Annual report
NGA’s key areas of work and achievements from April 2025 to March 2026
Emma Balchin, NGA Chief Executive
Welcome to our annual report
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Explore this report to discover how our charity has supported the state-funded education sector in England over the past year.
A huge thank you to all governors, trustees and governance professionals for being part of this incredible community as we work to benefit all children and young people.
Contents
Use the tiles below to navigate to a specific section of the report.
Who we are
NGA is an independent, not-for-profit charity and the national body for governors, trustees and governance professionals in England’s state-funded schools.
With more than 80,000 members and a growing community, we provide valuable resources, expert guidance and learning tools that empower governors, trustees and governance professionals to make a difference.
We also represent governors and trustees’ views nationally, influence policy, and drive change through media and partnerships.
working from our office and remotely
in schools and trusts across the country
between our lowest and highest-paid staff
A special milestone
Twenty years ago, NGA was created with a clear ambition: to give those responsible for governing schools a strong voice, the right support, and the recognition they deserved.
It's been a real joy in our 20th year to look back on our rich history and the journey we've taken together. Education and the world around us has been transformed - and NGA has adapted with it.
Throughout our anniversary year, we've considered why governance matters more than ever in a series of events, policy papers and interviews.
Information, advice and guidance
We provide accurate information and independent advice to help boards, trusts and organisations to strengthen their governance.
Knowledge Centre
The NGA Knowledge Centre is an essential information hub for governors, trustees and governance professionals at all levels and across all settings.
Most downloaded resources in 2025-26:
- The schools white paper: summary for governing boards
- A guide to Ofsted inspection
- Governing board skills audit
- Model governing board code of conduct
- DfE publications summary for academy trusts
Key numbers in 2025-26:
448,607
views of our resources
107,213
downloads of our resources
290
live resources
55
new and updated resources
Gold Advice
Gold Advice is NGA’s independent and confidential advice service, supported by leading education law firm Browne Jacobson.
Our advisers guide members through an extensive range of governance-related topics, including roles and responsibilities, admissions, exclusions, complaints and more.
Key numbers in 2025-26:
0
queries answered
0
organisations supported
Events
Our conferences, events, governance leadership forums, networks and webinars address key topics in the education sector and showcase best practice in governance.
Highlights of this year's events included NGA's National Governance Conference for Schools and Trusts, which was held in-person at the NEC in Birmingham, and the Outstanding Governance Awards.
Key numbers in 2025-26:
25
member-only events
12
open access webinars
3,500
total attendees
59
external speaking engagements and exhibitions
Events highlights
Professional development
We offer a variety of learning and support services to help governors, trustees and governance professionals to improve their skills and effectiveness.
E-learning
Our Learning Link platform is the industry-leading e-learning service for school and trust governors.
Learning Link's high-quality and interactive e-learning modules make it quick and easy for you to be ready for whatever your organisation demands.
With more than 100,000 users from over 9,000 schools and trusts, Learning Link continues to grow. 99% of governors and trustees would recommend the 11 new and updated modules published in the last year.
Brand-new Learning Link modules
- Cyber security and governance
- An introduction to compliance
- An introduction to the English education system
- An introduction to the strategic role of governance
- How to complete monitoring visits
- The recipe for effective governance
- Understanding the expectations of governance in your setting
- Essential safeguarding for governors and trustees
- Executive leader performance management
- Taking the chair
- Ofsted and the Education Inspection Framework 2025
introduced in 2025-26
available online 24/7
by users in 2025-26
would recommend our new modules
Training
Delivered in both online and face-to-face settings, NGA provides practical and flexible training to strengthen governance in schools and trusts.
We also offer bespoke, commissioned training to suit the context, priorities and goals of each board or trust.
New training courses launched in the past year include sessions on the role of trust members, understanding independent review panels, governing AI, and headteacher performance management.
for boards and trusts
for chairs, clerks and trustees
accessed Leading Governance sessions
open to all in the sector
Consultancy
NGA’s flexible consultancy services include strategic support packages, executive leader guidance, and emergency complaint investigation assistance.
We recently launched our new Meet the Experts campaign, showcasing the knowledge and skills of our NGA consultants.
Our consultancy team offers extensive, practical governance expertise, developed through many years of supporting boards and senior leaders in the education sector.
working with NGA to support boards and trusts
of combined governance consultancy experience
in services offered
Governance professionals
We offer advice, tailored resources and development opportunities to help governance professionals stay up-to-date and develop their skills.
In February 2026, Ruth Agnew MBE joined NGA in the newly-created position of strategic lead for governance professionals, championing the role across the education sector.
Governance professionals were also invited to complete our flagship Annual Governance Survey for this first time this year, in recognition of their growing strategic importance.
for governance professionals across England
attended our Governance Professionals Network meeting in December 2025
attended our Governance Professionals Conference in March 2026
Influence
Our research provides policy makers with a clear understanding of the governance community’s views.
Policy and research
When working with the government and partners on behalf of the governance community, we prioritise representing the views of our members, and making the case for governance.
We approach issues constructively and pragmatically, prioritising collaboration over conflict, and work with policy makers to deliver the best possible outcome for young people.
The schools white paper was published in February 2026, setting out the government’s long-term plan to reform the education system.
We welcomed the white paper’s emphasis on inclusion and the community, issues which NGA have been working to promote and push up the policy agenda for many years.
Making your voice heard
We advocate for a range of initiatives in line with our organisation’s policy positions.
We continue to work alongside fellow stakeholders on the Stop School Cuts campaign.
We're also active in a range of forums working with the DfE on their proposals.
The highlight of our engagement with the DfE this year was our work informing the new schools white paper.
We are proud to be involved in the government’s flagship Improving Education Together (IET) approach, which brings together unions, employer representative organisations and the DfE to co-create the design and implementation of education policy.
More working groups, roundtables and stakeholder groups in which we have participated include:
- EPI and AQA roundtable on curriculum
- EPI and Education Support roundtable on parent-teacher tensions
- Events at party conferences and Wellington Education Festival
- National Audit Office roundtable on school places
- #TakeRacismSeriously roundtables
- University of Birmingham roundtables on inspections
Governing Matters
Governing Matters offers essential reading on all aspects of education and governance, promoting strategic leadership in schools and trusts.
It is written by NGA experts as well as external authors with specialist knowledge.
Across three editions in the past year, we distributed more than 53,000 printed copies and 113,000 digital copies to subscribers.
Read the latest edition
Our members’ views
- Almost 70% of boards cited balancing the budget as a top challenge – the highest on record in our governance surveys.
- Nearly 60% of schools are delivering additional services to support pupils beyond their core remit.
- 63% of governors and trustees ranked supporting pupils with special educational needs and disabilities as one of their top challenges.
- 85% of governors and trustees said their board made a positive impact on their school or trust’s strategic direction and outcomes.
- Almost 90% of respondents said that NGA membership had a positive impact on the effectiveness of their governing board.
- Members’ most common reason for joining NGA is to keep up-to-date with changes in education and governance.
Results
Annual Governance Survey
Conducted for 15 consecutive years, NGA’s Annual School and Trust Governance Survey provides a comprehensive overview of school and trust governance in state-funded schools in England.
This year’s survey engaged with more than 3,000 governors and trustees, capturing trends across roles, regions, school phases and governance structures.
Annual Membership Survey
Our Annual Membership Survey guides our efforts to enhance member value and impact in governance.
1,395 members shared their views on their NGA membership experience, providing valuable feedback on the support, resources, and advocacy that matter most to them.
