Governance
The current model of school governance was introduced in the late 1980s when budgets were fully devolved to schools. The three key tasks of a school's governing body are to:
• Set the strategic direction of the school;
• Monitor and evaluate performance
• Ensure accountability
If governing bodies are to be enabled to carry out their role effectively, governors must be:
• Prepared and equipped to take their responsibilities seriously
• Acknowledged as the accountable body by the lead professionals
• Supported by the appropriate authorities in that task
The governing body’s most important strategic responsibility is to agree the ethos and vision of the school, and a key element of this is to appoint when required the school’s head teacher in line with that ethos and judged appropriate to the school’s needs. It is also the responsibility of the governing body to performance manage the head; governors are now assisted in this process by the School Improvement Partner.
Other key responsibilities that flow from the legal framework that governors work within include oversight of the school's financial structures and responsibility for the school buildings. Most governing bodies are assisted in these responsibilities by their local authority and/or diocese.
In voluntary aided and foundation schools, academies and trusts, governing bodies have full employer responsibilities and own their own buildings.
The NGA strongly believes that if governors are going to carry out these responsibilities effectively then they need to be trained. If school governance is to be perceived as a professional undertaking then stakeholders should not shy away from the need to make some training mandatory, notably induction training for all new governors.
The NGA also believes that the National College for School Leadership should be tasked with ensuring that current and aspiring head teachers understand the rationale of governance and accountability.
The NGA does not believe it would be helpful to offer payment to some or all school governors, but supports further strengthening of arrangements to ensure proper payment of expenses and time off with pay agreed with all employers to support governors in their valuable work.