What does Michael Gove really think about Governors?

3. What does Michael Gove really think about Governors? • He said that all too often a governing body is "A sprawling committee and proliferating sub-committees.” • Governors are, “Local worthies who see being a governor as a badge of status not a job of work.” • Meetings have, "Discussions that ramble on about peripheral issues, influenced by fads and anecdote, not facts and analysis.” • He thinks that there is, "A failure to be rigorous about performance. A failure to challenge heads forensically and also, when heads are doing a good job, support them authoritatively." • He also described good governance as being characterised by, "smaller governing bodies, where people are there because they have a skill, not because they represent some political constituency. They concentrate on essentials such as leadership, standards, teaching and behaviour.”

4. Specialist Governors • Monty Python sketch • Pregnant woman, “What do I do?” • Doctor, “Nothing dear, you are not qualified!”

5. Key Messages • What difference does what we are doing make to the children at the school? • If it doesn’t make a difference why are wedoing it?

6. Key Messages • How do you know if you are making a difference?

7. Key Messages • If you don’t know where you are going how will you know when you have arrived?

8. Key Messages • If you don’t have a good idea of your own, have a good idea of someone else's.

9. Ofsted Criteria - Good • Key leaders and managers, including the governing body, consistently communicate high expectations and ambition. They model good practice and demonstrably work to monitor, improve and support teaching, encouraging the enthusiasm of staff and channelling their efforts and skills to good effect.

10. Ofsted Criteria - Guidance • Ambitious vision • High expectations for what every pupil and teacher can achieve • Sets high standards for quality and performance • Improves teaching and learning, including the management of pupils’ behaviour • Provides a broad and balanced curriculum that • Meets the needs of all pupils • Enables all pupils to achieve their full educational potential • Evaluates the school’s strengths and weaknesses and uses their findings to promote improvement • Improves the school and develops its capacity for sustaining improvement by developing leadership capacity and high professional standards among all staff • Engages with parents and carers in supporting pupils’ achievement, behaviour and safety and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development • Ensures that all pupils are safe.

11. Key Messages - Sir Michael • Firstly, we have a higher calibre of teachers entering the classroom. Teaching is seen much more as a career of choice and has much higher status than in those dreadful days I’ve mentioned. And initiatives such as Teach First have made a real difference. • Secondly, we’ve got a growing number of outstanding headteachers who are not only doing an excellent job in their own schools but are also supporting other schools through clusters and federations. These leaders are playing a key part in mentoring and supporting younger heads. • And thirdly, strong governance is increasingly transforming schools and building effective partnerships.

12. Key Messages – Sir Michael • We want you to work with the leaders of your schools to be both strategic and pragmatic in delivering good outcomes for all your children and young people. Not satisfactory, but good. • We want you to strengthen your schools’ professional leadership by appointing the right people to the right jobs. • And we want you to hold them to account for the progress and outcomes they achieve in your schools.

13. Key Messages – Sir Michael • In favour of governors working over groups of schools • Strong GBs supporting weaker GBs • Paying Governors • Supporting governors that focus on T and L and be intolerant of those that focus on the peripheral

14. Key characteristics of effective governing bodies • Positive relationships between governors and school leaders are based on trust, openness and transparency. Effective governing bodies systematically monitor their school’s progress towards meeting agreed development targets. Information about what is going well and why, and what is not going well and why, is shared. Governors consistently ask for more information, explanation or clarification. • Governors are well informed and knowledgeable because they are given high-quality, accurate information that is concise and focused on pupil achievement. • Outstanding governors are able to take and support hard decisions in the interests of pupils: to back the head teacher when they need to change staff, or to change the head teacher when absolutely necessary. • Outstanding governance supports honest, insightful self-evaluation by the school, recognising problems and supporting the steps needed to address them.

15. Key characteristics of effective governing bodies • Absolute clarity about the different roles and responsibilities of the headteacher and governors underpins the most effective governance. • Effective governing bodies are driven by a core of key governors such as the chair and chairs of committees. • Governors routinely attend lessons to gather information about the school at work, visit their schools regularly and talk with staff, pupils and parents.. • School leaders and governors behave with integrity and are mutually supportive. School leaders recognise that governors provide them with a different perspective which contributes to strengthening leadership. The questions they ask challenge assumptions and support effective decision-making. • Governors in the schools visited, use the skills they bring, and the information they have about the school, to ask challenging questions, which are focused on improvement, and hold leaders to account for pupils’ outcomes.

16. Key characteristics of effective governing bodies • Time is used efficiently by governors because there are clear procedures for delegating tasks, for example to well organised committees. • The role of the clerk to the governors is pivotal to ensuring that statutory duties are met, meetings are well organised and governors receive the information they need in good time. Consequently, governors come to meetings well prepared and with pertinent questions ready so that they are able to provide constructive challenge. • A detailed timeline of activities, maintained by the clerk and linked to the school development plan, provides a clear structure for the work of governors and ensures that their time is used appropriately.

17. Key characteristics of effective governing bodies • Governors in the schools visited, use their external networks and professional contacts to fill any identified gaps in the collective skills of the governing body. • There are clear induction procedures for new governors which help them to understand their roles and responsibilities and ensure that best use is made of their varied skills and expertise. • The governing bodies constantly reflect on their own effectiveness and readily make changes to improve. They consider their own training needs, as well as how they organise their work.

18. Notes From Today • Ann Holt OBE: • Chance to do some real good • Can’t be dinosaurish • We are going to be managing change • Coasting, stuck, stagnant ........ • Opportunities • No Money • Spending levels similar to 1950s

19. Notes From Today • Forced Academy • Poor leadership from MG – if it is better, why not get on with it for all schools? • Bernado • Feral Children • Feral Politicians? • Feral Governors? • A small group of citizens can change the world?

20. Notes From Today • Training in the use of school data • Essential • Public accountability • Strategic Leadership • Managing Change • Strategic Leadership or Interference? • Poke your nose in.....with a purpose.. • Is a checklist a bad thing?

21. Notes From Today • Small numbers of individuals do the finding out. • School BO • Speak with one voice.......I once used by GB as a means of communication with parents........ • Free schools in Scandinavia.... • QA – private companies vs LAs

22. Notes From Today We are as good as the information we are given................ Asking the right questions... Ofsted have done that for you.... Monitoring first hand evidence.... “Prove it to me, show me the evidence.”

23. Notes From Today Incompetent groups of competent individuals... Some people do not pull their weight Volunteers.....Who made you do it?

24. Notes From Today Chairs and Heads should change.... Succession Planning............

25. Monitoring • Pitfalls – Doing Lots of stuff • What do we need to find out • What should it look like • How will I evidence it • What will I do with the information

26. Notes From Today • Canadian Geese • Sharing responsibility • Good Honking • Pack of Wolves • Waiting to pounce • Shark • Loan predator

27. Notes From Today Governance Makes an Impact.

28. Powerpoint available at • www-kis-education-solutions.com