- 11 August 2026
Read time: 4 minutes
Summary: Sejal Rabone, Governance Professional at Children First Academy Trust explains how gaining a deeper understanding of academy trust governance through training and experience helped her become more strategic, improve governance practices, and support better outcomes for pupils.
When I joined Children First Academy Trust, which consists of seven schools across North London, as the Governance Professional in early 2024, I thought I had a solid understanding of governance. As a previous long-standing school governor, I was already familiar with many of the principles and responsibilities involved. However, moving into a trust-wide role quickly showed me that academy trust governance requires a different level of strategic understanding.
Developing that understanding has changed the way I approach my role. It has helped me look beyond processes and paperwork to focus on how effective governance supports decision-making, accountability and ultimately the best outcomes for pupils.
Moving beyond the basics
My role was a new one within the team and from the outset, I wanted to go beyond making small "tweaks" here and there. I was driven by a desire to understand the reasons for having agenda items and tabled papers, and motivated by a brand-new trust strategy, I was keen to make an impact and develop my governance expertise further. As a long-standing school governor, I thought I knew plenty, but I quickly realised every day is a school day. I had a lot to both learn and apply when it came to academy trust governance.
Whilst I had a comprehensive understanding of academy governance overall, I also knew that there were differences between trusts, and that understanding those differences would help solidify my own governance practice.
Governance is about people
For me, relationship building is fundamental to the role. Good governance leads boards to improved decision-making, which in turn secures the best outcomes for pupils. What is surprising to many people is that the role of the Governance Professional is much more than just admin; it's about building solid relationships between the tiers, the volunteers, the school leadership and the executive team.
Working closely with the central Multi-Academy Trust team is also something I relish. As a trust based in a small geographical area, our team works closely together in one office. This allows me to understand what is happening in finance, operations and HR, as well as in the trust's schools. I am in the unique position of being able to see how all these areas connect together. Plus, I still get to visit the schools, meet the staff and see the pupils, which is great because that was one of my favourite parts of being a school governor.
Developing my understanding of academy trust governance
Many of the skills I've developed can be traced back to training I requested as part of my appraisal in those early days. Our trust is very supportive of professional development for all staff, and I enrolled on The Chartered Governance Institute Certificate in Academy Governance. The qualification completely changed how I approach my role as a Governance Professional. It gave me a much deeper understanding of governance, compliance and best practice, while helping me better understand the unique aspects of academy trust governance.
Three key understandings I gained from the qualification how the sector has evolved in the past two decades, the lessons learned from mishaps in other trusts, and specific transferable skills needed to work in governance across different sectors. The course also gave me a steer on raising more compliance issues, delivering governor training and thinking more strategically about board effectiveness.
Putting learning into practice
The test of any professional development is what happens afterwards. Since completing the qualification, I have worked hard to ensure we are compliant and working towards best practice in all we do. I have created an annual planner with reminders for everything. It feels better to have parameters in place rather than being reactive.
Not only have I written the Trust Governance Development Plan for the next three years, but I am also confident it contains the right priorities for our trust. I wouldn't have known where to start 18 months ago.
One of my proudest moments during the last two years stands above the rest. The trust recently requested an internal audit on Governance and Academy Trust Handbook compliance. It came back as "strong" with no areas for improvement required. I'm very proud of that achievement. Of course, I can think of plenty of areas that still need improvement, but it's great to receive this validation of my role and work.
Finding time to learn
Completing a qualification whilst balancing a busy work life as a Governance Professional and family commitments is no mean feat. So how did I manage it? Well... what would any good governance professional do? Plan, plan, plan. Each week I make time to diarise my life, ensuring allocated time for all my commitments. It helped that my youngest started her A Levels at the same time, so we would sometimes sit together and study.
Looking ahead
Looking to the future, I hope my governance training will open up new opportunities, along with the chance to make a real impact on board effectiveness. I'd love for our trust to be an example of good practice. It's a privilege to work alongside such brilliant volunteers, and I would love for that to be recognised.
My advice to fellow governance professionals
The biggest change hasn't been gaining a qualification. It's been developing a deeper understanding of what effective academy trust governance looks like and the role it plays in helping trusts succeed. That understanding has changed the way I work every day and given me greater confidence to contribute more strategically within my trust.
I've also learned the importance of connecting with others in the profession. Governance professional networks and collaboration are some of the most valuable aspects of the role. Sharing experiences, learning from peers and investing time in relationships can make a real difference, both professionally and personally.
Ultimately, academy trust governance is about much more than processes and compliance. It's about understanding how governance, strategy and accountability come together to support better decision-making and the best outcomes for pupils. Developing that understanding has been one of the most valuable parts of my journey so far.
Find out more about the CGI Certificate in Academy Governance.