Transcript Chris Caroe`s presentation

School & Academy
Governance
A policy overview
25 June 2013
Chris Caroe, Head of the School Governance Unit
High quality governance is crucial
 To children’s education and life chances
 To holding heads and schools to account
 To making the most of dedicated volunteers
 To the future of schools
Yet Ofsted find too many schools have mediocre governance
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We want all GBs to operate as non-executive boards
focused on three core functions – as reflected in
Ofsted’s inspection criteria
Setting strategic
direction
Creating robust
accountability
Ensuring
financial probity

clarity of vision and ethos

engaging stakeholders

meeting statutory duties

accountability for teaching, achievement, behaviour and safety

strengthening school leadership

performance managing the headteacher

contributing to school self-evaluation

solvency and effective financial management

use of Pupil Premium and other resources to overcome
barriers to learning
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A range of policy ambitions underpin this vision of
more ‘professionalised’ school governance
1. To raise the profile of governance and set a clear policy framework
2. To see GB constitution focused more on skills
3. To liberate and empower GBs
4. To build the capacity and effectiveness of GBs
5. To ensure GBs are held to account for their effectiveness
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Aim 1: Profile and clarity
We have aimed to clarify our policy expectations as
governance has continued to rise up the agenda
Higher profile
 In Parliament
 From HMCI and Ofsted
Clear policy
 Governors’ Handbook
 Core functions
 Policy note on payment
 From the Minister
 Academies Financial Handbook
 Response to Select Committee
inquiry
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Aim 2: Focus on skills
We want GBs to focus on constituting and recruiting
to secure the skills they need to carry out their
demanding functions
 Categories do not guarantee good stakeholder engagement; can inflate size
and restrict ability to recruit governors with necessary skills
 Considerable freedom for academies – transition to academy status key
opportunity to review and refresh GB
 From Sept 2012, maintained schools may opt into less prescriptive
regulations and so focus more on appointing governors for their skills
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Aim 3: Liberate and empower
We want GBs to feel liberated and empowered to
focus on holding their headteacher to account
 New regs on Roles, Procedures and Allowances from Sept 2013
Reducing
bureaucracy
 Duties removed or simplified
 Less prescriptive model academy Articles
 New sources of objective data
Empowering
accountability
 Questions for GBs to ask
 National College workshops
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Aim 4: Build capacity
We are committed to continuing, and looking at how
we can increase, our support to GBs
Support, training and advice
Governor recruitment
 No plans to mandate governor
training
 Funding for SGOSS committed to
2015 to enable growth
 Aiming to expand role of National
College
 Lord Nash discussion with employers
in Sept on employee volunteering
 GovernorLine contract expires in
December 13
 No plans to start paying governors
 Promoting the importance of clerking
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Aim 5: Sharpen accountability
Volunteer doesn’t mean amateur, GBs need to be held
to account for their effectiveness, under-performance
will be addressed
 Explicit focus in every inspection
Inspection
 External review in Category 3 schools
 Re-inspection of Category 3 schools within two years
 Warning notices and IEBs
Intervention
 Termination of academy funding agreements
 Help for failing schools to find high quality academy sponsor
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GBs will also want to consider the implications of
some interesting emerging practice
Is the standalone GB
ideal?

Benefits of MATs, UTs, school sponsors,
federations, diocese, etc
Is there a role for some
professional
accountability?

Executive heads / Trust CEOs providing professional
challenge and performance management of school
leaders
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For more information please visit
www.education.gov.uk/governance
Questions or comments can be sent to
[email protected]