Welcome to the Cornwall Governor Networks’ Conference 2011

New Horizons in School Governance – Cornwall's Perspective

Clare Collins

Chair

National Governors’ Association

Cornwall Governor Networks

The Future of Governance

21st May 2011

– What’s happened over the year and what’s still to come

– What the challenges are

– NGA’s view

– How NGA represents views

– What the future holds

Government Position to Date

• Academies Act 2010– no maximum size for GBs– more flexibility on numbers for difference categories– elections for at least two parent governors

• Education Bill 2011– sets the framework for maintained schools GBs to have the same

flexibility as academies – Regulations will follow – changes to composition of governing bodies will be possible from Sept

2012

• SEN Green Paper 2011

• New Admissions Code - awaited

Guiding Principles

• More local decision making

• Less prescription, bureaucracy, guidance … no more SIPs or SEFs, new and simpler Ofsted framework

• Different role for local authority – championing the child

• School improvement to be driven by schools themselves

• More autonomy / greater accountability

• DfE wants to communicate with governors ...

White Paper The importance of teaching

• School governors are the unsung heroes of our education system .... To date, governors have not received the recognition, support or attention that they deserve. We will put that right.

• The time and expertise of governors needs to be better respected and deployed.

• Sometimes GBs lack the information or training to challenge effectively and support the senior leadership of a school to improve.

• We will work with the NGA and others to clarify GB accountabilities and responsibilities to focus more strongly on strategic direction.

Lord Hill at NGA’s Annual Conference

‘the most important decision-making group in any school is the governing body’.

‘governing bodies should set the overall strategic direction of a school, hold the headteacher to account and have a relentless focus on driving up standards – but not get dragged into micro-managing the school or the minutiae of its day-to-day activities’.

‘we need to ensure that governing bodies have the best possible people, with the right mix of skills and expertise, rather than just because they are there wearing a particular hat’

GB Responsibilities(2002 Education Act)

Core responsibilities for GB’s have not changed

The Governing Body is the school’s accountable body

The GB is responsible for the conduct of the school

The GB must work to promote high standards

Current Challenges 1

Changing Landscape of Provision

• Fractured marketplace:Community schools / foundation schools / VA and VC schoolsAcademies

Type 1 - replacing failing schoolsType 2 - new convertersType 3 - free schools

Chains (Ark, ULT, Grace), federations, collaborations, partnershipsUniversity Technical Colleges

• Deregulation – reduction in bureaucracy and guidance

• The role of the local authority – commissioner/provider models of working, funding pressures driving scope of operation

• Competition from alternative providers

Current Challenges 2

Focus on Accountability

• Standards:Globalisation – international comparisons, workforce requirements

Expectations and entitlement – pupil, parent, employers, government

Evidence – multiple data sources including CVA

• Resources:Declining budgets and focus on value for money Increased SEN and behavioural issues

• Compliance:Employer responsibilities – employment, equalities and H&S lawsSafeguarding and child protection legislationSchool specific legislation - SEN, EYFS, community cohesion

• Autonomous schools:Intelligent accountability – role of self evaluation, LAs, Ofsted

Current Challenges 3

Time and Skills, Status and Recognition • Complexity of role means that more governors with specific skills (e.g.

finance, HR, data analysis, relationships) are required

• Those with skills are likely to be highly sought after and therefore have less time to offer

• Volunteering can lack of status (there is a duty for employers to allow time off, but not paid time off) and large numbers of GBs do not have professional clerks or policies for paying expenses

• There is limited recognition of GB responsibilities from schools, LAs, National College, government

• Insurance – LA vs. bespoke

NGA’s View

• Governance is not ‘broken’ and is do-able

• Need to draw on the best features of the ‘business’ model and the ‘stakeholder’ model of governance

• Need to secure good committed and interested governors with a mix of skills and willing to undertake training

• Good chairing and good clerking is crucial

• Need to ensure strategic focus – relinquishing aspects of the role governors might like doing but which are not strategic which means ensuring school leaders are equipped to perform all aspects of their roles, including HR

A good GB understands the importance of:

• Understanding the strategic nature of the role (agreeing values and aims, policies, priorities and targets, budget and staffing, monitoring and evaluation)

• High aspirations – standards, expectations, comparators

• Commitment to their own (resourced) development and training • Role descriptions, a Code of Practice, constitution, protocols

• Appropriate size, delegation, committee structure

• Relationships - trust and respect, collective responsibility and confidentiality

• Setting the agenda and finding the information

• Collaboration and working in partnership

• Listening to parents and carers

• Accountability - reporting to the community

• Reviews its own effectiveness

How NGA Represents Governor Views

• Government

– Lobbying

– Select Committees

– DfE Education Forum

– DfE SFIG

– Direct contact with policy leads

• Other bodies

– National College

– HT Associations

– Unions

– LGA / LGiU

– Think Tanks / Policy Units

How NGA Consults

• Board members have to be governors

• National conferences

• Regional meetings

• Bulletin Board

• e-newsletters

• nga-assocs

• Attending events and conferences

What the future holds for governance

• Presented governors with a challenge:Lord Hill: ‘an energetic and sustained attack on the culture of guidance and paperwork … if you are serious about trusting people, you have to start trusting them’

change to LA role / abolition of SIPs and SEFs / less guidance

• Given control to GBs:Lord Hill: ‘all schools are different and need different things at different stages of their development – so school governance needs to be more flexible’

From 2012 all schools will be able to establish smaller governing bodies with appointments primarily focused on skills … government will encourage business people and professionals to volunteer as governors

• Promised recognition and support:Lord Hill: ‘we need, even in these straitened times, to find ways of supporting governors, especially chairs of governors, including by providing access to high-quality training and making it easier to see a wide range of information and data about the performance of local schools’

encourage trained clerks / easier access to data / National College will offer high-quality training for chairs of governors

• A membership organisation representing the voice of school governors in England at national and regional level

• We aim to improve the effectiveness of governing bodies by providing expert and tailored information and advice

• We represent governors from all state funded schools, including academies

Aims:

To improve the well-being of children and young people by promoting high standards in all our schools,

and improving the effectiveness of their governing bodies.

We do this by:

1. Providing information, advice and training to Governors – EXPERT

2. Ensuring the voices of Governors are heard – REPRESENTATIVE

3. Being recognised as the leading organisation on school governance, exercising influence through high quality policy publications and communications, and through appropriate partnerships – INFLUENTIAL

Join us Standard GB membership £63

GOLD GB membership £250

www.nga.org.uk

governorhq@nga.org.uk

0121 237 3780