roles and responsibilities

roles and responsibilities David Marriott David Marriott Limited davidmarriottltd@gmail.com www.thegovernor.org.uk

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The purpose of the governing body • To make sure the school provides the best possible education for all its pupils

A corporate body • Individual governors have no power or right to act on behalf of the GB, except where the whole governing body has delegated a specific function to that individual • Governors should act at all times with honesty and integrity and be ready to explain their actions and decisions to staff, pupils, parents and anyone with a legitimate interest in the school • Decisions demand collective responsibility: the majority view must be supported publicly – otherwise, resign

Principles of corporate governance • Rights and equitable treatment of shareholders: Organizations should respect the rights of shareholders and help shareholders to exercise those rights. They can help shareholders exercise their rights by openly and effectively communicating information and by encouraging shareholders to participate in general meetings. • Interests of other stakeholders: Organizations should recognize that they have legal, contractual, social, and market driven obligations to non-shareholder stakeholders, including employees, investors, creditors, suppliers, local communities, customers, and policy makers. • Role and responsibilities of the board: The board needs sufficient relevant skills and understanding to review and challenge management performance. It also needs adequate size and appropriate levels of independence and commitment to fulfil its responsibilities and duties. davidmarriottltd@gmail.com

Principles of corporate governance • Integrity and ethical behaviour: Integrity should be a fundamental requirement in choosing corporate officers and board members. Organizations should develop a code of conduct for their directors and executives that promotes ethical and responsible decision making. • Disclosure and transparency: Organizations should clarify and make publicly known the roles and responsibilities of board and management to provide stakeholders with a level of accountability. They should also implement procedures to independently verify and safeguard the integrity of the company's financial reporting. Disclosure of material matters concerning the organization should be timely and balanced to ensure that all investors have access to clear, factual information. • Source: the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, an attempt by the federal government in the United States to legislate several of the principals recommended in earlier Cadbury and OECD reports davidmarriottltd@gmail.com

Questions for Corporate governance in schools • Who are our shareholders/ stakeholders? • What are our obligations to them and how well do we fulfil those obligations? • Does the GB have sufficient relevant skills and understanding to review and challenge management performance? • Is it an adequate size and are there appropriate levels of independence and commitment to fulfil its responsibilities and duties? • Is integrity a fundamental requirement in choosing our chair, vice chair, clerk and GB members (where we have a choice)? • Do we have a code of conduct for us and our leadership team that promotes ethical and responsible decision making? • Do we clarify and make publicly known the roles and responsibilities of the GB and school management to provide stakeholders with a level of accountability? • Have we implemented procedures to independently verify and safeguard the integrity of the school's financial reporting? • Is the disclosure of material matters concerning the school timely and balanced to ensure that all interested parties have access to clear, factual information? davidmarriottltd@gmail.com

Governors ensure school runs effectively, providing best possible education challenge and support school to do better take strategic view, set up policies, plans and targets monitor and evaluate results delegate enough power to head to run school effectively accountable to parents and LA for how school is run appoint head and deputy Head organises, manages and controls the school day-to-day, inc all staff expects GB to challenge and support school to do better discusses main aspects of school life with GB accountable to GB for how school is led and managed and its performance How do heads and governors share the load?

The governor’s role • They want you to “do something about it” • What do you do next? • One morning in the school playground a small group of parents approaches you and asks you to sort out a problem for them • Their children’s teacher has gone on maternity leave, replaced by a newly qualified teacher • They feel that the new teacher isn’t doing as good a job as her predecessor

Managing the workload • Scheme of Delegation • skills audit and deployment • committees and task groups • specialist governors • associate members • Standing Orders • Online participation: guidance for school governors • Guide to the Law • Code of Conduct

Code of conduct • We will encourage open government and will act appropriately. • We accept collective responsibility for all decisions made by the governing body or its delegated agents. This means that we will not speak against majority decisions outside the governing body meeting. • We will consider carefully how our decisions may affect the community and other schools. • We will always be mindful of our responsibility to maintain and develop the ethos and reputation of our school. Our actions within the school and the local community will reflect this. • In making or responding to criticism or complaints affecting the school we will follow the procedures established by the governing body. General • We understand the purpose of the governing body and the role of the headteacher as set out above • We are aware of and accept the Nolan seven principles of public life: see appendix • We accept that we have no legal authority to act individually, except when the governing body has given us delegated authority to do so, and therefore we will only speak on behalf of the governing body when we have been specifically authorised to do so. • We have a duty to act fairly and without prejudice, and in so far as we have responsibility for staff, we will fulfil all that is expected of a good employer.

Commitment • We will get to know the school well and respond to opportunities to involve ourselves in school activities. • Our visits to school will be arranged in advance with the staff and undertaken within the framework established by the governing body and agreed with the headteacher. • We will consider seriously our individual and collective needs for training and development, and will undertake relevant training • We are committed to actively supporting and challenging the headteacher. • We acknowledge that accepting office as a governor involves the commitment of significant amounts of time and energy. • We will each involve ourselves actively in the work of the governing body, and accept our fair share of responsibilities, including service on committees or working groups. • We will make full efforts to attend all meetings and where we cannot attend explain in advance in full why we are unable to.

Relationships • We are prepared to answer queries from other governors in relation to delegated functions and take into account any concerns expressed, and we will acknowledge the time, effort and skills that have been committed to the delegated function by those involved. • We will seek to develop effective working relationships with the headteacher, staff and parents, the local authority and other relevant agencies and the community. • We will strive to work as a team in which constructive working relationships are actively promoted. • We will express views openly, courteously and respectfully in all our communications with other governors. • We will support the chair in their role of ensuring appropriate conduct both at meetings and at all times.

Code of conduct • Conflicts of interest • We will record any pecuniary or other business interest that we have in connection with the governing body’s business in the Register of Business Interests. • We will declare any pecuniary interest - or a personal interest which could be perceived as a conflict of interest - in a matter under discussion at a meeting and offer to leave the meeting for the appropriate length of time. • Confidentiality • We will observe complete confidentiality when matters are deemed confidential or where they concern specific members of staff or pupils, both inside or outside school • We will exercise the greatest prudence at all times when discussions regarding school business arise outside a governing body meeting. • We will not reveal the details of any governing body vote.

Breach of the code • We understand that any allegation of a material breach of this code of practice by any governor shall be raised at a meeting of the governing body, and, if agreed to be substantiated by a majority of governors, shall be minuted and can lead to consideration of suspension from the governing body. • If we believe this code has been breached, we will raise this issue with the Chair and the Chair will investigate; the governing body should only use suspension as a last resort after seeking to resolve any difficulties or disputes in more constructive ways;

7 principles of public life • Openness: holders of public office should be as open as possible about all the decisions and actions that they take. They should give reasons for their decisions and restrict information only when the wider public interest clearly demands this. • Honesty: holders of public office have a duty to declare any private interests relating to their public duties and to take steps to resolve any conflicts arising in a way that protects the public interest. • Leadership: holders of public office should promote and support these principles by leadership and example. • Selflessness: holders of public office should take decisions solely in terms of the public interest. They should not do so in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family or their friends. • Integrity: holders of public office should not place themselves under any financial or other obligation to outside individuals or organisations that might influence them in the performance of their official duties. • Objectivity: in carrying out public business, including making public appointments, awarding contracts, or recommending individuals for rewards and benefits, holders of public office should make choices on merit. • Accountability: holders of public office are accountable for their decisions and actions to the public and must submit themselves to whatever scrutiny is appropriate to their office.

3 key roles • Provide a strategic view • Act as a critical friend • Provide accountability

Strategic view • Decide what you want the school to be like in the future – vision • Set suitable aims and objectives • Agree priorities, policies and targets • Strategic and development plans • Evaluate progress towards the vision

Food for thought… • Top layer: looking into the future: long term • Middle layer: strategic plan: medium term • Bottom layer: the school improvement plan: short term

Education trends • less money • decentralisation of education, curriculum and testing; revision of the National Curriculum • increasingly diverse range of schools with significant autonomy - Academies and Free Schools; two tier system? • new forms of school leadership and organisation (including federations, chains of schools, all-through schools) • parental choice and influence • accountability to a range of bodies and groups • performance management and professional development • recruitment and retention issues, alternative staffing patterns, shortage of school leaders, alternative leadership models • the impact of technology – social networking; mobile phones; cloud computing • lighter touch Ofsted inspections

Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats Internal External SWOT

Critical friend Support • Constructive advice • Sounding board • Second opinion • Help where needed Challenge • Ask the right questions, of the right person, for the right reasons, at the right time, in the right way • Improve proposals • Seek best solution for all

Where does your governing body sit? High support Partners or critical friends Supporters Club ‘We’re here to support the head’. ‘We share everything –good or bad’. Low challenge High challenge Abdicators Adversaries ‘We keep a very close eye on the staff!’. ‘We leave it to the professionals’. Low support

Monitor and evaluate What? • school performance data • policies, plans, improvement strategies • resources and the budget • the school (or learning) environment • our own performance as a governing body

Ofsted - what should schools evaluate? • How well learners perform in terms of: • the overall standards they attain • the standards attained by different groups such as girls and boys, those from different ethnic groups, and those with different special needs • the progress made by different groups of learners over time • outcomes from learners’ personal development and well-being

Sources of information • Subject leader report • Link governor report • School Improvement or Development Plan (and related progress reports) • School Profile • School Awards (eg Investors In People, Healthy Schools, Artsmark; Basic Skills) • Curriculum Committee minutes • Raw data and league tables • RAISEonline • Ofsted report • School Self-Evaluation information • Headteacher’s report • Pupil tracking data (anonymised)

Questions about the data • how do our results compare overall and by subject with those of previous years? (are they rising, holding steady, or falling? Have we met our targets?) • how do they compare with national standards? • how do they compare with similar schools? • how well do different groups of pupils progress? (key stages, year groups, gender, ethnicity, special educational needs, high attainers?) • how do different subjects compare with each other?

Accountability • Being accountable for • School performance • GB’s actions • Taking account of • Performance data • Feedback from stakeholders • Self-evaluation • Giving an account • To parents and the community • To Ofsted • To Diocese

Accountable for... • School performance • Taking account of: • SEF • RAISEonline • PM – headteacher performance management • Stakeholder feedback eg complaints and compliments • GB’s actions • Taking account of: • Minutes • GB self-evaluation eg Governor Mark • Training record

Giving an account • To parents and the community • School profile • Reports? • Regular communication: • Newsletter • Website • Presence at school • To Ofsted • Ensuring the governing body provides effective challenge and support so that weaknesses are tackled decisively and statutory responsibilities are met • Fulfil statutory responsibilities • Shape the direction • Challenge and support leaders

roles and responsibilities