10 June 2014 The importance of governance and scrutiny Michael Cladingbowl

Ofsted’s reach 6 Raising standards, improving lives The importance of governance and scrutiny

The importance of governance and scrutiny | 3 Governance and governors  Good governance is crucial:  Tackles underperformance  Regular monitoring and early intervention can prevent more widespread failure later  Drives excellence  Weak governance can lead to poor performance and low aspirations.

The importance of governance and scrutiny | 4 Local authority school improvement services  Where we have concerns we inspect local authorities to provide an independent external evaluation of how effective their school improvement services are.  Where inspections of schools raise concerns about the effectiveness of a local authority’s education functions or where we become aware of other concerns, an inspection may be carried out.  We provide advice and support on how to improve.

The importance of governance and scrutiny | 5 What local authorities can do  Councillors and scrutiny committees have a vital role to play:  Oversight  Accountability  Improvement  Building the right relationships leads to better outcomes for everyone, especially for children.  Don’t be afraid to ask difficult questions.  Provide effective support.  Use intervention tools at your disposal where necessary.

The importance of governance and scrutiny | 6 Conclusion  Scrutiny matters.  Local authorities remain a key lever of accountability in the school system.  Debate will continue.