National Governor Association's Chief Executive Emma Knights uncovers the challenges and opportunities facing School Governors at Governor Live 2014.

1. Challenges and opportunities
for school governance
Feb 2014
Emma Knights, Chief Executive, NGA
www.nga.org.uk 0121 237 3780

2. Governance in the spotlight
• The great & the good are taking an interest eg.
Select ctte report; HMCI & ministerial speeches, and more
funding for governor & clerks’ training
• More autonomy brings more responsibility & more
risks but organisations with strong governance do not fail
• More decision-making is being devolved eg.
Academy conversion, performance related pay
• The Sept 2012 Ofsted framework raised the bar
• Limited resources requires more efficiency
• Learning from other sectors

3. Challenges for governors
Include:
• Setting the vision & engaging with the strategic;
• Ensuring quality of teaching and good outcomes for
children – measuring what we value;
• Hiring, firing & performance managing headteachers;
• Staff development & performance-related pay;
• Money: revenue and capital;
• External support and the need to collaborate;
• Federation & governing more than one school;
• Finding good governors with the time;
• Finding new ways of working: effective practice & review
• Additional challenges for the chair: leading the GB

4. Effective governance
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
The right people round the table
Understanding role & responsibilities
Good chairing
Professional clerking
Good relationships based on trust
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

5. Challenge 1
Governance structures & processes
• Size & composition
• Stakeholders vs business - model
– Legitimacy: ownership of schools
– Do we know what our stakeholders think? Parents,
pupils, staff, neighbours, employers & other services
– Hard nosed vs valuing the important
• Recruitment and induction of governors
• Be clear about time needed but use it well
- Reduce the paperwork
• Clerking Matters

6. Challenge 2
Setting the vision, ethos & strategic direction
The strategic: where we are now, where we want to
be and how we are going to get there
• School priorities should stem from the vision, and
then drive all the GB’s work
– Measuring what we value
• What we want our children to leave school with is
strategic: so GBs do need to engage with the
curriculum offer without stepping over the line
– Preparing for the introduction of the National Curriculum
changes, plus a review of the rest of the curriculum

7. Challenge 3
Ensuring quality of teaching and good
outcomes for children
• Understanding data: FFT Governor Data dashboard
• Understanding internal progress data
• ‘Triangulating’ the information:
– Reports of senior leaders’ observations & learning walks;
– Feedback from pupils, staff & parents eg surveys, focus
groups;
– Visits: governors do not judge teaching themselves.
– External validation
• Effective performance management & appraisal
– Additional challenge with link to pay
• Investing in good CPD
• Collaboration which makes a difference

8. Challenge 4
Governing groups of schools
• Will small schools be sustainable in the future?
• Clear benefits for children (as well as governance);
• Multi-academies or LA federations take a range of forms:
– Sponsored or school-led groups
– Umbrella trusts or MATs/MACs
– What is delegated to school level; what is kept at the centre?
• Members, Trustees & Directors
– Executive and non-executive
– Involvement of staff, the Executive Head and/or CEO
• How many schools can be governed well in a group?

9. Challenge 5: Time
• Stay strategic & focussed on improvement priorities:
–
–
–
–
Leave the operational to school leaders;
Work with the head and clerk to ensure agenda are focused;
Visit school with a purpose to monitor improvement priorities
Don’t get overwhelmed by compliance & reviewing policies: focus on
principles & delegate procedures
• Our message to GBs is recruit good school leaders (a future
challenge) and trust them to recruit good staff
– Ensure school leaders are equipped to do their jobs, including HR
aspects, procurement
• Succession plan: Time invested in recruiting new &
developing governors is time well-spent
– Coming soon: an alliance to engage employers
– Aspiring chairs have access to the Chairs' Development Programme

10. Opportunities
• To make a difference to children’s lives
• Invest in governing body development:
take advantage of the training & support on offer
• Review GB structure, practice & impact
• Challenge each other as well as school
leaders
Governing is a thinking role, not a doing role

11. NGA is a membership
organisation
• representing the governors and Trustees in all state
funded schools in England
• our aim to improve the effectiveness of governing bodies
by providing expert and tailored information and advice,
and challenge when appropriate
Standard Governing Body membership is £72:
• weekly e-newsletter for all governors,
• five copies of the bi-monthly magazine Governing Matters,
• access to the members’ area of the website,
• a free place at NGA member regional events and national
conferences.

12. GOLD membership
Is £260 for a governing body a year and includes:
• Access to NGA’s advice line and legal advice
• Access to the members’ area of the website and a weekly e-newsletter for
all governors & clerks,
• the bi-monthly 40 page NGA members’ magazine Governing Matters for
all governors,
• free places at NGA member regional events and national conferences
• A Chair’s Handbook, and induction guides ‘Welcome to Governance’ for
all new governors etc
For a £30 discount from GOLD membership,
quote Live2014 when you ring 0121 237 3780 or email
membership@nga.org.uk
www.nga.org.uk