May 2013

The know zone

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  • Tricky Waters...
    The issue of whether or not to pay governors was raised again recently by Sir Michael Wilshaw. Would paying governors enhance the calibre of people who apply? Here leaders share their views. More
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The issue of whether or not to pay governors was raised again recently by Sir Michael Wilshaw. Would paying governors enhance the calibre of people who apply? Here leaders share their views.

Tricky waters

What is the price of governance?

It is true that schools struggle to recruit governors of sufficient calibre to understand the information that is presented to them. While payment may be an incentive to some people to apply to be governors who otherwise may not – what level of pay would be sufficient to compensate the professionals who are truly needed? And would this type of person truly want to be a school governor just for the money? Our economy exists with the support of a vast voluntary sector. How would volunteers in the health service or working for charitable organisations then be recruited? I wonder if the issues relating to recruitment need to be addressed more fully rather than clutching at an easy answer of – give them money.

Lynda Lees
Former assistant headteacher,
Denbigh High School
Luton, Bedfordshire

Could deter applicants

Paying governors would actually restrict the pool of potential governors rather than increase it, as people would feel that they needed particular qualifications in order to fulfil this role and many would feel deterred from applying. If there is a dearth of volunteers, governing bodies need to look at issues such as the timing of meetings or how they present themselves to parents and the local community. It’s a poor example to our pupils if we can only attract governors by offering them remuneration.

Sue Dixon
Deputy head
Willingdon Community
School, Eastbourne, East Sussex

Free contribution to the community

Pay school governors? No! Stop this madness! I was the headteacher of a secondary school for nearly 20 years and I am now a governor. I am appalled by the growth in governor responsibilities and the drift into technical and professional areas. Much of what governors are now expected to do is simply inappropriate. The weight of governance soaks up financial resources and school leadership time and effort. Do we really believe that this will benefit schools? Paying governors will only accelerate this dangerous trend. Instead, we need to reverse it. Free up school leaders to do their professional jobs and focus governors on
the proper roles of overall policy, support and accountability. This should be light-touch and a free contribution to the community.

Michael Carding
Former headteacher at Bishop Heber High School, 
Malpas, Cheshire.
Governor of St Joseph’s Catholic & Anglican High School,
Wrexham, North Wales

Invest in training and recruitment

As a former school leadership team member and a current governor, I can see the need for outstanding governance; however, I don’t think that
the government should pay governors to improve school performance.

The dividing line between professional school leaders and the governors who provide a challenging supervision of their performance could become blurred if we start to have professional governors. These
paid governors would have to demonstrate their ‘value for money’ so how would the head feel when they disagree with a paid governor? Who will back down when both are ‘experts’?

School governance needs professionalism in order to achieve what this government wants to achieve; this cannot be bought by paying one or two governors, as outstanding schools need the input from several governors. It would be better to invest in training and recruitment to provide suitably skilled and motivated volunteers to make our schools outstanding.

Harry Ewins
Former bursar at St Mary’s College, 
Liverpool, Merseyside

Employ the chair of governors

I think that there may be an argument for employing the chair of governors given the level of responsibility that that role holds. We wouldn't expect a headteacher to be a volunteer so why the chair of governors? The real issue is one of competency and capacity and not pay (or motivation) for governors. If there was available more tailored training and support at a time to suit their lifestyles then this would make a big difference.

Andrew Blench
School business manager Dinnington Comprehensive
School, Sheffield, South Yorkshire

May lead to divisions

Top schools can get top governors. Poorer schools will get people offering to fill the positions for the money rather than because of a commitment to the school. Paying professional people makes others feel second-class. Very hard-working people who have the interests of the school at heart may not be top professionals but they may be more interested in being of genuine service.

Sister Brigid FCJ, MSc, OBE
Headteacher Bellerive FCJ Catholic College
Liverpool, Merseyside

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