1. What makes a governing body excellent?
Gillian Allcroft
Deputy Chief Executive
National Governance Association

2. NGA is a membership organisation
NGA is an independent charity representing and supporting governors and trustees in maintained schools and academies in England
Our charitable aim is to improve outcomes for pupils by the promotion of high standards in schools and improving the effectiveness of governing boards
We do this by providing expert and tailored information, guidance and advice, training, consultancy, and challenge
STANDARD governing board £85
GOLD governing board £260
© NGA 2017

3. Why is governance so important?
Governance determines who has the power,
who makes the decisions,
how other players make their voice heard and
how account is rendered
Institute on Governance, Canada
And of course school governance is all about achieving the purpose i.e. making a difference for pupils

4. Effective governance – the basics
The three core functions
The eight elements of effective governance
Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
The right people round the table
Holding the executive to account
Understanding role and responsibilities
for the educational performance
Good chairing
of the trust and its pupils, and the performance management of staff
Professional clerking
Overseeing the financial
Good relationships based on trust
performance of the trust
Knowing your schools
and making sure its money is well spent
Committed to asking challenging questions
Confident to have courageous conversations in the interests of the children and young people

5. DfE’s Competency Framework for Governance
16 competencies grouped under the ‘six features of effective governance’
some skills or knowledge that the DfE thinks everyone on the board needs to have, and others that the chair or ‘at least someone’ on the board will need to have.
In all there are 200 aspects to the framework
More emphasis on risk assessment
But don’t be daunted

6. Don’t panic: it’s not a checklist
Sir David Carter‏ agreed with Jan 12 “Governance Competency Framework is a guide & tool for evaluation to build stronger governance. Not a checklist!”
Keep doing what you should have been doing: a skills audit of the board and recruit to the gaps identified
NGA has two updated model skills audits, the second for MATs
Do not give this to potential recruits: much better to give the role description and expectations

7. What do you need to do to make a difference?
The right people: commitment & competence
The right culture - Ethical governance & leadership: values & ethos
The right strategy
The right structures & processes
The right measures
Understanding of what good looks like

8. Governance in the public sector
Boards are the guardians of the organisation’s vision, ethos and values: ‘No crooks; no cronies; no cowards’ The Tyson report, 2003

9. Understanding your role and responsibilities
Role description
Induction
Expenses
Code of conduct
Training
Access to independent advice
Performance reviews for governors
360 degree review for the chair
Regular reviews of the work of the board 9

10. Induction guides Members: £6 Non-members: £12
GOLD members receive a complimentary pack
Members can also take advantage of discounts of up to 50%
Additional discounts are available on bulk orders

11. Current Challenges
Identified in the NGA/TES annual survey over 5300 respondents
Funding
The amount of change, including assessment
Structures; academisation & groups of schools
Staff welfare and retention
Retaining a broad & balanced curriculum
Recruiting & retaining governors

12. Discuss
What are the governance challenges in your mission to improve education in your school/trust?

13. Being strategic

14. Being strategic
The board determines the vision and ethos … and a strategy for achieving this
The vision describe the sort of school we want to be in three to five years time
Boards do this by:
Setting goals and agreeing the school’s development priorities
For each priority setting targets or key performance indicators (KPIs) for the short and longer term
Structuring most of the board's business towards monitoring progress against these
At the end of the year, formally reviewing and evaluating the strategy

15. Discussion
1. Does your school / trust have a strategy containing its vision and strategic priorities to get there?
2. Who was involved in formulating the strategy?
Were all staff? Were pupils & parents? Does everyone know and own it?
3. If you are governing at Local governing body/Academy committee level in a MAT how is the vision communicated to you?

16. Turning vision into reality
Core function of the Governing Board: Setting vision, values, ethos and strategic direction, and ensuring a culture which will deliver that strategy But are we good at it? How do we do that? Do we measure what we value? This guide published in January 2015 Being updated in 2017

17. Framework for strategy development
Senior staff
Board
Strategy origination
Strategy approval
Monitoring
Review and amendment
Framework for strategy development
Source: Caroline Copeman, 2011
Strategy implementation

18. Balancing being strategic with ensuring compliance
Consider which compliance matters can be reported (and the use of pro-forma reporting to ensure all information is captured each term in a consistent format)
Build compliance into the board annual meeting plan and delegate e.g. financial matters being dealt with by the Finance Committee
Plan some governor/trustee visits for monitoring e.g. understanding how safeguarding policies are implemented
Remember that checking compliance is considered to be ‘easier’ than being strategic

19. What you need to know

20. Ensuring robust accountability
In order to be able to hold the school(s) to account the governing board needs to know its school(s) … Brainstorm How do you get to know your school(s)? Can you list 10 information sources?

21. Knowing your organisation
Visits to school(s)
School / organisation policies
Learning walks
Quality of teaching, staff training and CPD
Website
In year tracking data
Subject leaders / heads of year presentations
Senior executive leader reports
Attendance at events
Answers to questions at board meetings
Pupil, staff and parent surveys
Newsletters
Reports from external advisors and consultants
ASP
DfE performance tables
Fischer Family Trust
Self evaluation documentation
Improvement plans
Reports from board members on training and networking
School’s vision and strategy document with key priorities
Information on staff pay progression/ performance management
Ofsted inspection reports

22. The concept of triangulation
Reports from senior executive leaders
What you see with your own eyes
Reports from trusted third parties

23. What sort of board are you?
Support
Headteacher’s fan club
Partners
Abdicators
Adversaries
Partners
Challenge
Challenge
Support

24. Governance making an impact

25. outcomes for pupils are positive
Effective governance
Distinguish when you are governing and when you are volunteering in another capacity
Use your time to best effect – focus on the key school priorities, not just compliance
Ensure the school improvement plan’s priorities are the same as those in the strategy with high level targets / KPIs and measurable milestones against which the board can monitor progress
Check that school leaders are equipped to do their jobs (including HR, procurement, H&S) to avoid operational support from the board
Do not do someone else’s job: see the joint statement “What governing bodies should expect from school leaders and what school leaders should expect from governing bodies”
Targets are met and
outcomes for pupils are positive

26. Reviewing governance Development of clerking, including CPD
Reduce the paperwork: streamline agendas
Maximum: two committee structure for a single school
All-party parliamentary group on education governance & leadership:
20 questions for a Governing Board to ask itself
21 questions for a MAT board of trustees to ask itself
NGA has an on-line self evaluation tool with Evalu8
“This is how we do it here”: just because you have always done it this way does not make it the best way
Visit other governing boards in action, and consider peer reviews: facilitation
Free support from National Leaders of Governance
External reviews of governance: is your consultant quality assured?
More information:

27. Reflection
Understanding roles and responsibilities … are there any areas for development for your governing board? One thing you are confident about One thing you’d like to know more about