December 2010

The know zone

  • Hopes and fears
    Be wary of creating ‘legitimate expectations’ in parents and others, warns Richard Bird, as failure to meet them could lead to unintended consequences. More
  • Time to clock off?
    The interim Hutton Report published in October outlined the likely changes in store for public sector pensions. As we await the final report, ASCL is continuing to make the case to ministers that deep cuts to pensions could lead to an exodus of schools leaders. More
  • Getting into hot water
    How is a school defined as ‘poor’ in financial terms? Sam Ellis looks for some facts and figures beyond the budget sheets. More
  • Lead vocals
    Quotes from Norman Vincent Peale, Alan Alda, and Guillaume Apollinaire More
  • An enduring spirit
    A decade ago, ASCL member Sean Crosby – a recently appointed deputy head and active sportsman – had an accident on his mountain bike which was followed by two devastating strokes. With the help of his wife Maria, he talks about coping with his disability and preparing for a 250-mile charity bike ride in India. More
  • SPACE TO LEARN
    With more than a quarter of engineers citing outer space as a reason behind their career choice, a new space programme aims to entice more youngsters into science and technology. More
  • Adding value
    As we all face up to the harsh reality of reduced spending and investment, it is inevitable that stress levels in the workplace rise. At times like these, the role of the employer in supporting wellbeing becomes even more important. More
  • The perfect blend?
    Is the traditional model of school governance out-of-date? Should schools have more say over who sits on the board and for how long? Is it still necessary for parents and the LA to be represented? And should governors be selected for their expertise, rather than elected to the post? School leaders share their views… More
  • Leaders' surgery
    The antidote to common leadership conundrums More
  • Increased pressure
    It could have been worse... but the spending review will still have far-reaching consequences for the funding of schools and colleges once the dust settles, says Brian Lightman. More
  • A head for heights?
    When looking to appoint a new headteacher, governors should throw the recruitment agency advice in the bin. Instead, says David Nicholson, think big and bold. Think Titan. More
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Is the traditional model of school governance out-of-date? Should schools have more say over who sits on the board and for how long? Is it still necessary for parents and the LA to be represented? And should governors be selected for their expertise, rather than elected to the post? School leaders share their views…

The perfecty blend?

Size is important for governing body

Should elected parent governors be retained? Yes, since they are elected by and represent the views of the key stakeholders in the school.

In terms of size, I do think the number on the governing body should be limited and about 15-20 seems best in my experience.

I agree there should be a limit to the length of time elected governors can serve. But they could be re-elected and I see no issue with that as long as there is a chance for change if the stakeholders vote for it.

Vicky Bishop
Head, Sir Christopher Hatton School, Wellingborough


Unlimited elected representatives

I do think that elected parent governors should be retained. Most other stakeholder groups are represented on the governing body, so why not parents?

I don’t agree that local authorities should have automatic representation but some representation at the request of the school is fine. But schools should have more say over who sits on the governing body, as colleges do.

The diocese appoints the majority of governors at our school but is always happy to work with us to find a governor when a vacancy arises. It means we can retain good parent governors who are no longer eligible to be elected, for example.

Should the size of the governing body be limited? No. Schools should decide the best size for them. Anything else is unnecessary, petty regulation.

Stephen Brierley
Head, The Deanery High School, Wigan


Keep governors lean and mean

For years I have thought that our prescriptive, national approach to governance has become unwieldy and unfit for purpose. In setting up a phase 1 academy, it was great to be able to put aside the regulation and replace it with a bespoke design.

We have a board of directors (charity trustees and governors) that is deliberately lean and mean: two from each of our two sponsors, a chair, a co-opted project manager and local accountability via a LA rep and two elected parent directors. Local accountability is enhanced by an advisory board of governance.

In our first three years this has been tweaked but Ofsted judged that it has challenged and supported us and is an effective part of our school leadership processes.

Alan McMurdo
Principal and chief executive, The Thomas Deacon Academy, Peterborough


Autonomy requires skilled governors

“Great, I’ve got a governors’ meeting tonight” is probably not a common part of chat among school leaders and perhaps it is time that somebody did a cost-time-benefit on the contribution governors make to school standards.

But, if we’re moving further towards greater school autonomy, it is surely right to embrace school-based accountability through appropriately skilled governors.

Such a governing body should reflect the school’s community. So the vast majority of governors should be parents of children in the school. They may happen to be business people or have links to a local authority, but their commitment should come from their stake as parents. And there should be lots of them.

Recruitment maybe difficult but a smaller governing body would be undemocratic and open to accusations of ‘cliqueism’. A larger group might be more open and able to play their role of critical friend – without becoming pseudo-professionals answerable to no one.

Graham Bett
Head, Woodbrook Vale High School, Loughborough

Coffee cups

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