GOVERNANCE LEADERSHIP

Why is governance important?

Nelson Mandela said, “There can be no

keener revelation of a society’s soul than the

way in which it treats its children.”

When we accept the role of governor and

trustee, we assume the mantle of

responsibility for the future chances of our

children and young people. When we act

irresponsibly or worse, negligently, we fail

children.

When we take on a governance

leadership role, this is magnified…

What does the evidence say?

Governance leadership – what does the evidence say?

• Trustees are the ‘guardians of purpose.

• Agility is key to survival and achievement of mission.

• This requires trustees to have an understanding of the changing context in which the board operates.

• Trustees hold the responsibility of setting the culture and values of the organisation.

• Good processes and practices will help boards to perform.

Source: IT STARTS FROM THE TOP: IMPROVING GOVERNANCE, IMPROVING IMPACT, Joy and Murray, 2016

What does the OECD say?

OECD’s Centre for Educational Research and Innovation’s Governing Complex

Education Systems (GCES) project

Research question: Which models of governance are effective in complex

education systems and which knowledge systems are needed to support them?

Three themes vital for effective governance and successful reform:

• Accountability;

• Capacity building; and

• Strategic thinking.

Source: Governing Education in a Complex World, Edited by Tracey Burns and Florian Köster, OECD Publishing, 2016

Factors making improvement possible (Ofsted 2016)

Three critical factors:

• Schools/Trusts became aware of the weaknesses in their governance arrangements.

• Develop professional knowledge, understanding and insight within the governing board.

• Establish clarity about governors’ roles, responsibilities and lines of accountability

Source: Improving Governance: Governance Arrangements in Complex and Challenging Circumstances, Ofsted, 2016

Freedom and Autonomy for Schools - National Association

www.fasna.org.uk

What research and

evidence do you currently

use to inform the

development of your

governing board/ trust

board?

The essential differences between governing a maintained school, single academy trust and multi-

academy trust

For all Governing Boards

All governing boards have duties as

outlined in the Governance Handbook

• Strategic leadership

• Accountability

• Building a team (people)

• Compliance

• Evaluation

For maintained schools and VC schools,

the Local Authority is the employer and

provides an infrastructure of support.

For Academies and Multi-Academy Trusts

In addition to the responsibilities on all

governing boards, Academies Trusts and

MATs have duties as outlined in the

Academies Financial Handbook

• Duties as company directors (Companies Act 2006)

• Duties specified in Funding Agreement

• Must publish annual, audited accounts – financial oversight of a legally

autonomous organisation

• Accounting officer is responsible to Parliament

Academies are companies limited by

guarantee and exempt charities.

For Academies and Multi-Academy Trusts

Your legal duty It is vital that you:

Act in your Trust’s

best interests

Deal with conflicts

of interest

Manage your

Trust’s resources

responsibly

Implement

appropriate

financial controls

and manage risks

Act with

reasonable care

and skills

Ensure your Trust

is accountable

For Multi-Academy Trusts

A multi-academy trust is a complex

organisation.

Governance of a multi-academy trust

is dynamic – governance structures

will change as the trust grows.

The level of knowledge, skill and

experience is therefore greater even

than the requirements on a single

academy trust.

Members

Trust Board

Committees

LGBs Comply with Scheme of Delegation No legal recognition

Signatories to the Articles Appoint Trustees Guardians of the public asset

Charity Trustees /Company Directors Determine vision, values, strategic direction Define Scheme of Delegation Appoint committee members/ LGBs

Trust Board determines remit and membership of any committees

Ethical governance

What is ethical governance?

Ethical governance refers to the processes, procedures, cultures and values which ensure high standards of behaviour across the whole organisation.

Can you name the 7 Principles of Public Life? (The ‘Nolan Principles’)

Freedom and Autonomy for Schools - National Association

www.fasna.org.uk

Does your governing board

or trust board put the

Principles of Public Life at

the heart of governance?

How does your governing

board or trust board ensure

that its decisions are

ethical?

Does it model ethical

leadership?

How does it ensure and

uphold ethical / high

standards of behaviour

across the organisation?

What do Governance Leaders and Governance Professionals need to know and be able to do?

(Government’s new expectations)

Three core functions of governance:

• Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;

• Holding executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the organisation and its pupils, and the performance management of staff;

and

• Overseeing the financial performance of the organisation and making sure its money is well spent.

What your Chair should know and be able to do:

Strategic leadership:

• National and regional educational priorities and the implications of these for the board and the organisation

• Leadership and management processes and tools that support organisational change

• Thinks strategically about the future direction of the organisation and identifies the steps needed to achieve goals

• Leads the board and executive leaders in ensuring operational decisions contribute to strategic priorities

• Adopts and strategically leads a systematic approach to change management, that is clear, manageable and timely

• Provides effective leadership of organisational change even when this is difficult

What your Clerk should know and be able to do:

Working to the DfE Clerking Competency Framework, professional clerks will:

• Require the knowledge, skills and behaviours to provide professional clerking to the governing boards of maintained schools, academies and MATs

• Provide an invaluable contribution to the efficiency, effectiveness, productivity and compliance of the board

• Work in partnership with the chair to keep the board focused on its core strategic priorities

• Provide independent and expert advice and guidance to the board on its duties and functions

• Deliver administrative support that makes everything work smoothly

• Strive for the highest possible standards for themselves and the board

Freedom and Autonomy for Schools - National Association

www.fasna.org.uk

How explicit is your school

or trust about what you

want from your

governance leaders and

clerk/ governance

professional?

Would others on the

governing board or trust

board give the same

answer?

How do you know?

Our Governance Development Programmes

1. Governance Leadership Programme 2. Professional Clerking Programme

Governance Leadership Programme – Partners & costs FASNA is working with Ambition School Leadership to develop and deliver a

DfE-funded Governance Leadership Programme.

If your governing board is a MAT governing two or more schools, OR governing

a single school located in an Opportunity Area and rated 'requires improvement'

or identified as 'coasting', then the programme (worth £2,000) will be free at the

point of delivery. You will also receive a voucher worth £300 to purchase

bespoke elements of support for you or your Board.

If your school does not meet the criteria above, you can access £500 towards

the cost of the programme and your school will need to contribute £1,200.

See our website for more information:

Https://www.fasna.org.uk/conferences/governance-programmes

Register interest here: https://www.ambitionschoolleadership.org.uk/enquiry-

governance/

https://www.fasna.org.uk/conferences/governance-programmes https://www.ambitionschoolleadership.org.uk/enquiry-governance/