RAISEonline for Governors of Primary Schools

An effective governing body:


• Has the right people around the table (a diverse set of people with a range of skills, experience and knowledge);


• Understands its role and responsibilities, remaining strategic and providing leadership;

• Has both a good Chair and a professional Clerk who ensure the governing body is well-informed and prioritises its business effectively;


• Has good relationships, particularly with the Headteacher built on trust, honesty and respect; 


• Knows the school, and


• Is committed to asking challenging questions and making courageous decisions in the interests of the children and young people in their school and community.


Many governing bodies, even good ones, fail to challenge school leaders effectively.

This series of notes aims to make governors more aware of the data that is at their disposal and how best to make use of it, and will also cover how to gather information from parents, staff and students.



Key questions you should ask of Raise Online data


The analyses in RAISEonline are provided to inform and support discussion about 
school improvement rather than to make absolute judgments about the effectiveness of 
any school. The questions you can ask of the wide range of data available in your school 
are almost inexhaustible. However, we limit ourselves to five key questions for this 
introductory briefing note:


1. How does attainment and progress at my school compare to national averages and the Government’s floor target?


2. Are we relatively stronger or weaker in English compared to mathematics?


3. Do we have any under-performing groups of pupils, or are there wide gaps in attainment between some groups of pupils?


4. How might the context of our school affect our performance?


5. How does pupil attendance compare to national averages?


The full document is available for free from the NGA at


http://www.nga.org.uk/getattachment/Events/NGA-Conference-and-AGM-2011/Knowing-your-school-1-RAISE-for-primary-school-governors-Nov-11.pdf.aspx


I will cover the the five key questions over the next five days on this blog