Chief Executive’s annual address Annual Conference 2013

1. Chief Executive’s annual address Annual Conference 2013 Emma Knights Chief Executive National Governors’ Association www.nga.org.uk 0121 237 3780

2. A higher profile for governance • Higher bar on inspection • Ministerial interest • Education Select Committee interest • More central government investment in training for governors & clerks • Much comment in other reports e.g Academies Commission, ACEVO’s Governance report • NGA is included in more conversations

3. More responsibility • More decisions at school level e.g. PRP • More emphasis on progress of all pupils eg. impact of Pupil Premium • Decisions on schools structure, and especially when governing groups of schools And also accepting fully responsibilities GBs have had for some time e.g Headteacher performance management .... but not necessarily needing more time

4. Less support? • To a certain extent, depends where you are • In NGA/TES survey of governors last term, 91% were confident that GBs had access to external advice and support (41% strongly agreed) • although could be an issue of quality & value for money • Develop clerks to ensure reliable advice NGA welcomes the DfE additional funding for training for governors & clerks – but will keep asking for induction training to be mandatory Can we do it? Yes, we can. It’s up to us.

5. Effective governance • The right people round the table • Understanding role & responsibilities • Good chairing • Professional clerking • Good relationships based on trust • Knowing the school – the data, the staff, the parents, the children, the community • Committed to asking challenging questions • Confident to have courageous conversations in the interests of the children and young people

6. But it’s not just about effectiveness One of NGA’s role is to lead thinking on school governance drawing on other sectors: “Governance is a dynamic, energising process, which harnesses the capability and resources of the organisation to better fulfil its purpose” Patricia Cleverley of the think tank Tomorrow’s Company It is not only for legitimacy that GBs need to have a diverse group of governors with different experiences from which to draw on – it helps with the generation & development of ideas as well as providing a variety of skills

7. Taking governance to the next level Governance as leadership Fiduciary Strategic Generative From Chait, Ryan & Taylor, Governance as Leadership, 2005

8. Vanderbilt University in USA considered whether to make special efforts to recruit and retain more Jewish students: Fiduciary questions: is this legal? How much will it cost? Strategic questions: Will this tactic work in increasing our national ranking? Who are our chief competitors? How will other constituencies react? Will Jewish students be happy here? Generative thinking: Will we be contributing to steroetyping, to diversity, or both? Is this explotative or mutually beneficial? Is this part of our ‘elite’ strategy consistent with the university’s core values? Why do we want to climb the academic food chain? Source: Chait, Ryan & Taylor, 2005

9. GBs working in all 3 modes • The fiduciary is often the comfort zone; • NGA has spent the last couple of years emphasising the strategic as opposed to the operational – and needs to keep doing that – e.g. the focus on key strategic priorities; • the best governors are engaged in generative thinking without even realising, but it is not common and not part of the language of school governance; Let’s move the debate on …. we are the governance professionals

10. Let’s move into generative mode • Being fully engaged in generative thinking is not just support or challenge, nor merely accountability • But it is about ensuring successful schools • Requires collaboration with senior leaders on an equal basis – mutual trust & respect • Requires governors to be confident to have interesting, exciting conversations in the interests of the children and young people • But at the right time and in the right way. Good luck with the year ahead and thank you for all that you do