and
committee performance reviews more
effectively.
• Gain an additional source of reference for
the Clerk's performance review.
• May face diary fatigue. This is a well-
documented limitation of the diary method.
Entries may become more sporadic or tail
off completely.
• Overload - trying to consider diary issues
whilst taking minutes in meetings could be
very challenging and result in distraction.
• Be wary of over-disclosure i.e. too much
detail, too ego-centric.
• Maintain balance, don't dwell heavily on
the negative aspects and do seek to
capture good practice.

16. Suggested Activity
Maintain a professional diary for the period to 31 July
2017.
There will be two review events to assist you:
• by 31 January 2017
• by 30 June 2017
Contact ron.hill@stir.ac.uk to register your interest.