In the wake of comments from Michael Gove MP, the Secretary of State for Education, in which he stated that the government will be “making governance simpler and financial management less onerous” the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and SGOSS (the School Governors’ One-Stop Shop) have formed a partnership designed to support governors as they work with the head and his senior team to transform schools across the UK.
“School governors may be widely respected within their communities but often they are among the first to be criticised when schools fail to perform. It’s no enviable position; they give their time voluntarily, but frequently do so without recourse to consistent levels of training or support. In an environment in which the quality of school leadership, at every level, is critical to the future success of its pupils, this cannot be allowed to continue”, says Ruth Spellman, Chief Executive at CMI.
She was speaking as CMI and the SGOSS joined forces, today, by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The new strategic partnership has been created to promote professionalism amongst school governors and improve management of schools across the UK. By working together, CMI and SGOSS will be able to help governors:
Work alongside school leaders to improve the quality of education on offer in schools across the country make better use of resources, through an increased understanding of budgeting and the role it plays in school developmentbetter meet stakeholder needs, by developing the skills required to create customer-driven improvements to school provisions
Lead people and teams, by enhancing communication and conflict resolution capabilities.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Steve Acklam, chief executive of SGOSS, said: “Running a school in today’s environment mirrors the way many businesses are, and should be, managed. In these circumstances, the skills that the professional business community have been developing for years need to be replicated for the benefit of the education community and I welcome the chance to work with CMI to ensure schools benefit from the professionalism and capability that their members have to offer.”
An additional aim of the MoU is for SGOSS and CMI to collaboratively promote the benefits of volunteering as a school governor. Together, both partners will demonstrate that by becoming a school governor, individuals will develop many of the skills required in business. They will also highlight how schools can gain, by bringing in experience and expertise from the business community.
Ruth Spellman, chief executive of CMI, added: “How we educate today’s school children will have a dramatic effect on the quality of the leaders of tomorrow. By working in partnership, our two organisations will be able to develop the skills of those responsible for running our schools, meaning that pupils will benefit from schools that are run effectively, efficiently and in their best interests. In other words, the focus will be on improving performance so the quality of education rises too. I am delighted to bring the parties together and look forward to a successful future together.”
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