Reviewing the effectiveness of your governing board Pa
Reviewing the effectiveness of your governing board Pa. Jes Clare Collins NGA Lead Consultant 16 th March 2016
Welcome and introductions © NGA 2015
NGA is a membership organisation NGA is an independent charity representing governors and trustees in all state funded schools in England, both academies and LA maintained schools. Our aim is to improve the effectiveness of governing boards by providing expert and tailored information, guidance and advice, and challenge when appropriate. Standard Governing Body membership is £ 77 GOLD Governing Body membership is £ 260 and includes an advice line © NGA 2015
By the end of this workshop you will … Know why strong governance matters Have discussed the challenges Know what are Be confident to determine your GB’s review schedule the options for review © NGA 2015
Governance matters © NGA 2015
The government ‘Governing boards are the strategic decision makers and vision setters in every school and academy. They play a vital role in ensuring the best possible education for every child by creating robust accountability for school leaders. Crucially, that means using and being familiar with objective data on the performance of pupils, Lord Nash Governance Handbook 2015 p. 5 teachers and finances to ask the right questions and ensure resources are allocated to school priorities. ’ © NGA 2015
Governance responsibilities The governing body shall: ‘conduct the school with a view to promoting high standards of educational achievement’ Section 2 of the Education Act, 2002 Some governing bodies of maintained schools, and all academy boards of trustees, have additional functions and responsibilities. Depending on the category of school, they may own land, act as employers, admission authorities, or boards of charitable trustees and company directors. © NGA 2015
Ofsted’s expectations ‘without strong and effective governance, our schools simply won’t be as good as they can be’ HMCI © NGA 2015
Organisations with strong governance do not fail © NGA 2015
Circumstances when reviewing is required © NGA 2015
Evaluating your effectiveness © NGA 2015
Self evaluation as a management tool • Schools are expected to self evaluate and this should include governance • Knowing your strengths and weaknesses is the starting point for identifying where to begin with developing the governing body • The discipline of a review / development / review cycle leads to incremental improvement © NGA 2015
Discussion Does your school self evaluation include evaluating the effectiveness of the governing board? If not, why not? © NGA 2015
Barriers to self review • Don’t know how to go about it • Lack of confidence • Fear of findings • Know the issues but also know that facing up to them will be hard • Culture of defensiveness • Denial of the need for such things • Cynicism about effectiveness • Can’t afford it • Not enough time © NGA 2015
When should a governance review take place? © NGA 2015
In other words … • A light touch annual or bi-annual self review to ensure the governing body is fulfilling its roles and responsibilities effectively – Undertaken in house – Led by the chair / another governor / the clerk • Every few years a health check which promotes a step change in governance practice – Using an external governance consultant who can bring an outside perspective • An external review with detailed recommendations for development – As a result of an Ofsted inspection where governance has been identified as an issue – Where there has been a change of status e. g. becoming an academy – Where the GB has had issues © NGA 2015
Some options © NGA 2015
20 questions © NGA 2015
The online version © NGA 2015
For chairs © NGA 2015
Other self evaluation tools • Governor Mark The standards are freely available but the accreditation process has a cost • GSET Governance self evaluation tracker from Target Tracker • Ofsted Criteria for good and outstanding governance © NGA 2015
External reviews © NGA 2015
An external review of governance © NGA 2015
The eight elements of effective governance 1. Right people round the table 2. Understanding role and responsibilities 3. Good chairing 4. Professional clerking 5. Good relationships based on trust 6. Knowing the school: 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 © NGA 2015
Who should undertake governance reviews? Options include: • Going it alone (free) • Local authority or academy provider (may be part of your service level agreement) • National Leader of Governance (there may be a charge) • Independent provider such as NGA Consultancy (there will be a fee) © NGA 2015
Next steps © NGA 2015
Discussion Which option interests you? In what circumstances would you seek an external review of governance? How would you justify the cost? © NGA 2015
Reviewing governing board effectiveness WHY because governance matters and it needs to improve HOW systematically proportionately professionally © NGA 2015 WHEN regularly and according to circumstances BY WHOM don’t underestimate the value of an external reviewer
Any questions? © NGA 2015
Join NGA GOLD For £ 30 discount use code 00086 www. nga. org. uk training@nga. org. uk 0121 237 3780
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