School & Academy Governance

A policy overview

25 June 2013

Chris Caroe, Head of the School Governance Unit

High quality governance is crucial

To children’s education and life chances

To holding heads and schools to account

To making the most of dedicated volunteers

To the future of schools

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Yet Ofsted find too many schools have mediocre governance

We want all GBs to operate as non-executive boards focused on three core functions – as reflected in Ofsted’s inspection criteria

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clarity of vision and ethos

engaging stakeholders

meeting statutory duties

Setting strategic direction

Creating robust accountability

Ensuring financial probity

accountability for teaching, achievement, behaviour and safety

strengthening school leadership

performance managing the headteacher

contributing to school self-evaluation

solvency and effective financial management

use of Pupil Premium and other resources to overcome barriers to learning

A range of policy ambitions underpin this vision of more ‘professionalised’ school governance

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1. To raise the profile of governance and set a clear policy framework

2. To see GB constitution focused more on skills

3. To liberate and empower GBs

4. To build the capacity and effectiveness of GBs

5. To ensure GBs are held to account for their effectiveness

We have aimed to clarify our policy expectations as governance has continued to rise up the agenda

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Aim 1: Profile and clarity

Higher profile

Governors’ Handbook

Core functions

Policy note on payment

Academies Financial Handbook

Response to Select Committee inquiry

Clear policy

In Parliament

From HMCI and Ofsted

From the Minister

We want GBs to focus on constituting and recruiting to secure the skills they need to carry out their demanding functions

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Aim 2: Focus on skills

Categories do not guarantee good stakeholder engagement; can inflate size and restrict ability to recruit governors with necessary skills

Considerable freedom for academies – transition to academy status key opportunity to review and refresh GB

From Sept 2012, maintained schools may opt into less prescriptive regulations and so focus more on appointing governors for their skills

We want GBs to feel liberated and empowered to focus on holding their headteacher to account

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Aim 3: Liberate and empower

New regs on Roles, Procedures and Allowances from Sept 2013

Duties removed or simplified

Less prescriptive model academy Articles

Reducing bureaucracy

New sources of objective data

Questions for GBs to ask

National College workshops

Empoweringaccountability

We are committed to continuing, and looking at how we can increase, our support to GBs

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Aim 4: Build capacity

Support, training and advice Governor recruitment

No plans to mandate governor training

Aiming to expand role of National College

GovernorLine contract expires in December 13

Promoting the importance of clerking

Funding for SGOSS committed to 2015 to enable growth

Lord Nash discussion with employers in Sept on employee volunteering

No plans to start paying governors

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Explicit focus in every inspection

External review in Category 3 schools

Re-inspection of Category 3 schools within two years

Inspection

Warning notices and IEBs

Termination of academy funding agreements

Help for failing schools to find high quality academy sponsor

Intervention

Volunteer doesn’t mean amateur, GBs need to be held to account for their effectiveness, under-performance will be addressed

Aim 5: Sharpen accountability

GBs will also want to consider the implications of some interesting emerging practice

Benefits of MATs, UTs, school sponsors, federations, diocese, etc

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Is the standalone GB ideal?

Executive heads / Trust CEOs providing professional challenge and performance management of school leaders

Is there a role for some professional

accountability?

For more information please visit

www.education.gov.uk/governance

Questions or comments can be sent to School.Governance@education.gsi.gov.uk