The roles and responsibilities of governing: Governance models in schools

Roles and responsibilities of governors

In England, the majority of decision making is devolved to school level in contrast to other countries across Europe.

The roles and responsibilities of governing governance models in school bodies are statutory, and among other duties, governors are responsible for training, recruitment, salary setting, performance review and dismissal of ineffective headteachers and senior leadership staff

Nine out of ten governors surveyed felt they were clear about their roles and responsibilities.

In contrast, coordinators were less confident that governors are clear about their roles and responsibilities (three per cent: two coordinators strongly agreed and 61 per cent: 38 coordinators agreed.

Further analysis revealed that governors in those schools where governance was rated by Ofsted as ‘outstanding’ were significantly more likely to strongly agree that governors were ‘clear about their roles and responsibilities as a governor’.

Whether governors carry out more of a strategic or operational role

• monitoring the school’s progress against the school development/improvement plan (83 per cent of governors felt their governing bodies often fulfilled this role)

• monitoring the performance of the headteacher (79 per cent of governors felt their governing bodies often fulfilled this role)

• actively supporting the senior leadership team (76 per cent of governors felt their governing bodies often fulfilled this role).

Surveyed coordinators concurred with the finding that governing bodies principally fulfilled monitoring and supporting roles. The two roles carried out by most governing bodies in the view of the coordinators were: monitoring the performance of the headteacher (69 per cent: 43 coordinators) and monitoring the school’s progress against the schools development plan (61 per cent: 38 coordinators).

Additionally, only two¬fifths of governors felt their governing body often fulfilled the role of challenging the decisions of the headteacher or senior leadership team (42 per cent) or representing the views of the local community (43 per cent). Moreover, only 13 per cent (eight) of coordinators felt that most governing bodies ‘provide strategic direction to the senior leadership team’ and only 16 per cent (ten) of coordinators believed that most governing bodies ‘are actively involved in self¬evaluation of the governing body’.
Further analysis revealed that governors in those schools where governance was rated by Ofsted as ‘outstanding’ were significantly more likely to say they were often:

• actively involved in self¬evaluation of the governing body

• providing strategic direction alongside the senior leadership team

• ensuring the school helps to support all children and young people in the local community.

There was evidence across six case¬study areas that some coordinators and governors felt that governing bodies act in both a strategic and operational way dependent on the task involved. For example, one chair of governors believed that the governing body’s financial role was more strategic whereas their curriculum sub¬committee fulfilled more of an operational role. However, two coordinators, in particular, believed that governing bodies should be more strategic and one described using clerks to ‘drive’ forward and highlight the importance of governors’ strategic role.

The full Nfer Report by Tami McCrone,Clare Southcott and Nalia George can be found below

http://www.nfer.ac.uk/nfer/publications/LGMS01/LGMS01.pdf