The Effective School Governor a practical guide to assessing and improving your personal...

8/11/2019 The Effective School Governor a practical guide to assessing and improving your personal effectiveness

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The Effective SchoolGovernor

a practical guide to assessingand improving your personal

effectiveness

David Marriott

Acknowledgements


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My understanding of the nature and needs of school governors stems from seven yearsspent working with governors as a Deputy Head, as a parent governor and as agovernor trainer and developer. I would like to thank all the governors with whom Ihave worked and from whom I have learned an enormous amount. I would like to paya particular tribute to the governors of schools in Wiltshire and Swindon, whose

commitment to training and development is an eample to all governors.

I would like to celebrate the work and enthusiasm of my colleagues in !overnorSupport in Wiltshire and Swindon, without whose unstinting efforts and creativity mywork would have been impossible and my life the poorer.

"special thanks go to #alerie $rute for her timely interventions in helping me to keepsight of my personal goals, especially at times of great uncertainty and insecurity.

Many thanks to Debbie, Duncan and $atherine for their tolerance of the time I spentwriting this book instead of being with them.

%


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Contents

&cknowledgements........................................................................................................%Introduction....................................................................................................................'(ersonal "ffectiveness....................................................................................................)*our values.....................................................................................................................+What motivates you......................................................................................................*our personal goals......................................................................................................%Sources of personal authority.......................................................................................-*our areas of interest, skills and abilities and personal ualities.................................../*our "ffectiveness as an Individual !overnor..............................................................+*our motivation as a governor.....................................................................................%0*our goals as a governor..............................................................................................%-

&nalysing and recognising the limitations to your commitment as a governor.............%'1sing your interests, skills and personal ualities.........................................................%)2raining and development............................................................................................--*our induction..............................................................................................................-)*our "ffectiveness as a Member of your !overning 3ody...........................................'$an a governing body become an effective team4........................................................'5oles in the team..........................................................................................................6/7inding your role..........................................................................................................68"ffectiveness in meetings............................................................................................../0Who has power and what sort of power is it4............................................................../8$ommittee work...........................................................................................................)/

#isiting the school and the classroom...........................................................................)+Developing partnerships...............................................................................................+-Succession planning and continuity..............................................................................+6&ppendi......................................................................................................................+83ibliography.................................................................................................................8%


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Introduction

How can you become an effective school governor?

Whether you are thinking about becoming a governor, are a new governor or aneperienced governor, this book will help you to become more effective by9

"ncouraging you to reflect on your values, motivation and goals in life.

Helping you to analyse the source of your personal authority and the skills,

interests, abilities and personal ualities you can offer.

Showing you how to apply these attributes to the role of school governor,recognising the limits to what a volunteer can achieve.

(roviding ways of identifying and meeting your development needs.

"ploring how you can become an influential member of your governing body byunderstanding better how groups work.

"amining ways of making an effective personal contribution to the work anddevelopment of the governing body.

"ncouraging a focus on the future in developing relationships and planning forcontinuity.

Much emphasis has been placed, rightly, on the effectiveness of governing bodies asteams. 5ightly, because individual governors have power only as part of the collective

body. Increasingly, :fsted reports comment on the effectiveness of the governing bodyin the overall achievement of the school. Some ecellent books are available to help

governing bodies evaluate and develop themselves. &ny governing body wishing toimprove its collective practice can find much that will help them in the task.

However, each member of any governing body is an individual and is more or lesseffective in that role. ;ust as school improvement depends ultimately on theimprovement of each student


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every governing body is, first and foremost, a collection of individuals. It is likely thatan individual governor will be more self-analytical and more willing to improve

personal performance than the group. As each individual improves, so the group as awhole evolves into an effective governing body.

The book is in three sections:

The first section requires you to think through what makes you tick as a person,

rather than as a governor.

1nderstanding your values, what motivates you and your goals can help you tobecome more effective in various aspects of your life, including school governance.3eing effective means using your authority. 1nderstanding where your authority comesfrom can help you to use it more effectively. &nalysing your interests, skills and abilities

and personal ualities forms a useful basis for developing as a person and as agovernor.

The second section looks at this aspect: how can I be an effective governor?

!overnors< roles and responsibilities are numerous and varied. It is important that allgovernors understand what these are and how to fulfill them. ;ust as important, thoughis how they can play a more active and effective individual part in the practicalworkings of their governing body and its influence on the school.

2his section looks at your goals and motivation as a governor, applying what you did

in Section to the role. It also eplores the necessary limits to your commitment as agovernor and how best to use your interests, skills and personal ualities in the work.&ssessing your training and development needs and eploring your induction completethis Section.

7ollowing this eploration of how you can be an effective individual governor, thethird section looks at ways in which you can be effective as a member of the

governing body.

=ew governors often >oin governing bodies that contain a real miture of colleagues.Some of their fellow governors are HI((:S ? highly impressive professional people

with outstanding skills, while others are 5HI=:S ? really here in name only. Whilst thegoverning body should, in an ideal world, work as an effective team, the harsh realitycan sometimes be disappointingly different. 7inding ways of being personally effectivein a group of variously effective people is uite a challenge. *ou can improve theeffectiveness of the whole group through setting an eample, influencing decisions anddeveloping good relationships with and between colleagues. 2he uestion whether agoverning body can become an effective team is dealt with here, as well as the roles

people play in the group. I look at your role and suggest ways in which you mightbecome more effective in meetings, including committees and full governing bodymeetings. I eamine some of the wider aspects of the work beyond meetings, includingvisiting the school and the classroom, developing partnerships and succession planning

and continuity.


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&t the end of the book you will find an appendi of governors< roles andresponsibilities and a list of books and other resources which might be of interest toyou.

How to use the book

&s you work through each section, you will be invited to try various tasks, to helpyou reflect on your eperience and understanding and to ensure that you becomemore effective in your role.

My advice is to work through the tasks systematically and in the seuence in whichthey occur, because each section builds on the tasks undertaken in the precedingsections.

2asks may be undertaken at random, if you prefer, although this will not enable youto take full benefit of the book.

2here is no need to undertake tasks if you are confident that you already know theanswer@sA.

In many cases, sharing the task with a friend, colleague or acuaintance can behelpful and is recommended where most appropriate.

It is a good idea to pace yourself. Donob better4C


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itect to such aims4 Who could beagainst virtue4 :f course we all want the best for our children. We shouldn


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perfection can be very damaging and counterproductive. 2he ecellent can drive outthe good. 3runo 3ettelheim, the psychoanalyst and survivor of Dachau and3uchenwald, promoted the idea of the Bgood enoughC parent @A $ood "nough %arent,3ettelheim, 3., #intage 3ooks 8+)A. He argued that, in striving to be the perfect

mother or father, people develop feelings of guilt and inadeuacy that prevent themfrom becominggood enoughparents, which is all that really matters. !ood enough,the best possible in the circumstances, isgood enough. We don


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:b>ectivity&ccountability:penness

HonestyEeadership

*our list might be very similar, suggesting that your personal values may have beendeveloped through professional eperience in the field of public service, though notnecessarily. 2he =olan $ommitteeect to the words4 2hey only becomedisembodied concepts when written down. We all embodypersonal values that have ahuge effect on the way we live. When we recognise similar values in other people, wewarm to them. When we feel obscurely offended by a decision that might appear to beentirely rational, it is often because it is at odds with one or more of our inherentvalues. It may well take us some time to work out why we feel offended because ourvalues run so deep.

"ducation is far from being a valuefree one. In carrying out your roles andresponsibilities as a governor, your values will be challenged. *ou will need to evaluate

? make value >udgements, in all sorts of ways. 7or eample, you will find that teachers

do not teach in the same way as they did when you were at school. 7or eample,without thinking, you might be tempted to criticise the way children are groupedaround tables, working on different tasks from each other. (erhaps when you were atschool, the teacher taught from the front while you sat in a row of desks. *ou mayhonestly believe this to be a better approach. Whatudices is a fine one. It is important to remain selfcritical when yourvalues are challenged. $hecking out your reactions to such challenges with a good andtrusted friend can help to clarify whether your reactions are positive and healthy or

based on preconceived opinion. Schools need principled, selfcritical governors. 2hetiny minority of bigoted, selfimportant governors do untold damage to the reputationof schools and governing bodies alike.


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What motivates you

Task % your motivation

2hink of a time when you really got involved in something in a big way, giving lots oftime, attention and commitment to it. Why did you do it4 What did you get out of it4Identify the kinds of things that motivate you.

Indicate the degree to which the following incentives motivate you. Score each one ona scale of ?6, where highly motivating and 6 not motivating at all

Grade

MoneyJmaterial reward

(raise ? public

(raise ? private

7ear of failure

Sense of personal achievementG improvement on previous

personal best

$ompetition against one or more othersG

the chance to beat someone else

(romotion in your >ob

:thers< high opinion

Selfesteem

$ontribution to the general goodG altruismJmaking other people happy

Selfprotection

:ther9 @add any that matter to you that I have not includedA

With a highlighter pen, mark your top five motivating factors.

1nderstanding what motivates us in any situation can often be very difficult. It isseldom simple. 2here are often a number of different factors, some more influentialthan others.

7or eample, let us imagine that Mr Wright, a recently retired garage mechanic,chooses to become a school governor in order to give something back to the localcommunity which he feels has rewarded and supported him in his career. His primemotivation may well be altruistic and communityminded. &t the same time, he mayfeel that governorship will also provide him with a sense of purpose and selfworth.Selfprotection and selfinterest, enlightened or otherwise could be an influence on his

decision. 2he role may also offer him new or continued friendships and a chance to go


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on learning. (ersonal development could be a driving force. He may feel that such apublic role will maintain his position of respect in the town and being appointed by hislocal $ounty $ouncillor enhances his selfesteem. It may be that he does not like oneor two of the other governors and sees this as a chance to get even with them or

thwart their plans, so competition, rivalry or envy might be another factor.

Mr Wright may or may not be aware of all the possible motivations underlying hisapparently benevolent action. Some may be positive, some negative. 1nless he lookshonestly within himself, he may never know the answers, but others will read manydifferent meanings into his apparently straightforward decision, perhaps attributing aneven wider range of motivations to the poor manF :nce he begins working as agovernor, what motivates him at any one time will be a miture of every factordescribed above, as well as new ones which emerge in the fullness of time.

Motivations can conflict with each other and change during the time we are involved

with a given pro>ect or activity. :ur motivation changes with each new situation andwill vary at different times in our lives and according to other personal circumstances,such as our feelings of security, happiness, selfworth and so on. Some >udicious selfanalysis can be of great value. When you are considering becoming a school governor,having a clearer idea about why youust completed will help you to be clearabout your answers.

Your personal goals

Task & your goals

Imagine yourself at 0, 6 and %0 years old. &t each stage, listJdescribeJdraw how yousaw yourself in the future.

5epeat for now.

It


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It often feels strange to attempt to be this eplicit about our ambitions and dreams. Itob for life. $areer breaks, redundancy, Bportfolio workingC,

unemployment, BdownshiftingC9 choices confront usG events overtake usG the futurebecomes less and less predictable. So even in an area where it might seem reasonableto try to plan a future, it is getting harder to do so.

:ur lives should not, cannot, be planned, should they4 Don


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Write down your ideas.

2hink of a situation in which you took the lead or in which others followed your leadin some way. If this has happened to you, what gave you that sense of authority4 Writedown your ideas.

$onsider how you behave in any number of group situations9 eg family reunionG workteamG sportsJui teamG crisis situationG planning group.

How do you influence the behaviour of the group and affect what happens4Write down your ideas.

(eople have varying degrees of personal authority. 2hey may demonstrate differentdegrees of personal authority in different situations. *our source of personal authoritycan be derived from9

*our role or position

*our control of resources

*our epertise or knowledge

*our charisma or personal authority

*our physical power

2ask ' will have helped you to think about some aspects of this sub>ect. 2o eplore it alittle further, write down the answers to the uestions in 2ask 6.

Task ( checking the source of your authority

Which groupsdo you belong to4

What roles do you play or what position do you hold in each one4

What resources do you control4


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How physically powerfulare you4

What e)pertiseor specialist knowledge do you have4

What charismaor personal authority can you eercise4

I


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$omplete this table. Some sample answers are included for your guidance.

+nterest Skill or ability ,ersonal $uality

Eocal history (arenting Sense of humour

7ootball ;uggling $alm under pressure

Music Desk top publishing K

aA do it yourselfbA get a friend or family member to do it for you

+nterest Skill or ability ,ersonal $uality

$ompare the results and complete a single table containing all the details you believe tobe true.

It can sometimes be a bit of a surprise when you see your completed list. It


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abilities all the time and, unless we need to apply them to our immediate situations, wetend to forget them, although, like riding a bicycle, we seldom lose the ability oncemastered.

3eing an effective governor calls upon a wide range of talents, skills and knowledge. Itmay not be apparent at first how some of your attributes might be applied but youshould remain openminded about the possibilities and seek to make full use of them asyou learn more and more about the work and its demands. *ou may not be able to useall your talents as a governor but you will be surprised at the many demands of the >oband how some of your Bforgotten skillsC may be neededF

We will return to your responses in Section % and find out how you can use what youhave learned in relation to your work as a governor.


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Section 2:

Your Efectiveness as an Individual"overnor

Having carried out some selfevaluation in Section and identified your values, skillsand interests, amongst other things, you are now in a good position to eplore ways inwhich you might apply what you


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2he last of these is one to keep at the forefront of your mind. !overnors are meant tobe lay people with no special inside knowledge of education. 2hey are there to ask theuestions that an ordinary person would and should ask. &t the same time, they bring

to the >ob a range of eperience and knowledge of the world beyond education that isoften far wider, when taken collectively, than that of the teachers in the school. 2heyhave a real role to play in representing the community served by the school.


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Your motivation as a governor

hy on earth did I become a governor!

It


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2ask )9 your motivation as a governor

Eook back at your assessment of what motivates you. @Task on page A

Which, if any, of those factors motivated you to become a governor4 &dd a tick against anywhich apply.

Which continue to motivate you4 &dd an asterisk in each case.

Eist any additional motivations you may have that youectives, which may or may not be the same as the organiationectives.

& means of sharing and helping in a common activity or purposewhich may be making a product, or carrying out a >ob, or havingfun, or giving help, or creating something.

Kthese purposes often overlap. 2hey may also conflictK

@1nderstanding 2rgani3ationsG Handy. $., 88-G (enguin 3ooks

Etd, %) Wrights Eane, Eondon, W+ 62LA

*ou might choose to check your motivations against this list, too.

*ou may have found that there is a great deal of similarity between what motivates yougenerally and what motivates you as a governor. If this is the case then you willundoubtedly feel comfortable with the demands of the role and be in a strong positionto be able both to contribute effectively and gain personal benefit from yourcommitment. Where there are some differences, this probably does not matter, sinceyou are unlikely to find a perfect match. 2here may be a problem if the discrepancy istoo great and there is little correlation. 2his might suggest that you misunderstood the

role or were misled about it by someone else. If there is little to motivate you in the


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work, there is no point carrying on. Sadly, some governors find this to be the case andfeel that the only honourable course of action open to them is to resign. If you are areader thinking about becoming a governor and in working through these tasks youdiscover that the role is not for you then I feel I have done a good >ob. 2his is not

because there is a neverending supply of ecellent governors ready to step into thebreach but it would be doubly disheartening for you and your governing body to haveto go through a painful learning process of discovering that you were not right for the

>ob and that the whole process of filling the vacancy has to begin again.

I suspect that if you had the motivation to buy this book in the first place, you are notlikely to fall into this latter category and I


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Your goals as a governor

In Task !in Section @page A we looked at your personal goals. Eook at these againand try the same eercise as we did in 2ask ) in relation to your motivations.

Having a clear set of goals as a governor is probably easier than having Blife goalsC. Itis very helpful to remind yourself of your goals as a governor when you feel you


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@especially timeFA, who else might be involved and when you will review progress. 2hiskind of planning can be difficult, especially since it involves anticipating the future, soitob of governor properly. Ifyou


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wasted in pointless tasks or meandering discussions. 7or me, this is what being aneffective governor is all about9 using your limited time to maximum effect.

2hen there are your other commitments such as your family, your work, your home,

your leisure activities and all the other things that occupy your mind and your time.*our commitment as a governor needs to be set against these necessary demands, sothat you don


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*our family commitmentshours

*our leisure activitieshours

HouseworkJhome maintenancehours

Sleeping6/ hours

:ther hours

hours

hours

Total111111111111111111111111111hours

Total hours available11111111112*/ hours

Total hours remaining1111111111111hours

=ow compare the time you thought you could commit to what is actually remaining,once everything else is accounted for. *ou may have a nasty shockF Whatever theoutcome, you should now have a realistic idea of what


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2ries to increase his or her ability to contribute to the work of the

governing body by taking part in available training and otheropportunities to develop knowledge, skills and understanding

Helps new governors to understand their role and to make a fullcontribution

Seeks at all times to promote the best interests of the school and the

education of its pupils

Declares personal or pecuniary interests and

&voids using his or her position as a governor for personal gain or the

gain of other outside parties, or to promote the interests of his or her

own children to the detriment of others

@$uidance on $ood $overnanceG Department for "ducation and "mployment 88/A

2his, I feel, is a very useful aidememoir for any governor. If all governors lived up toit eually well, headteachers would never have any room for complaining about theirgoverning bodyF (art of the purpose of this book is to provide practical help to enableyou to live up to these commitments.

#sing your interests, skills and personal

!ualities

&s I suggested in Section , the range of responsibilities and activities of governingbodies demands a phenomenal range of knowledge, skills and aptitudes. =o singlemember of the team will possess all or even, perhaps, more than one of the reuiredattributes of the effective governor. What matters is that your governing body shouldensure that you and your personal resources are used to the maimum benefit of the

governing body and the school as a whole. In order to do this effectively, you and yourcolleagues need to be clear about what you can offer and how it can best be used.

In 2ask / in Section @page A, you and a second person evaluated your interests, skillsand personal ualities. *ou will need to return to that list in order to complete the nettask. In this new task, you are asked to match your interests, skills and personalualities against the reuirements of governorship.

Task 23 using your interests# skills and personal $ualities


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&longside each aspect of the governor


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"reas of responsibility:

7inancial matters

$urriculum matters

(remises matters

(ersonnel issues


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#oles:

Supporting the school

&ccountability

"ecutive

Monitoring

Steering


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$hat schools want fromyou:

&n interest in education

$ommitment to yourschool

2olerance and the ability towork with others

(atience

"nthusiasm

Willingness to learn

Involvement in the life ofthe school

:penness and democracy

I epect you found some of these easier to respond to than others, especially if you areunsure what some categories involve. *ou might choose to add to the analysis as youcontinue to develop as a governor and come to understand better what each categorymeans. It


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$raining and development

&s you completed 2ask 0 @page A, you probably identified at least a few areas ofgovernance in which you lack epertise, knowledge or skills. I would be very surprisedif you did notF & common response is to seek appropriate training in order toovercome your BdeficiencyC. 2raining for governors is not compulsory. However, inB$overning 4odies and "ffective #choolsC, the authors identified the features ofeffective governing bodies @summarised on page of this bookA. 2he final feature listedwas9

Training and development

2o help their schools most effectively, governing bodies need totake their own development seriously. 2hey should consider theirtraining and support needs carefully, and be prepared to allocatefunds for eternal courses, visits to other schools, or training for thewhole governing body.

@B$overning 4odies and "ffective #choolsC, 3arber, MG Stoll, EG Mortimore,(G Hillman, ;.G Df""J:fstedJ3IS 886A

Despite this, there are plenty of governors who have never received any training in thework and they maydo a good >ob. It may not be their fault that they have not beentrained, since the provision of good uality governor training is very patchy, as the$hief Inspector of Schools pointed out in his annual report on inspections carried out

in 88'69

B!overnors< training is often haphaard, and even with fundingincluded in the overall school improvement grant, some governorsremain understandably but shortsightedly reluctant to spend moneyon their own development.C

@The Annual 0eport of )er (aestys 5hief Inspector of #chools'#tandards and 6uality in "ducation 7889-:G Woodhead, $G 2heStationery :ffice Etd 88/A

2he time issue raises its ugly head again in this contet. !ood uality training takestime in whatever form itob cannot attend daycourses, for obvious reasons. In some cases, the employer is willing to give paid timeoff for employees to carry out their duties. In fact, employers are obliged by law togive Breasonable time offC for the work, but they don


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:f course, governor training can be provided in other forms9 literatureG audiotapesGvideotapes and $D5:M. In most cases, you should be able to find some form oftraining that suits your circumstances, but it could be a frustrating search.

Task 22 training needs

In what areas do you feel you need and want training, information or development4Eook back at 2ask 0 and remind yourself of the areas in which you feel you lack thenecessary knowledge or skills. 1sing the table below, make a list of them and then

prioritise them by assigning a number to each, whereby euals top priority, % eualssecond highest priority and so on. 2hen identify whether what you need is informationor skills @or an alternative form of knowledge or abilityA. 7inally, identify whether youcould find what you need from a book or other source of information or whether itdemands active training.

Training6informationre$uired

,riority rating 7nowledge orskills?

Training orreading?

Getting access to training

2here are three common sources of training and information about school governance.7irst, at the local level, there is the school itself. 2he Head, the staff and othergovernors are a resource to be used, especially by the new governor. :f course, it


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school and the classroom is a very important way of seeing at first hand what it isyou


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hy did that learning come so easily to me!/

It may be that you can identify the ways in which you learn best and then seek similarsorts of training and learning to suit your personality.

:ne of the unalterable laws of school governance is that there is always more to knowthan there is time in which to know it. "ven having prioritised your training andlearning needs, there


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"hat are the principles of induction?

Induction should be seen as an investment, leading to more effective governance

and retention of governors.

It should be welcoming, informative and helpful in getting a feel for the role.

It should promote the partnership between governing bodies, teachers, parents,

pupils and the local education authority @where appropriateA.

It might offer a generic introduction which leads on to specific areas of

responsibility.

"ho does what and when?

It is a good idea to share out the various tasks involved in the induction processbetween governors, headteacher and clerk, with a clear, relevant and fair allocation ofresponsibilities to appropriate people.

"veryone involved needs to have an agreed programme, with dates and times, in orderto avoid both duplication and omission of key elements of the process.

Task 2% "hat does the new governor need to know?

Eook at each item in the table below. 5ate how important each piece of information ordocument was or would have been to you as a new governor. If you


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An induction pack or programme

$uidelines on visiting the school

5alendar of governors meetings,including committees

4rief description of how meetings areconducted

A list of staff and their responsibilities

An events calendar

0ecent school newsletters

2utlines of current issues relating toe.g. personnel, curriculum, finances,

premises

here to get help

;escription of committees withassociated terms of reference


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an immediate impact is in improving, if it


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Section 3:

Your Efectiveness as a %emer o your"overning &ody

(laying an effective part in any group reuires a careful balancing of one


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@B$overning 4odies and "ffective #choolsC, 3arber, MG Stoll, EG Mortimore, (GHillman, ;.G Df""J:fstedJ3IS 886A

3efore considering the effectiveness of your governing body as a team, one needs to be

reminded of the aim of school governance which is stated firmly in BEessons In2eamworkC9

2he main aim of a governing body is to maintain and improve thestandards of achievement in its school.

@


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2he governing body has a right to discuss, uestion and refineproposals ? while always respecting the professional roles of theheadteacher and other staff, and their responsibilities for the

management of the school. In its turn the governing body answersfor its actions, above all to parents and the wider local communityfor the schoolective dataA which would enable them to do this >ob. It will

be a ma>or aspect of the development of the governing body


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it does not involve freuent contact between all governors. Such meetings tend to befairly formal and not especially conducive to team development. !overning bodies arenot in the habit of reviewing the process as well as the content of their meetings.

Individual governors also meet each other in committees and these meetings areusually more informal and can be more creative. However, they canwork against thedevelopment of the whole team, especially if one committee feels itself to be moreimportant than the others.

In smaller primary schools it is often the case that at least some of the governors knoweach other reasonably well and this can aid the development of productive workingrelationships and team spirit. It can >ust as easily lend itself to factionalism and splits.Some of the most etreme crises within governing bodies happen in small villagecommunities where the governing body contains representatives of the opposing sidesof village politics. In this sort of hothouse atmosphere, the proper work of the

governing body is overtaken by power struggles that have little or nothing to do withthe children in the school. "ven where a team develops, its continuity is threatened bythe fouryear changeover of members.

It could be argued, then, that it is unrealistic to epect your governing body to becomean effective team. =evertheless, it


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trivial matters

Short term thinking,

planning and perspectives

5eacting to events ratherthan anticipating and

planning for them

5ehashing and redoingthings unnecessarily

Eeaky accountability

&uthority diffuseG a lack ofclarity over who isresponsible for what

=4oards That (ake a ;ifference 5arver, @. ;ossey3ass, 880A

*our solutions mayprove effective if you can implement them and will almost certainlyhave to involve the whole governing body. 1nfortunately, $arver discovered that many

prescriptions have been tried before by other governing bodies and have been found tobe inadeuate. 2hese were the inadeuate prescriptions he found, in summary9

More involvement

Eess involvement


2he degree of involvement did not seem to matter, surprisingly. Involvement, in itselfand isolated from a more comprehensive approach to rectifying flaws, was not theanswer. =either was the adoption of a particular dominant style, whereby thegoverning body saw itself and behaved mainly as @I paraphraseA9

watch dog, keeping a wary eye on staff

cheerleader, offering unconditional support

manager, trying to run the school

planner, planning everything in detail

communicator, acting as a public relations unit


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:f course, some aspects of these approaches are appropriate in certain circumstancesbut no one prescription is valid in isolation. It is worth remembering the five roles of

governing bodies identified in B


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Task 2' a new governance

7ollowing my commentary on each of $arver


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(orce forward thinking

)eparate large issues from small

&nable proactivity

!overning bodies are often too inward looking and need to focus on the wider andfuture contet of the school, seeing the bigger picture. 2his will help to avoidconcentration on trivia. 3ecoming proactive is a likely outcome of a systemtaic andregular anticipation of what the future holds.

:ne way of achieving this is to carry out a simple ("S2E" analysis. &s individuals, ingroups or as a whole group, list the foreseeable developments in these areas9political eg local electionG general election ? various parties< policies

economic eg Eocal "ducation &uthority retention of a larger proportion of

educational budgetG 00O delegation to schools of theremainder

social eg growth in the number of working mothers and more fathersat home

technological eg cable modemsG 2#, computer, telephone and fa in one bo

legislative eg !reen (aper on Special "ducational =eedsG White (aper onEifelong Eearning

environmental eg pro>ected growth or decline of your local communityG roadbuilding pro>ects

2hen consider how they might impact on the school and what the school might need todo in order to anticipate the impact.

7or eample, in relation to social change, you might need to consider offering abreakfast facility to pupils. & costbenefit analysis would help to identify the relativemerits of such a proposal.

6uestions'

)ow far ahead do I*we look when discussing the development of the school' oneyear! Two years! >ive! Ten!)aveI*we carried out a %"#T


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&nable an outcome*driven organising system9

7or some, the processes involved in education are more important than the products. Itmatters more to those who hold this view that pupils en>oy learning and benefit from

all sorts of unepected and unplanned spinoffs than that they all achieve a particulaream result or ualification at the end. 7or others, the product is what matters most.7or them, the end @an eam result, sayA >ustifies the means, to a large etent. 2his is, ofcourse, to polarise the debate and in reality, process and product are, arguably, euallyimportant. ;ohn $arver believes that a focus on the endproduct or outcome should bethe driving force for the way the governing body works. 7or him, governing bodiesshould be very clear about their goals and targets over time and organise themselves soas to ensure that the outcomes are achieved.

2he renewed national focus on targets and targetsetting will encourage this to happen,both in relation to Heads and teachers and governing bodies. "xcellence In #chools

states9

Setting school targets

7rom September 8++, each school will be reuired to havechallenging targets for improvement. If schools are to take theirtargets seriously, it is important that they should take directresponsibility for them. !overning bodies as part of their strategicroleKshould take time to consider all the available information anddiscuss in detail their school


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6uestions'

)ave I*we undertaken any training on target setting!hat information do I*we gather to help us know how the school is doing!=eg #ATs data $5#" results?hat else do I*we need to know!=eg pupils previous performance staffing changes during recent years?

>rom where am I*are we going to get it!=eg )eadteacher relevant school documents?

(acilitate diversity and unity:

2hese two are not incompatible, as they may seem at first sight. 2he membership of thegoverning body is bound to be, indeed, is intended to be diverse, in that it shouldcontain people from all walks of life, with varied backgrounds and eperience. 2hatdiversity is an essential component of the governing body9

(eople who are similar in their attitudes, values and beliefs tend toform stable enduring groups. Homogeneity tends in general to

promote satisfaction. Heterogeneous groups tend to ehibit moreconflict, but most studies show them to be more productive thanthe homogenous groups.

@1nderstanding 2rgani3ationsG Handy, $.G (enguin 88-A

So a governing body should eploit its diversity, maimise the collective talents of allits members, welcome healthy friction between colleagues working towards thesolution of a problem and take full advantage of fluctuations in membership. 2his iseasier said than done, since we human beings tend towards stability and security ratherthan change and risk.

&t the same time, the governing body needs always to work towards consensus on allimportant issues, achieving good decisions from thoughtful debate and discussion. 2henotion of collective responsibility is vital9 whatever your view of a decision, once made

it must be supported.

6uestions'

)ow diverse is my governing body!)ow far do I observe the principle of collective responsibility!)ow far do others do so!

+escribe relationships to relevant constituencies:


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& delicate sub>ect, this, and one which can cause confusion. It helps to remember thatgovernors are representatives, in some cases, of the groups who elected them but nottheir delegates. In other words, for eample, the teacher governor is there to representthe general view of the teaching staff as a whole rather than the views of a smaller

group of likeminded teachers. 2his is particularly important when matters come to avote. "ach governor must make up his or her own mind about the proposal and voteaccording to his or her conscience, having listened carefully to and considered allaspects of the debate. =o governor should unthinkingly follow a Bparty lineC. It isimportant for all sides ? teachersG governorsG Head and Deputy@iesAG parents andchildrenG the wider community ? to be clear about the role of the governing body inrelation to each set of BstakeholdersC. 2his should avoid misunderstandings in thefuture. 2o uote from $uidance on $ood $overnance9

!overnors are elected or appointed by different groups ? includingparents, teachers and others within the local community. 3y these

means, although they are not delegates, the governing body reflectsthe community it serves.

@$uidance on $ood $overnanceG Department for "ducation and "mployment88/A

6uestions'

;o I see myself as a representative or delegate!ho or what is my constituency!

)ow do I ensure that I reflect the genuine views of others!

+efine a common basis for discipline:

& governing body might agree to sign up collectively to a common $ode of $onduct,which would govern their behaviour and proceedings in a general sense, epressing thespirit of good governance. Indeed, the Df""


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Holders of public office should take decisions solely in terms of thepublic interest. 2hey should not do so in order to gain financial orother material benefits for themselves, their family or their friends.

Integrity

Holders of public office should not place themselves under anyfinancial or other obligation to outside individuals or organisationsthat might influence them in the performance of their official duties.

b-ectivity

In carrying out public business, including making publicappointments, awarding contracts, or recommending individuals forrewards and benefits, holders of public office should make choices

on merit.

"ccountability

Holders of public office are accountable for their decisions andactions to the public and must submit themselves to whateverscrutiny is appropriate to their office.

penness

Holders of public office should be as open as possible about all the

decisions and actions that they take. 2hey should give reasons fortheir decisions and restrict information only when the wider publicinterest clearly demands this.

onesty

Holders of public office have a duty to declare any private interestsrelating to their public duties and to take steps to resolve anyconflicts arising in a way that protects the public interest.

/eadership

Holders of public office should promote and support theseprinciples by leadership and eample.

@Second 5eport of the $ommittee on Standards in (ublic Eife$M-%)0 ?G May 88/A

It might be a useful eercise to compare your list of values which you drew up inSection , page, with this list of principles.

2he governing body might also consider agreeing to a set of Standing :rders, which

cover the detailed processes of governance, including legal matters. Sample and model


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policies are available from a variety of sources, including Eocal "ducation &uthority!overnor Support teams and Headteachers< professional associations. &ny governing

body considering this should also to refer to its Instruments and &rticles of!overnment and B#chool $overnors' a$uide to the


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)ow am I going to get it! =eg ask the 5hair of the >inance 5ommittee attend an appropriatetraining course?

1alance overcontrol and undercontrol

*ou may have heard of the idea of Btight ? looseC organisational structures. 2he idea isbased on the fact that in any one person


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2o recapitulate, then, you have considered the implications of ;ohn $arver


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2he roles people play in a groupJteam were identified, memorably, by 5M 3elbin in(anagement teams-why they succeed or fail HeinemannG 8+. 7ollowing etendedresearch, he suggested that the following roles are needed for a fully effective group9

=3 he emphasises that BheC means humankind and refers to both genders.

2he $hairman

He is the one who presides over the team and coordinates itsefforts. He need be in no sense brilliant or creative, but wouldrather be called disciplined, focused and balanced. He talks andlistens well, is a good >udge of people and of thingsG a man whoworks through others.

2he Shaper

2he Shaper is highlystrung, outgoing and dominant. He is the taskleader and in the absence of the $hairman would leap into that role,even though he might not do it any too well. His strength lies in hisdrive and in his passion for the task, but he can be oversensitive,irritable and impatient. He is needed as the spur to action.

2he (lant

1nlike the Shaper, the (lant is introverted but is intellectuallydominant. He is the source of original ideas and proposals, being

the most imaginative as well as the most intelligent member of theteam. He can, however, be careless of details and may resentcriticism. He needs to be drawn out or he will switch off.

2he Monitor"valuator

2he Monitor"valuator is also intelligent, but it is an analyticalrather than a creative intelligence. His contribution is the carefuldissection of ideas and the ability to see the flaw in an argument. Heis often less involved than the others, tucked away with his data,aloof from the team, but necessary as a uality check. He is

dependable but can be tactless and cold.

2he 5esourceInvestigator

2his is the most popular member of the team, etrovert, sociableand relaed. He it is who brings new contacts, ideas anddevelopments to the group, the salesman, diplomat or liaisonofficer. He is not himself original or a driver, and therefore needsthe team to pick up his contributions.

2he $ompany Worker


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2he $ompany Worker is the practical organiser. He it is who turnsideas into manageable tasks. Schedules, charts and plans are histhing. Methodical, trustworthy and efficient, he is not ecited byvisions and can be uneciting himself. He does not lead but is adept

at administering.

2he 2eam Worker

2he 2eam Worker holds the team together in another way, by beingsupportive to others, by listening, encouraging, harmonising andunderstanding. Eikeable and popular but uncompetitive, he is thesort of person you do not notice when he


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My guess is that, as you were reading these descriptions, you were assessing bothyourself and your fellow governors against them. If I am right, the net task should befairly straightforward

*inding your role

Task 2( finding your role

Having considered the importance of roles and the range of roles reuired by agoverning body, you might now consider the role you most commonly play in yourgoverning body. Weigh up your fellow governors and write their names againstwhichever role they play most freuently.

4ole 9e


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what could you do to change this4 $ould you or any of your colleagues develop insuch a way as to fill the gaps that you may have identified4

&n analysis such as this is not particularly BscientificC but it can help to identify

strengths and weaknesses in the team and act as a useful spur to improvement, both ata personal and group level. 2here may be, for eample, an opportunity here for you toseek some personal or professional development. &lternatively, this could provide auseful way of identifying the best new recruit to the governing body.

Having clarified your actual and potential role@sA in the group, let us now consider howyou can contribute effectively in meetings of the governing body and its committees.

Efectiveness in meetings

& governing body meets as a whole group maybe five or si times a year. It willusually establish a series of committees @not sub-committees, incidentally, since thegoverning body is not in itself a committee, so there can be no subcommitteesA whichwill meet at different times and with variable freuency. & 7inance committee is likelyto meet monthly, for eample, whereas a (remises committee may meet once a term.2he organisation will be described in the governing body


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"ven if the meeting is fairly informal, it can still seem daunting to make your firstcontribution to the discussion. *ou donor impact fromthe word go, but the longer you leave it, the harder it is to ask a uestion or make acomment. Here are some tips about how to make an early contribution9

5ead all the papers for the meeting beforehand. $heck your understanding with a

fellow governor and prepare a uestion on one or more of the topics covered.

&sk the $hair for clarification of something you


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It is all too easy to fall into a particular role and then find it very hard to break out ofit. !roups tend to produce conformity and it can be hard to challenge ideas anddecisions which threaten that conformity. We


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@1nderstanding 2rgani3ationsG Handy. $., 88-G (enguin 3ooksEtd, %) Wrights Eane, Eondon, W+ 62LA

=o doubt you could add to this list from your own eperience. *ou might play thegame of analysing your fellow governors according to these and other role definitions.What matters, however, is to identify and recognise the role@sA that you wish to playand see how far itJthey correspond@sA to the role@sA you actually play.

Whether you are here to listen or to lead is up to you. *ou must decide how active andassertive you wish to be. 5emember that all governors are eual9

B2he governing body are @sicA a group. Individual governors haveno power ecept where the whole governing body have delegated aspecific power to that individual.C

=#chool $overnors' A $uide to the


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governor has an eual right to participate and to state his or herview, while respecting the views of others.

"ach governor makes up his or her own mind about issues that are

considered by governing bodies. :nce decisions are made by thegroup, individual governors are bound by them and should be loyalto them.

@$uidance on $ood $overnanceG Department for "ducation and "mployment 88/A

We have clarified the fact that, if you are an elected governor, you are a representativeof that electorate as a whole rather than its delegate. *ou are also there in your ownright. 2his can be very problematic, especially if you are a parent governor in a largeschool. How can you know what the ma>ority of parents feel about any issue4 :fcourse, there are other parent governors on the governing body so you might choose

to establish a common understanding with them. *ou might also consider regularsurveys of parental opinion. 2he parents< uestionnaire which is an optional part of the:fsted inspection process is a good eample of a simple format that can be veryinformative. It asks parents to indicate the etent to which they agree or disagree withstatements like9

I feel the school encourages parents to play an active part in the life of the school

2he school handles complaints from parents well

2he school achieves high standards of good behaviour

@The 2fsted )andbook' Inspection 0esource %ackG :fstedG HMS: 886A

Schools may also add to these uestions. &ppointed governors are there in their ownright, by and large. It varies from one Eocal "ducation &uthority to another but Eocal"ducation &uthority governors tend not to pursue a party political line. 2he ideaunderpinning the composition of a governing body is one of representation in miniatureof the community served by the school.

*ou are being >udged on your performance by fellow governors, the headteacher andstaff, your electorate and yourself. *ou must decide for yourself how far you are

willing to live up to other people


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"ho am + in this group?

What are others< epectations of me4

&m I here to listen or to lead4

&m I a representative or present in my own right4

Who is >udging me on my performance4

Task 2 @udging your behaviour

&sk yourself whether and in what circumstances you have ever helped to block thegroup


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somebody not because of what they said but because of the epression on their face asthey said it. &n aggressive posture can mean that our reasonable argument isinterpreted as a criticism by one or more of our colleagues. 2ask + is designed to helpyou recognise and interpret certain combinations of nonverbal communication.

Task 2/ interpreting the nonAverbal behaviour of your colleagues

Eike our fellow mammals, we all give out signals to others who interpret them, oftensubconsciously. Similarly, we interpret the nonverbal behaviour of our colleagues,whether we actively choose to do so or not. Whilst there are no certain right answersto our interpretations, the ma>ority of people interpret BclustersC of such signals incommon ways. Eook through the following clusters and note how you would interpretthem in each case9


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2

Don


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2he answers ? the interpretations most people reach ? are9

defensive% anious

- overbearing and aggressive' friendly and cooperative6 confident/ thoughtful

@adapted from>ace To >ace #kills9 Honey, (.G !ower 8++A

It is not my intention here to make you acutely selfconscious about your nonverbalbehaviour, nor to suggest that you consciously attempt to analyse every aspect ofcolleagues< tics, twitches, smiles and shrugs. =evertheless, being aware of your ownsignals and how they might be interpreted can help you to counter unintended

BmessagesC being transmitted. It can also make you more wary of overinterpreting theway others look and behave.

Inevitably, groups contain a miture of people with varying degrees of influence overthe group as a whole. &lthough all governors are eual, some always have an influenceon decisions, some do some of the time and some seldom or never, even. 2his may ormay not be to do with their position in the group @eg $hair or #ice $hairA or school@eg headteacherA. 2heir influence may be benign or malign, depending on a host offactors, including basic personal values, understanding the purpose and responsibilitiesof the role and so forth. We looked at sources of personal authority in Section .5emember that power derives from any one or more of9

*our role in the group

*our epertise or knowledge

*our charisma or personal authority

*our control of resources

3y now you will know the source of your potential or real power to influence thegroup. 2hrough a repertoire of strategies and behaviours, as we have seen, you canensure that your contribution to the group


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Who has powerin the group4

What kind of power is it4

Do I want to change the pattern of influence4

If so, how do I do it4

"ho has power and what sort of power is it?

In addition to having analysed your own source of personal authority, you need to dothe same in relation to your colleagues in order to understand their influence on thegroup as a whole. $omplete this table9

Governor Source of personal authority or power

How do you go about e)erting your own influence?

I made some initial suggestions earlier on in this Section. Eet


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any passengers or occupants of other vehicles at a set of traffic lightsF (ersuade afriend or family member to listen to your presentation. It


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suggests, for eample, that you BflagC your behaviour freuently to avoidmisinterpretation of your motives and aims. He identifies some common phrases that

people use to BflagC their intentions9

Suggesting

This is an idea off the top of my head+/Id like to put up an Aunt #ally for you to kick around+/

(roposing

I propose that+/

3uilding

Ive ust been thinking about 4ills earlier idea that we+Id liketo add to it by suggesting+/I like that ideaC 5an I develop it further by proposing+/

Supporting

Id like to say something in support of that+/

Stating difficulties

Id like to play devils advocate with that idea for a few

minutes+/

Disagreeing

Im going to disagree with that and explain why+/

Seeking clarification

5ould I ust check that I have got this straight! As I understand ityou are suggesting that+/

=>ace To >ace #kills9 Honey, (.G !ower 8++A

2here are many eamples of such BflaggingC statements and it


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If you want the other person to build on an idea, build on ityourself

If you want the other person to disagree, disagree yourself

If you want the other person to support, build on their ideas andmake it clear thatace #kills9 Honey, (.G !ower 8++A

He also offers some helpful strategies for dealing with the undesirable effects of otherpeople


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+put your idea forward as a suggestion =ie in the form of a&uestion? rather than a proposal =ie a statement, announcement orinstruction?. 4etter still, if you can build on someone elses idea,

support is extremely likely. Dou can arrange building opportunitiesfor yourself by seeking ideas and then disciplining yourself tobuild on the ones that come in response.

=>ace To >ace #kills9 Honey, (.G !ower 8++A

Honey emphasises that this is Bnot a comprehensive list of behavioural antidotesC but itis certainly a useful starting point for developing your own repertoire. &s you get usedto the way in which your governing body operates as a group, look for opportunitiesto use the sort of strategies Honey describes but adapt them to suit your personalityand situation. Watch out for eamples of successful strategies being used by your

fellow governors and try them for yourself. *ou must be the best >udge of what


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Many schools have developed a three to five year strategic plan within which eachannual School Development (lan should sit comfortably. It should encompass theschoolectives and interpret them in terms of one yearust talking about the School Development (lan, we are also

talking about the governing body


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'ommittee work

We


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Don


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It


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G=E454SC =+S+TS T SH868-SS49,8+!

2. ,urposes6benefits

2o raise governors< awareness of the life of the classroom2o develop positive relationships between teachers and governors2o help governors monitor and evaluate the work of the school, standards and pupil

progress and achievement2o help the school community to know the governors

%. "hat itCs not about

Inspection

&. ,rotocols

#isit planned between governor and teacher at least ten days in advance(lanning and other contetual detail provided by the teacher in advance7ocus for the visit agreed(ositive feedback to be given to the teacher and Head5eport on the visit to be included under the standing agenda item9 !overnors

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