CompliSpace has today released a briefing paper for school boards and executive teams - 'Towards Better Governance: A Guide to the October 2014 NSW Non-Government School Registration Updates' (Briefing Paper) which is available for download here.

Although these changes only apply in NSW, the Briefing Paper is recommended reading for school governors and executives in other Australian jurisdictions as it provides context and explanation for the plethora of governance obligations that have been thrust upon schools in recent years.

Among the issues addressed by the Briefing Paper are the new requirements for NSW non-government schools to implement various systems, policies and procedures including:

• a governance charter;
• a statement of delegated authorities;
• a code of conduct;
• a record keeping policy;
• a compliance program;
• a risk management program;
• a conflicts of interests policy;
• a related party transactions register;
• a responsible persons professional learning policy; and
• a responsible persons induction policy.

The Briefing Paper is a useful resource for all schools to help them to understand how to apply good governance practices to meet their current and future registration requirements. It is also a good resource to help them to understand concepts which will help them to improve upon their efficient management as not-for-profit organisations. In the way that members of the business community have of companies, members of school communities have high expectations of the board and management of their schools.

And, as the recent announcement that a principal of an independent girls school in Queensland has been named Sunshine Coast Business Person of the Year demonstrates, when schools are run with the same level of governance and expertise as members of the business community, they are celebrated for it.

The Briefing Paper has been made exclusively available on School Governance to download for free. It is available here.