School governors make up the largest volunteer body in the UK. They offer a wide variety of different skills and attributes, but have one common aim, to maximise the educational opportunities of children and to help to provide the means for them to reach their full potential.
Making sure that the passion and talents of school governors are utilised effectively is of upmost importance. School governors provide strategic leadership and accountability; they appoint the Head Teacher, hold the main responsibility for finance in schools, set the vision for the school, support the head in making key decisions, and challenge and hold leadership to account. It is little wonder then, that school governance is increasingly in the spot light, and that the drive to ensure strong governance is gaining more and more momentum.
Self reviews and external reviews of governance are becoming an established way of reflecting on, and improving, the performance of governing bodies, and in this journal we’ve included examples of two governing bodies who have taken part in reviews of governance. We look at what the reviews entailed and how they have contributed to even better governance.
We’ve also included an interview with Kyra’s very own Juliet Brookes, who is also a Vice-Chair of a governing body and shares with us her experiences of being a school governor, and hints and tips on succeeding in the role. We’ve also looked beyond the education sector, to gain advice and insight from Vanni Treves CBE, an expert in corporate governance and former chair of the National College, as well as looking closer to home, and reflecting on the latest developments in governance training and support in Lincolnshire.
I hope you enjoy this edition of the journal and find it useful and informative.
Best Wishes,
Marie-Claire
Getting Governance Right #KyraJournal Jan. 2018
- Governor in Focus featuring Juliet Brookes, Vice-Chair of Governors at Sturton by Stow Primary School
- Goverance Reviews: Impact and Improvement
- Expert Voice featuring Vanni Treves. CBE
- Governance Traning & Support What's currently happening in Lincolnshire
- Research & Resources Digest A selection of resources for school governance