Effective Governance: Question and Challenge

1. www.nga.org.uk Effective Governance:Question and Challenge

2. NGA is a membership organisation • Representing the governors and trustees in all state funded schools in England • Our aim to improve the effectiveness of governing bodies by providing expert and tailored information and advice, and challenge when appropriate • NGA is one of the organisations named by the National College for Teaching and Leadership as being able to carry our reviews of governance Standard governing body membership is £72 GOLD governing body membership is £260 and includes an advice line

3. Purpose of the session To develop governors’ knowledge and understanding of how governing bodies question and challenge by: • Understanding the current background and context for governance • Identifying the sort of governing body you are • Thinking about how you know your school • Reflecting on making an impact

4. 1. The current context for governance We have high expectations of governing bodies. They are the strategic leaders of our schools and have a vital role to play in making sure every child gets the best possible education. Governors’ Handbook 2014

5. The message from government • The ‘board of governors’ should operate at a strategic level, leaving the head teacher and senior school leaders responsible and accountable to it for the operational day-to-day running of the school. • The governing body provides non-executive leadership. Its role is to operate as a board akin to the board of trustees of a charity, or the board of directors of a company. • The board should avoid its time being consumed with issues of secondary importance, and focus strongly on three core functions: • Setting the vision and strategic direction of school • Holding the headteacher to account for its educational performance • Ensuring financial resources are well spent DfE advice, January 2014 In other words, they want all GBs to operate as non-executive boards

6. 2. What sort of GB are you? 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’. Governing the School of the Future Low support

7. The eight elements of effective governance • The right people round the table • Understanding role and responsibilities • Professional clerking • Good chairing • 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

9. 3. Knowing your school In order to hold the school to account, you need to know your school. How do you know your school – the children, the staff, the parents, the community?

10. School self-evaluation Data – Ofsted data dashboard, RAISEOnline, Fischer Family Trust HT reports and in year tracking data Presentations from other staff (particularly middle leaders) Reports from external advisers and consultants Surveys and focus groups Visits to the school Reports from the headteacher and other staff; The school’s tracking data; Information provided by external advisers … and asking questions! Sources of information

11. Questioning and challenge Governing bodies need to acknowledge that: • Support tends to be easy whereas challenge is hard • There is a difference between ensuring compliance and determining a strategy for improvement • We need robust external validation of the school’s judgements • Encouraging senior leaders to be governors at another school means that they get to understand the complexity and difficulty of the role • We must focus on gaps, groups, the impact of initiatives/spending decisions e.g. Pupil Premium and continually ask ‘follow up’ questions • Staff need to be trained and confident in managing performance and if not, that it is our responsibility to do something about this • We should aim to work to improve the wider system

12. Skills practice In groups of five: • Decide who is going to be: • The HT and DHT • The GB chair and standards’ committee chair • The observer / notetaker • Read the role description for your role • Read the local authority visit report • Conduct a meeting, led by the chair of governors, to explore the implications of the local authority findings and agree what strategic steps now need to be taken. • Feedback to the group on the outcomes of the meeting and what you will feedback to the plenary 6. Plenary

13. Visiting the school • Individual governors do not have an automatic right to enter the school whenever they wish • Governors should not visit the school without the agreement of the head • There should be a policy which outlines: • The reason for visits: • Governors should know the fabric of their school • Governors should align their monitoring visits to improvement priorities • Governors should not make judgments on the quality of teaching • Protocols which must be followed for setting up the visit • Behaviour whilst carrying out the visit • Reporting the visit

14. The characteristics of strong governing bodies demonstrated in recent Ofsted reports • They understand their role and how it complements that of the headteacher. • They have a range of skills that brings something extra to the school and to develop a strategic vision. • Technical knowledge – of education, data, statutory responsibilities and performance management in particular. • They want to see and hear from middle and senior leaders about their work - and challenge them on it. • They have the skills and time to be a visible presence in the school. • They set challenging targets for performance at all levels, including in achievement, teaching and senior management work. • They can form their own analysis of the school’s performance without relying on the headteacher. • Because of all these they are ‘exceptionally well informed’ about their school.

15. Governors in these schools know how to challenge and have the right skills

16. Asking questions See: • Question and Challenge: a step by step guide This is a ‘how to’ guide with some examples of questions governors might ask • NGA Knowing your School series (on NGA website): Questions for governing bodies to ask This is a longer more complete set of questions with supporting resources detailing the scope and range of issues the questions should be seeking to address

17. 4. Governance making an impact • Set the vision and ethos, including what the children should leave the school having learned • Stay strategic and focused on improvement priorities: leave the operational to school leaders, and delegate • Don’t get overwhelmed by compliance and reviewing policies: focus on principles, delegating procedures • Recruit good school leaders (a future challenge) … and trust them to recruit good staff • Ensure school leaders are equipped to do their jobs, including HR, procurement, legal advice, and CPD

18. Reflection As a governing body, do we understand: • The importance of knowing our school • How we should question and challenge effectively thus holding it to account?

19. Reviewing the session The session has covered: • Understanding the current background and context for governance • Identifying the sort of governing body you are • Thinking about how you know your school • Reflecting on making an impact Has it developed your knowledge and understanding of the governing body role in questioning and challenge?

20. Evaluation We take your feedback very seriously. This link will be sent though to you in the next few days. Please take a few moments to complete the survey. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NGA-consultancy-feedback Thank you

21. www.nga.org.ukgovernorhq@nga.org.uk0121 237 3780 www.nga.org.uk