Secondary Education January13 2011

LEADERSHIP Effective governing

Recent research into what makes an effective governing

body has offered advice to help schools improve the effectiveness of their governing bodies. Geraldine Hutchinson explains

T

HE 300,000 or so school governors in England make a significant contribution to their schools in what is a complicated and demanding role that goes largely unnoticed. The amount of information easily available about a school&#x2019;s governing

body does not typically match the responsibility that the governing body holds over the conduct of the school. By keeping the awareness of involvement of governors in schools at a low level it plays down the significant impact that governors have on school improvement and attainment. In academic terms, this is a largely under-

researched area, but CfBT Education Trust&#x2019;s report, The Hidden Givers: A Study of School Governing Bodies in England, explores the impact of governing bodies in greater detail, providing recommendations for schools to improve the effectiveness of their governing body. One of the key findings of this research was that

a lack of an effective governing body was not a neutral absence; lack of effective governance instead is a significant disadvantage to the school in terms of improvement and attainment. It is vital then that all schools look at the role of their governing body and continually strive to increase its effectiveness. For secondary schools, another key finding was

that effectiveness in primary school governing is much more strongly linked with pupil attainment than effective governing in secondary schools. Much of this could be attributed to the nature of primary schools that allows for closer links and greater direct impact of the governing body. Governing of primary schools is generally a more intimate affair; parents are more closely involved, the scale of operation is smaller and the issues to be dealt with are generally more aligned to typical home activities. While the size and scale of primary schools affords

the governing body more scope to lever change and enable improvement, there are key issues of governance that secondary school leaders can look at to ensure that their governing body is as effective as it can be. The governing of a school and the context for

governing are typically in a continual state of flux. It became clear in the research just how fragile schools were as institutions and with the change of government the education sector is going through a period of significant change. Significant changes in governance tend to come about as a result of a crisis or issue of some kind &#x2013; the resignation of the headteacher or a bad Ofsted inspection, for example. Schools need to recognise this changing nature

of governance and build a structure which is able to maintain effective governance despite changing personnel or context. Collective governing is an important aspect of

securing the overall governance of the school. The governing body should be seen as working alongside and with the school, not as an external body keeping an eye on things. The headteacher, members of staff and lay members of the school community should all collaborate in the governance of the school. The relationship between the governing body

and the headteacher is central to the establishment of collective governance. Where there is a serious discrepancy between the authority of the headteacher and the governing body it is likely that the governance will be weak. Similarly, if either the headteacher or the chair

of governors lacks capability in their role this will negatively impact the overall capability of the governing body as a whole. Contrary to the wider public perception of the role

of governance in schools, effective governing bodies do not see themselves as &#x201C;calling the headteacher to

SecEd &#x2022; January 13 2011

account&#x201D;. The focus instead tends to be on scrutiny of information, decisions, plans and policies. High quality governance focuses on the school in

its totality, not simply the effectiveness of leadership. Effective governing bodies witnessed in the research were also very much self-scrutinising in that they would question &#x201C;are we doing the right thing here?&#x201D; The network of individuals themselves which form

a governing body is also key to effective governance. Governance capital is the network of individuals and their capabilities, relationships and motivations which they bring to their role as governors. Well regarded schools in high socio-economic settings are more likely to attract individuals who bring stronger governance capital, yet for other schools actively seeking out qualified and motivated people to join the governing body can have a significant impact on overall effectiveness. When governance capital is low, coping with a

change of headteacher, chair of governing body, body membership or educational context is likely to be harder than if governance capital is high. Having individuals with the necessary skills and qualities to form a solid base for governance will increase the ability to maintain effectiveness through times of uncertainty and change. Schools should undertake a review of the experience

and skills that their governors bring to the role to identify any areas that need filling through future vacancies. Individuals with backgrounds in finance, business, education policy, risk-assessment, and communication can all offer something different to the school and this is experience that it may not have within its own staff membership. Governors need a range of skills and capabilities,

and most importantly, the ability to learn about the institution they are governing and the context of education in which the institution is a part. Governance capital can also be developed through

training and development opportunities. The governing bodies studied highlighted a number of different ways to offer this training to members of the governing body and it was clear that activities that enhanced motivation were particularly significant. Therefore, as well as developing tangible skills, all training and development should look to enhance motivation among the governing body. This motivation is referred to as governance agency.

The level of agency &#x2013; i.e. the level of proactivity, exertion, effort and endeavour &#x2013; of the individuals involved in governance was a significant theme identified by all schools demonstrating effective governance. This in turn influences the building of governance capital, future recruitment, the level of organisation of the governing body, and participation in governing. Chairs, headteachers and clerks are central figures in

fostering this motivation and should lead by example. In secondary schools in particular where, due to the larger scale of the institution, motivation and engagement are hard to maintain, headteachers in particular need to drive agency among the rest of the governing body. Effective school governing has a significant role

to play in supporting a school. It can help to secure schools against threats and issues, it can support school improvement having a direct impact on pupils&#x2019;

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attainment, and it allows school leaders and staff members to focus on their primary role as educators. The recognition given to the role that governors play is

widely undervalued, but for headteachers actively working to develop governance capital, working collectively and fostering governance agency will improve the effectiveness of governance and thus have a significant impact on the improvement and attainment of the school.

SecEd

&#x2022; Geraldine Hutchinson is assistant director, UK Services, with the CfBT Education Trust.

Further information

Download the report at http://www.cfbt.com/ evidenceforeducation/our_research/evidence_for_ schools/school_improvement/the_hidden_givers_a_ study_o.aspx

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