Prof. Chris James, Bath University. Presentation at Modern Governor's #GovernorLive, an unconference event for school governors, on 25th June 2013.

1. Governor Live 2013
Why do we need excellent school
governing and how do we get it?
Professor Chris James
University of Bath
c.james@bath.ac.uk

2. Why do we need excellent school
governing and how do we get it?
What’s the problem?
 The turbulent context
 High stakes
 The ‘neglect’ of school governing
(But there are good reasons
to be optimistic!)

3. Why do we need excellent school
governing and how do we get it?
The turbulent context
 ‘Academisation’ and free schools
 Collaboration pressures
 The changing role of the local authority
 Funding changes – and financial audits
 Performance management
 Curriculum and assessment changes
 Changes to inspection

4. Why do we need excellent school
governing and how do we get it?
High stakes
•The expectations of schools are high and
rising – for children, amongst parents,
teachers, communities and society generally.
•Failure to meet the standard required has
serious and dramatic consequences – at all
levels.

5. Why do we need excellent school
governing and how do we get it?
The ‘neglect’ of school governing –
until recently:
•It has been under-researched
•Policy development has not helped to clarify the
responsibility or raise the profile of school
governing
•It has had a very low public profile

6. Why do we need excellent school
governing and how do we get it?
The problem - The Perfect Storm?
•Good governing is essential but more difficult in
the current turbulent context.
•Rising standards and expectations demand
more of governors and the consequences of
failure are significant.
•The neglect of school governing hasn’t helped
governing quality – it’s improving but we need
excellent governing now!

7. Why do we need excellent school
governing and how do we get it?
How do we get excellent school
governing?
•Be clear what the task is
•Recruit the right people all the time and
train them all the time
•Make sure you’re organised

8. Why do we need excellent school
governing and how do we get it?
The task: To take collective
responsibility for the conduct of the school,
so:
•Know and scrutinise: results, the finances
and policies
•Fulfil your statutory duties
•Have a clear sense of what you want the
school to become

9. Why do we need excellent school
governing and how do we get it?
Recruit the right people (all the
time) and train them (all the time):
•Motivation, opportunity, capability
•A range of high-level personal qualities
•The abilities to:
• scrutinise
• work well in a group
• learn (the most important ability?)

10. Why do we need excellent school
governing and how do we get it?
Make sure you’re organised
•The chair
•The committees
•The meetings
•The annual cycle

11. Why do we need excellent school
governing and how do we get it?
Some other issues . . .
•Paying governors is not a good idea.
•The capable stakeholder model is best
•The size of governing bodies is a side issue,
a distraction.
•Inter-school collaboration is growing and has
significant implications for school governing.

12. Why do we need excellent school
governing and how do we get it?
Finally . . . .
•Schools are very important places, so the way
they are governed is very important.
•We need to further improve school governing.
•Excellent governing in every school is
achievable.
We need excellent governing
for excellent schools