The Department for Education is currently undertaking a review of governance with a focus on the role of governing bodies in school improvement. The review is examining:
- what we expect a highly effective GB would do in relation to school performance;
- the barriers that commonly prevent GBs from achieving this;
- the extent to which changes in policy and at local authority level will impact on GB effectiveness;
- ways in which the DfE could influence practice.
The review, which will report in the New Year, has identified the following issues:
- Lack of clear focus on raising attainment and narrowing gaps;
- Difficulty in attracting and retaining the right people and removing governors who are not performing;
- Difficulty in accessing and acting on information and data;
- Difficulty in getting the right relationship between the head teacher and GB.
The aim of NGA’s poll in November was therefore to get an impression of how widespread the lack of focus on school improvement and children’s attainment is. The result suggests that while some governors perhaps do not appreciate their role in school improvement the clear majority do.