A presentation given by Emma Kinghts of the National Governors Association, to the AGM of the Birmingham Governors Network.

1. The year ahead in education:
the issues for school governors
Emma Knights
Chief Executive
National Governors’ Association
www.nga.org.uk
0121 237 3780

2. The past year
• More data and less guidance
• More emphasis on school-to-school support
• Education Act 2011 – NGA briefing for members
• School funding update
• Pupil premium & ‘closing the gap’
• New admissions code
• Special educational needs & disabilities
• Curriculum reviews
• DfE governance review

3. Key issues for governors
• School improvement
• School leadership
• School structures
• Improving the effectiveness of governance
These issues inter-relate

4. School improvement
• Higher aspirations and emphasis on attainment with
rising floor targets
– Primary: 60% pupils achieving level 4 in English and Maths
(plus at least the national average making the expected levels
of progress between KS1 and KS 2 in English and Maths)
– Secondary: raised to 40% pupils getting 5 A-C in 2012, going
up to 50% by 2015
• Do we understand the school’s performance data,
including progress for different groups of children?
– See NGA’s Briefing notes 1 & 2 RAISEonline for governors
• Do we know the school’s strengths & weaknesses?
– How do we seek views from stakeholders?
– What do we know about the quality of teaching?

5. School improvement con’d
• Are we doing the best we can for all our children and
young people? If not, why not?
• Are we providing the right offer for all the children?
• What are the levers the governing body has for change?
• Are our agendas driven by the school’s development
• New appraisal policy:
– The Head’s appraisal and setting the culture for all the staff
– Ensuring CPD
• Expert advice & support; who should we work with?
• Changes in Ofsted inspection from September

6. School leadership
• Performance management of the Head
• Good relationships – support & challenge
• Management structure fit for purpose?
• Skills to cover the full range of roles – in
particular HR, business management
• Recruiting:
– new guide published with National College
• The next generation

7. School structures
• Is our school’s structure fit for purpose?
• The driver can be improving standards or recruitment of
a new head
• For maintained schools, will converting to an academy
improve the outcomes for children?
• More diversity: need to understand the range of options,
including federations and multi-academies
• Federation has been shown to improve outcomes for
children and governance, and can reduce costs
• Which other schools could we work with - and how?
• Choosing a sponsor

8. Effective governance
1. The right people round the table
2. Understanding role & responsibilities
3. Good chairing
4. Professional clerking
5. Good relationships based on trust
6. Knowing the school – the data, the staff, the
parents, the children, the community
7. Committed to asking challenging questions
8. Confident to have courageous conversations in
the interests of the children and young people

9. Size & composition of GBs
• From September 2012 LA maintained GBs will be able to
change their size & composition if they wish (academies
already this freedom)
• The legislation is permissive – you can change within
limits if you want but you do not have to
• A minimum of two parent governors, the head; one staff
governor, one authority governor, and no ratios apart from
foundation governors
• Minimum size to be lowered to seven
• More emphasis on skills: undertake a skills audit
• Review your size, composition & committee structure

10. Governors are leaders
Lord Hill, under-secretary of state for education in
July’s Governing Matters : the governing body is
‘the top strategic body in the school’.
It’s up to us to hold school leaders to account:
Stay strategic and focussed on school improvement
Have confidence; don’t wait to be told
Get involved in the National College’s development
programme for chairs
Good luck with the year ahead

11. Join us
Standard NGA membership for a school GB is £70,
and you receive:
• weekly e-newsletter for all governors,
• five copies of the bi-monthly 40 page NGA
members’ magazine Governing Matters,
• access to the members’ area of the website,
• a free place at NGA member regional events and
national conferences
GOLD package for £250 includes legal advice and
other enhanced benefits e.g. Welcome to Governance