david marriott. 23/09/2015 2

David Marriott

19/04/23www.thegovernor.org.ok

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The main principles of the code

A: Leadership B: Effectiveness C: Accountability D: Remuneration E: Relations with Shareholders


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The board should present a balanced and understandable assessment of the company’s position and prospects.

The board is responsible for determining the nature and extent of the significant risks it is willing to take in achieving its strategic objectives. The board should maintain sound risk management and internal control systems.

The board should establish formal and transparent arrangements for considering how they should apply the corporate reporting and risk management and internal control principles and for maintaining an appropriate relationship with the company’s auditor.


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There should be a dialogue with shareholders based on the mutual understanding of objectives. The board as a whole has responsibility for ensuring that a satisfactory dialogue with shareholders takes place.

The board should use the AGM to communicate with investors and to encourage their participation.


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Who are our shareholders/ stakeholders?

What are our obligations to them and how well do we fulfil those obligations?

Does the GB have sufficient relevant skills and understanding to review and challenge management performance?

Is it an adequate size and are there appropriate levels of independence and commitment to fulfil its responsibilities and duties?

Is integrity a fundamental requirement in choosing our chair, vice chair, clerk and GB members (where we have a choice)?


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Do we clarify and make publicly known the roles and responsibilities of the GB and school management to provide stakeholders with a level of accountability?

Have we implemented procedures to independently verify and safeguard the integrity of the school's financial reporting? Should we set up an audit committee?

Do we receive the information we need to carry out our scrutiny function in good time?

Is the disclosure of material matters concerning the school timely and balanced to ensure that all interested parties have access to clear, factual information?

Do we ensure collectively a satisfactory dialogue with our stakeholders and report to them regularly?

Do we self-evaluate regularly and use the outcomes to improve our performance?


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"If local democracy had worked, if local governing bodies had worked in the most challenging schools and for the most disadvantaged children, we would never have needed academies"

"Often governing bodies are the problem, actually“

Sir Michael Wilshaw Head of Mossbourne academy,

Hackney New HMCI (Head of Ofsted)


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“The new theology of the Coalition government is autonomy and choice…Governors are more important in a more autonomous system. Their ability to challenge and lead is the key.”

Sue Hackman Chief Adviser for School Standards,

DfE 13.10.2011


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The governing body examines the impact of policies on the school's work carefully but it does not hold the school to account sufficiently for its performance.


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Being ACCOUNTable

Taking ACCOUNT of

Giving an ACCOUNT


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Being accountable for Effectiveness: school performance Efficiency: value for money

Taking account of Performance data Feedback from stakeholders Self-evaluation Policies, plans, improvement

strategies School environment GB’s actions

Giving an account To parents and the community To Ofsted To Diocese


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Effectiveness: school performance

Taking account of: Self evaluation (inc GB) RAISEonline Headteacher performance management Stakeholder feedback eg complaints and

compliments Policies, plans, improvement strategies School environment

Efficiency: value for money

Taking account of Schools Financial Value Standard (SFVS) Financial reports to GB Finance committee minutes Financial benchmarking Value for Money tools


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To parents and the community

Reports?

Regular communication: Newsletter Website Presence at school


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To Ofsted When evaluating the quality of leadership

and management at all levels, including, where relevant, governors, inspectors consider whether they:

demonstrate an ambitious vision for the school and high expectations for what every pupil and teacher can achieve, and set high standards for quality and performance

improve teaching and learning, including the management of pupils’ behaviour

provide a broad and balanced curriculum that: meets the needs of all pupils; enable all pupils to achieve their full educational potential and make progress in their learning; and promote their good behaviour and safety and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

evaluate the school’s strengths and weaknesses and use their findings to promote improvement

improve the school and develop its capacity for sustaining improvement by developing leadership capacity and high professional standards among all staff

engage with parents and carers in supporting pupils’ achievement, behaviour and safety and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

ensure that all pupils are safe.


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Governors’ roles ensure school runs effectively, providing best

possible education challenge and support school to do better take strategic view, set up policies, plans and

targets monitor and evaluate results delegate enough power to head to run school

effectively accountable to parents and LA for how school is

run appoint head and deputy

Head’s roles organises, manages and controls the school day-

to-day expects GB to challenge and support school to do

better discusses main aspects of school life with GB reports to GB on how school is managed

So…the head is the “chief executive”

So…holding the school to account means holding the head to account, in practice


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High support

Low support

High challengeLow challenge

Partners or critical friends

‘We share everything –good or bad’.

Supporters Club

‘We’re here to support the head’.

Abdicators

‘We leave it to the professionals’.

Adversaries

‘We keep a very close eye on the staff!’.


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Doing…in what sense?How well should it be doing?How do we know?What should we be looking

for?Where might we find it?What questions should we

ask?Who can we ask?How do we know if the

answers are reliable and honest?

What do we do if we find they’re not?


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Effective governing bodies systematically monitor their school’s progress towards meeting agreed development targets. Information about what is going well and why, and what is not going well and why, is shared.

Governors are well informed and knowledgeable because they are given high- quality, accurate information that is concise and focused on pupil achievement.

Outstanding governors are able to take and support hard decisions in the interests of pupils: to back the head teacher when they need to change staff, or to change the head teacher when absolutely necessary.

Outstanding governance supports honest, insightful self-evaluation by the school, recognising problems and supporting the steps needed to address them.

Governors in the schools visited, use the skills they bring, and the information they have about the school, to ask challenging questions, which are focused on improvement, and hold leaders to account for pupils’ outcomes.

School governance: Learning from the best Ofsted 2011


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What Ofsted inspectors do Data analysis Validation of self-evaluation Ask youngsters, parents,

teachers, governors – triangulation

Lesson observation Comparison Work sampling Discussion between inspectors

What we can do Data analysis Self-evaluation Ask youngsters, parents,

teachers, governors – triangulation

Visit school and classrooms Comparison Discussion between governors

and staff19/04/23

www.thegovernor.org.ok23

Headteacher’s report Raw data and league tables Value Added (VA) data –

RAISEonline* Pupil tracking data (anonymised) Ofsted report Self-Evaluation Subject leader report Link governor report School Improvement or

Development Plan (and related progress reports)

School Profile School Awards (eg Investors In

People, Healthy Schools, Artsmark; Basic Skills)

Curriculum Committee minutes *NGA guide


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What is our vision? What are we trying to achieve? Strategic improvement planWhat are our values? Policies

What is the evidence?School self-evaluation etc

What information?RAISEonlineDfE school comparisons

What are our new priorities?Narrowing the gap?Progress?

How do we contribute to planning for improvement?SDP & HT PM & resources

How do we know it’s happening?Head’s reports;our monitoring

How do we give an account?


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Full governing body

Matters arisingHeadteacher’s reportSchool development planSchool self-evaluationCommittee reportsSubject leaders’ reports

Committees

Curriculum, assessment, teaching and learningFinance StaffingPremises


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Problem: In the primary school where I was a governor there was no tradition of the head sharing RAISEonline data with the governors. The head took the view that it was unnecessary, because by the time it was published, RAISEonline data was out of date. She provided governors with lots of performance data when it was fresh and relevant.

Solution: Rather than bang my head against this brick wall, I encouraged fellow governors to undertake training on RAISEonline, which they did.

As a result, they also asked to see the data and the head agreed to share it.

Outcome: When we all looked at it together, the head included, we were able to identify some areas for improvement which had not been revealed by all the other data we had seen.

Now RAISEonline is shared regularly and its usefulness understood.


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Problem with maths resultsProblem identified through the annual report on resultsSolution: Governors requested that the chosen subject co-ordinator report for that year focused on the maths facultyGovernors were pushing at an open door. SLT were as worried as anyone and were keen to have governors’ support for actionGovernors, through the curriculum committee, got regular reports on progressSLT were willing to take on governors’ ideas – eg “A” half of year taught in mixed gender groups; “B” half taught as single sex groupsMajor staffing changes took place“overstaffing” of maths gave small teaching groupsOutcome – over 3 years maths results went from approx. 30% A*-C to 60%+ A*-CGovernors did not manage the changes that brought about the improvement but they did challenge and support the changes


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New National Curriculum New assessment regime and

methodology Progress measures No-notice inspections from Sept EBacc and its effects How well deprived groups do What happens when they leave? New floor standards Value for money – results vs

expenditure What are your internal school

performance indicators?


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david marriott. 23/09/2015 2

Documents

okthe board

school management

shareholders stakeholders

satisfactory dialogue

sound risk management

internal control principles

school standards

gb members