What governing boards say about funding NGA’s annual surveys show that governors and trustees are more concerned about funding than any other area of governance. Through our Funding the Future
campaign the NGA is lobbying the Government to ensure all schools have enough funding. We welcomed the additional £1.3bn promised in July last year, but schools still face real-term cuts. Many schools will therefore be seeking ways to raise additional income, but NGA does recognise that some schools depending on their context. So, what are governing boards doing
about generating additional funding? Many schools are already generating
additional income, and many more are thinking about it, but for some it’s not even on the radar. NGA recently completed a survey
additional funding their schools are raising. We asked a simple question: ‘How much additional income (i.e. above the usual per pupil income entitlement and any capital funding) did your school generate last year?’ The response shows that the range
is huge, with around one-third raising less than £5,000, 22% raising between £5,000 and £10,000, 13% raising between £10,000 and £20,000 and nearly 3% raising £20,000 to £50,000. Over 17% raised in excess of £50,000 additional income per year. The highest annual amount was over £900,000. Recognising that funding is an area
of real concern for its members, the NGA also asked members to indicate the areas in which they would like to see more development support from NGA in improving the effectiveness of their governing board. The list of options to choose from included ‘Helping your school organisation generate additional income’, and this proved to be the second most popular area after data training, with over 45% of respondents indicating that this is an area in which they would welcome more development support.
How can your governing board help? The governing board should set an ambitious, achievable vision for the school and should therefore ensure that the strategy to achieve it is affordable.
12 SPRING 2018 FundEd
Getting the board ‘on board’
When it comes to income generation, having the backing of your governing board can make a huge difference. Paul Aber, Head of Training Development at the National Governance Association (NGA) advises how to harness governors’ support
A balanced budget in the use of its resources Solvency and sustainability Good and improved outcomes for pupils. If, when looking forward three to
sound planning and effective budget management there will not be enough money to achieve the school’s goal, then the board needs to either lower its sights or seek additional funding. However, if additional funding is
required for ‘nice to-have’ resources that aren’t essential to the school’s core
should not be treated as priorities, and the governing board should be asking if the time devoted to fundraising is actually worth it. Not forgetting that many schools have PTAs that already do a fabulous job raising money for just such extras.
Some words of caution The school will also need to be clear as to how sustainable the funding is and to plan accordingly. A one-off grant of £50,000 sounds attractive but can’t be relied on each year. If you spent it on a new piece of equipment or building, then will that asset attract regular further costs? Does your school have
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