Being Strategic

Being Strategic: a guide for governing boards and school leaders

Download Being Strategic (PDF)

This guide to Being Strategic has been jointly developed by NGA, the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) and the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT). The guide offers leaders and governing boards in schools and trusts a robust annual cycle for creating, monitoring and reviewing strategy. This guide was updated in 2020 - read about the update here.

Included in the guide:

• Mission, values and vision 
• Creating the strategy document 
• Monitoring the strategy
• Reviewing the strategy 
• The impact of culture on strategy

Further reading

• The eight elements of effective governance
• The right people around the table: a guide to recruiting and retaining governors and trustees
• Equality and diversity: responsibilities, culture and impact
• What governing boards and school leaders should expect from each other

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About the 2020 update

New content in this 2020 version of Being Strategic includes:

• Mission – the purpose of a mission statement and its influence on strategy
• Culture – the factors that make a positive impact on culture and how culture impacts on strategy
• An expanded list of strategy outcomes and sources of evidence