Welcome back: Leading with purpose in a year of change

The new academic year promises a shifting governance landscape – but also chances to improve and learn together

Blog

03/09/2026

Welcome to the new academic year. I hope the summer gave you a break and time to reflect, recharge and remember why this work matters. As a member of NGA, you are part of a national community of governors, trustees and governance professionals committed to making education better for every child and young person.

September is a pivotal time for governance, when boards look to the future and reflect on the successes and challenges of the previous year. The autumn term has its own rhythm of induction, results and priorities, but it is also the moment for the bigger question: what does our board need to focus on this year, and how can we use the support, evidence and collective voice of NGA to help our whole community thrive?

Governing in a changing landscape

The ground is moving under boards on several fronts. Many pressures are connected, where one decision shapes others: SEND and inclusion, recruitment and retention, and a statutory landscape that grows more complex each year.

Falling rolls are now a financial reality for many schools and trusts, and for smaller schools and those in areas of demographic change, long-term viability has become a real challenge.

In the 2026-27 academic year, NGA will help boards approach those decisions strategically rather than reactively. Our guidance, briefings and network discussions will cover key topics like pupil number forecasts, collaboration, estates use, structural options and community engagement. We are also using what members tell us to press government for policy that recognises the reality boards are facing. Sustainability, inclusion, workforce and place planning cannot be treated as separate conversations.

Governors and trustees are not there to solve every problem in the education system. The board’s job is to ask the questions that need asking, understand what change means for their own organisation, support and challenge leaders, and hold every decision to the interests of children and their communities. NGA’s role is to stand alongside boards in that work.

Keeping children at the centre

Every strategic decision a board takes eventually impacts a child or young person. Amid the shift towards mainstream schools meeting more complex needs, boards need to question if their strategy genuinely enables every child to belong, participate and achieve. Inclusion is not a separate item sitting next to school improvement, but part of how a board judges the quality of its own organisation. The uncomfortable version of the question is the useful one: who is benefiting here, and who is missing out?

Boards will also need to be honest about whether leaders have the resources to make inclusion work well, and what, if any, difficult choices may be needed to ensure excellent educational experiences for all. Local knowledge matters in answering those questions, and governance is how a community keeps its voice in that conversation.

A year of significant change

Alongside well-established requirements, trust-level accountability, inspection and what good governance looks like in a changing system are all live considerations. NGA is actively shaping that debate by arguing for governance to be recognised as a foundational part of national accountability, not an afterthought.

On MAT inspection, we are pressing for a proportionate framework that looks at the trust dividend; understands the distinct roles and interrelationship of the trust board, executive leadership, local governance and members; uses school-level evidence intelligently; and recognises improvement over time. That matters because accountability should help boards improve, not simply add to already existing pressures and workload.

Artificial intelligence can take real work off people’s desks, but it raises hard questions about data protection, bias and where human judgement needs to stay. Boards will need to ask how it is being used and what safeguards are in place. We will keep sharing the research, developing guidance and training and facilitating local and national conversations to help you make sense of it.

In October, we will share the results of our Annual Governance Survey with you and our sector partners. This critical piece of evidence sets out what boards across England are telling us and builds on 16 years of data since our first survey in 2010. This allows us to track trends and progress, as well as highlighting any new issues as they arise.

We are also committed to influencing government with our new mid-term manifesto, shaped by the voices of thousands of governors, trustees and governance professionals, alongside insight from our advice line, consultancy, external reviews and policy work.

We will take that evidence to party conferences and into regular meetings with decision-makers, acting on your behalf and making the case that the heroic efforts of boards need recognition, investment and practical support.

Who gets a seat at your table?

Good governance does not happen by accident. It depends on people having the time, knowledge and development to do the role properly. More than 230,000 volunteers give their time to schools and trusts across England, bringing strategic insight, challenge and community knowledge. That contribution is enormous and it cannot be taken for granted.

Making a real impact as governors and trustees is less about having answers than about creating the conditions for them: the right information, a real range of views round the table, and stimulating challenge to ensure the best decisions are reached. Boards are strongest when they reflect the communities they serve and bring in a wider range of experience and expertise.

Actively seeking to recruit diverse and inclusive boards leads to better questions, better understanding and better decisions. NGA will continue to champion inclusive recruitment and retention, share practical guidance on skills and diversity, and support boards with induction and development so new volunteers feel ready, confident and valued from day one.

This year, as SEND and inclusion remains high on the agenda, we will also explore with members whether their boards could benefit from greater insight from asking colleagues from health and other public services to govern.

Thinking more openly about who sits around the table could help build shared understanding across systems, strengthen local relationships and support more joined-up decisions at the local and national level. This could help schools make real progress on priorities like improving attendance, which are often held back by conflicting service processes.

Standing alongside you

There will be difficult moments in the year ahead. There always are. There will also be chances to improve and learn together.

Through our Governing in 4D work, our MAT inspection advocacy and our support for academy committees, NGA will keep making the case that effective trust governance depends on the interaction between the trust board, executive leadership, members and the local tier. Local governance should not become a procedural formality. It must remain a living route for community intelligence, stakeholder engagement and accountability where decisions land.

We will also continue to stand with maintained school governing boards as they navigate changing expectations, financial pressures and questions about the future shape of the system. Maintained governance remains a vital part of England’s education landscape, rooted in local accountability and civic service.

Governance can be a demanding voluntary role, and there will be moments when it feels slow, complex or lonely. The time you give is often carved out around jobs, families and life’s other pressures. But your commitment matters, because effective governance helps create the conditions in which children can be seen, supported and given every chance to succeed.

Thank you for asking the awkward questions, for standing with leaders when it is hard, and for making decisions that shape children’s lives long after the meeting ends. For some children, especially those for whom the system does not yet work as it should, a board that keeps championing them can make all the difference.

There is plenty to do, and NGA is here to help you do it with confidence, clarity and connection. We look forward to standing alongside you this year as you make the most of your membership, strengthen your boards and communities, and continue the work that improves outcomes for children.

Emma Balchin

Chief Executive

Emma has over 25 years of experience in education, leadership and school improvement and in leading professional development services. Emma has also governed and chaired across maintained schools, academy trusts and local academy committees.