This week’s recommended NGA resources

• Embed ethical leadership in education – use our podcast, e-learning and case studies to evaluate your practice and guide your board’s behaviour and decision-making.
• Effective teamwork – explore how governing boards build a healthy team dynamic and how to respond when conflict or tension arises.
• Evaluate board diversity – gather diversity data on your membership and use this as a basis for discussion and action.

Season's greetings from NGA

As the year comes to a close, we wanted to take a moment to express our immense appreciation for the governance volunteers and professionals who have generously contributed their time and expertise in 2023.

Your dedication to supporting your schools and trusts and the impact your work has on staff, pupils and the wider community continues to inspire us, and we are truly grateful for your invaluable partnership. All of us at NGA wish you a joyful and peaceful Christmas.

Minimum service levels consultation – have your say!

The Department for Education (DfE) is seeking views that will help design an “appropriate approach for delivering minimum service levels” in education, as well as exploring the evidence on the impact of strike action. The consultation, open to a wide variety of stakeholders including parents, pupils, teachers, leaders and governing boards, asks for views on the scope of proposals, design principles of the policy, approaches to remote education and the impact on pupils on missing a day of school.

NGA will be submitting a response at the end of January and we want this to reflect the views of our members. We will be launching an online poll in early January but we also welcome any email responses if you want to feed in your views before the festive break. Please email sam.henson@nga.org.uk or sabreen.marashli@nga.org.uk with your contributions.

Consultation launched for the Advanced British Standard

In a step towards introducing the Advanced British Standard (ABS), the Government has launched a consultation this week to get the views of educationalists, parents, young people and employers on its future design.

The new qualification, eventually replacing A levels and T levels, will see students study a minimum of five subjects with an increase in teaching time and a core focus on maths and English.

Speaking on the consultation launch, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said “[the ABS] will put academic and technical education on an equal footing, ensure our education system is fit for the future and give all young people the skills they need to fulfil their potential”.

Read NGA’s response to the announcement of the ABS.

Sign up now!  Bookings available on NGA’s Leading Governance development courses

The development for chairs programme is designed for both trustees and governors who currently chair, and those aspiring to become a chair, supporting the development of leadership skills.

Trustees: Start date – 27 February 2024
LA Maintained and LGBs: Start date – 1 March 2024
Cost: £270 per participant for a member, £285 for a non-member.

The Level 3 Certificate in the clerking of school and academy governing boards programme is an accredited programme designed for governance professionals and clerks with at least three months experience, currently working in any school or trust setting. The cost is £530 per participant.
To find out more about either of these programmes, call us on 0121 237 3780 dial option 5, email us at leading.governance@nga.org.uk or visit our website.

Lords committee call for reform

A mandatory national curriculum, reduced number of assessments at 16 and abandoning the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) were some of the recommendations outlined in The House of Lords Select Committee for Education’s recent report.

Going further, the committee also recommended removing the ambition of 90% of pupils to be taking this subject combination and removing all references to the EBacc from Ofsted’s school inspection handbook.

Sir Jon Coles, while expressing some support for the EBacc as a guiding principle for the curriculum, argued that “The 90% target for EBacc is a mistake and should be dropped. It is not the right option for 90% of children to do that precise range of subjects”.

How to govern efficiently

NGA research suggests that over a quarter of all governance volunteers in schools and trusts are thinking about resigning, citing the time constraints and pressure of the role.

While efficiencies in board practice cannot alleviate all workload pressures, there are often opportunities to implement better ways of working.

We’ve developed tips to help boards govern efficiently, which draw on our research findings and share advice on staying strategic, policy approval, board relationships, development, and the governance professional role.

To find out more about how governing boards can balance efficiency and effectiveness, book your place at our upcoming webinar.

Children and young people’s mental health services: Targets, progress and barriers to improvement

Only 36% of government policies relating to children and young people’s mental health have been implemented since 2015. This is according to an analysis carried out by the Education Policy Institute (EPI), which also found that while positive changes to provision have been made, progress has been outpaced by rising need. 

Raising concerns about the lack of focus on prevention and early intervention, the report calls for a strategy to reduce child poverty and expand access to high quality early support services for families in all areas.

Recommendations also include access to a mental health support worker for all secondary schools, with the skills and training to deliver evidence-based, high-quality interventions.
EPI has also launched an online ‘policy tracker’, which can be found on their website.

NGA has guidance to help boards understand their responsibilities in relation to supporting pupil mental health and wellbeing.

Education spending in England

Funding for deprived schools has fallen more in real terms than for the least deprived, analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) shows. While per pupil spending is higher amongst the most deprived group of schools by 21%, this is down from 31% in 2010, and can be explained by a range of factors, including the failure for pupil premium to keep pace with inflation.

An increase in government funding is expected to reverse past cuts to schools, returning real term spending per pupil in 2024 to 2010 levels. However, after accounting for the growth in costs, which are rising faster in schools than economy-wise inflation, the IFS estimate that school budget purchasing power will be 4% lower in 2024 than in 2010.

NGA are calling on the incoming government to protect the value of pupil premium funding in the face of the rapid rise in inflation. You can read more about our asks in our Manifesto for schools and trusts.

It feels like Christmas at NGA!

We are feeling the festive spirit, and that is why we are releasing most of our Spring term events for you now. All you need to do is to book your place, and we will do the rest.

In the Spring term, you will have opportunities to network with your peers more than ever, with four networking events and two governance leadership forums to choose from.

January 

• 23 January, 12.30 – 13.15, Webinar: Governance workload – balancing efficiency and effectiveness, Book Now
• 30 January, 16.30 – 18.00, Governance Leadership Forum – Exclusions: present & future, Book today

February

• 8 February, 16.30 – 18.00, Governance Leadership Forum – A debate: to pay or not to pay for governance? Book here
• 27 February, 16.30 – 18.00, SEND Network Meeting, Book Now
• 29 February, 17.15 – 18.00 – SAT Network – The future of Single Academy Trusts  Book today

March

• 07 March, 16.00-17.30, MAT Governance Network, Book here
• 13 – 14 March 10.00 – 12.30, Governance Professionals Conference, Book Now
• 20 March, 16.30-17.30, Young Governors Network, Book Now

Book your place and we will get the joining instructions to you closer to the event date.

This week’s recommended NGA resources

• Effective behaviour management – this guidance sets out how governing boards shape, support and monitor the behaviour policy.
• Engaging with parents and carers – learn how boards can engage with this important stakeholder group who offer rich and diverse insights into school life.
• School monitoring visits – use our guidance, model report and planning tools to make sure your visits are well planned and have a positive impact.

NGA responds to the verdict on the Ruth Perry inquest

Responding to the inquest findings into the tragic death of Ruth Perry, which recorded a verdict of “suicide, contributed to by an Ofsted inspection carried out in November 2022”, NGA director of policy and communications, Sam Henson, said:

“But right now, it is our moral obligation to reflect meaningfully and swiftly, to be decisive and to come together in this moment in order to prevent such heartbreak in the future. We need to secure urgent change that will ensure that accountability is accessed through a system of support and encouragement for educators rather than through the threat of career ending implications and a relentless industry of distress”.

You can read NGA’s full response via the newspage.

Narrowing attainment gaps

A recent government study, prompted by the Sewell report on race and ethnic disparities shows that schools fostering curriculum diversity and celebrating cultural differences successfully narrow the attainment gap between pupils from various ethnic backgrounds.

This research offers valuable lessons for governors and trustees, emphasising the impact of proactive community engagement and the empowerment of pupil voice, and providing insight on integrating diverse identities into school culture. Findings showed that successful schools follow a high-expectations ethos, implement swift intervention strategies, and prioritise effective data analysis.

Latest research shares a national picture on parent views

Over a quarter of parents struggle with school costs, with uniforms, trips and meals being top concerns, according to Parentkind’s National Parent Survey report published this week. The report provides insights into parent perspectives on key education issues from cyberbullying to safeguarding and mental health. Findings also show that while 2.8 million children experienced bullying, 1.6 million did not receive adequate support.   

The report highlights different challenges facing modern families, and NGA’s suite of guidance, provides practical tools for addressing many of these key issues at board level.

Read the full report here.

Bookings for our Spring term events are now open

We start the next term with a look at how efficiency and effectiveness can lessen the governance workload burden. NGA’s Ella Colley and Adelaide Chitanda discuss the demands placed on governance volunteers and what can be done to make the role manageable. Tell your boards not to miss this one, and book today.

The Spring term brings the opportunity to join two Governance Leadership Forums. In January, we delve into the pressures of exclusion panels and if now is the time remove exclusion panels from the governor/trustee role, while in February, we host the big debate on governance renumeration.

• 23 January, 12.30 – 1.15pm, Webinar: Governance workload – balancing efficiency and effectiveness, Book Now
• 30 January, 16.30 – 18.00, Governance Leadership Forum – Exclusions: present & future, Book today
• 8 February, 16.30 – 18.00, Governance Leadership Forum – A debate: to pay or not to pay for governance? Book here
• 27 February, 16.30 – 18.00, SEND Network Meeting, Book Now
• 13 – 14 March 10.00 – 12.30, Governance Professionals Conference, Book Now
• 20 March, 16.30-17.30, Young Governors Network, Book Now

Complete our governance workload diary

In a bid to quantify the time spent on governance duties we are asking for volunteers to complete diaries explaining the tasks they conduct and the amount of time they take. This acts as a continuation of our workload project, aiming to better represent the temporal reality for governors and trustees in 2023.

We want to hear from those in all walks of governance life, including those with varying governance experience, leadership level, school phase and board type. If you or someone you know would be willing to complete a month-long diary in return for a small token of our appreciation, please email megan.tate@nga.org.uk.

NGA’s FREE governance professional job service

NGA’s FREE service for advertising governance professional jobs has been further improved and enables prospective applicants to view jobs by level or region.

If you or someone you know is looking for a new challenge in their career, take a look at the jobs pages. There are currently vacancies for all three governance professional levels and across all settings and phases.

The governance professional career pathway includes information for the three professional levels of clerk, governance coordinator and lead governance professional to help you choose the level that best matches your skills and experience.

For schools and trusts currently in need of a governance professional, simply complete the online form with the relevant details. You will be prompted to include details on pay and hours and have the option of uploading documents to accompany the advert such as an application form, job description and person specification.
For further assistance with governance professional recruitment, email clerkingmatters@nga.org.uk

English, maths and science results fall among 15 year olds in England

Scores in maths, reading and science have fallen among 15-year-olds in England according to the latest Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results, which are published every three years.

The assessment which compares education outcomes between high and middle income countries did however find that while scores have dropped, England has risen up the rankings overall in English and maths.

The results come as UNICEF published their latest report this week, Child Poverty in the Midst of Wealth, which found that England is now ranked 47th for child poverty out of 49 countries belonging to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

NGA has published five toolkits and an accompanying guide to support boards with addressing educational disadvantage in their school/trust. This includes our toolkit, produced in collaboration with the Child Poverty Action Group, on addressing disadvantage where poverty is the driver.
Visit NGA’s Knowledge Centre to find out more.

NGA’s Leading Governance Chairs Development Programme (for trusts) - Spring 2024 – book your place 

This established programme provides practical, convenient and focused training for current and aspiring chairs in trusts of all sizes. 

To meet demand a further trust-specific cohort commences on Tuesday 19th March 2024. You can find out more about the programme and fee and book your place here.

You’ll develop a better understanding of strategic leadership in trusts and the governance role in driving school improvement. The programme explores successful approaches to building a strong team and an effective working relationship with the senior executive leader. The workshops explore important current themes, challenges and best practice approaches focussing on the pivotal role of the chair.  

Facilitated by an experienced MAT chair, the interactive, small group workshops promote sharing and learning with peers, building your confidence to lead the board.

This week’s recommended NGA resources

• UPDATED: Tackling disadvantage in education – we’ve refreshed our guidance and toolkits to help you identify barriers to learning and work with leaders to tackle inequity that stops pupils reaching their potential.
• Monitoring educational performance – explore guidance, tools and training that can help your board understand the data and learn how to monitor school improvement priorities.
• Reviewing your complaints procedure – use our checklist to make sure the procedure for your school or trust meets requirements and supports effective complaints resolution.

Public Accounts Committee release report on condition of school buildings

The Committee of Public Accounts has released their report on the condition of school buildings. It states that an estimated 700,000 pupils attend the 1,200 schools that have been considered for the School Rebuilding Programme and are therefore deemed to be in need of major rebuilding or refurbishment.

The Committee expressed their concerns that the Department for Education (DfE) does not have a good enough understanding of safety risks across school buildings for it to fully quantify and mitigate these risks.

Issues highlighted included the DfE’s incomplete knowledge in relation to asbestos across the school estate and the number and condition of schools with RAAC. To help protect longer-term value for money, and avoid reactive measures, the report recommended that the DfE should set out its strategy for encouraging responsible bodies to carry out timely and effective repairs.

To help governing boards effectively manage their estates, NGA has produced guidance and presented a webinar.

Welcoming our new trustees to the NGA Board

Thank you to everyone who took the time to vote for our new trustees. Following our recent elections, we are very pleased to welcome the following new members to NGA’s board:

• Jeff Quantrill –West Midlands
• Anthony Langan –London
• Michelle Foster –North West
• Janice Light –North East

We would also like to say a big thank you to the trustees leaving us. Lynn Howard, who chaired the NGA board for the last three years and Duncan Haworth and Howard Davies, who have all worked so hard and have each made an outstanding impact to the work NGA do. We wish you all the very best for the future. You will be greatly missed.

Autumn statement: No additional funding for schools

No further school revenue funding was included in this week’s autumn statement. Neither was any extra capital funding provided to help address the schools building crisis. Jeremy Hunt did however pledge up to £7million over the next three years to tackle antisemitism in schools and universities.

The statement was met with disappointment from many in the sector and came despite a pledge by the prime minister Rishi Sunak last month to prioritise education in future spending reviews. Unions had also previously written to the chancellor calling for an extra £1.7billion to next year’s budget to recruit and retain teachers and protect schools from having to make further cuts in provision.

NAHT's general secretary Paul Whiteman said “education has apparently been sidelined in this announcement. There was virtually nothing pledged for schools, and this statement did not touch upon the big challenges facing them.” NGA has also responded to the autumn budget.

New: NGA’s annual report – Our achievements in 2023

Our achievements in 2023 report is now live! It highlights NGA's activities over the year that contribute to delivering its charitable aim of improving the educational standards and well-being of young people by increasing the effectiveness of governing boards and promoting high standards.

Highlights from this year's activities include 51 new or updated resources added to NGA's Knowledge Centre and 220 Governance Professionals jobs advertised for free via our Governance Professionals jobs service. The Gold advice service resolved 2,149 queries, 72% of which were resolved on the same or the next working day. Learning Link e-learning, the market leader for e-learning in the school and trust governance sector, saw an increase in users of 32%, with 15,372 new users logging in to access modules, including 9 added this year.

Read more
 

New report: Mental health of children and young people in England

One in five children and young people in England aged eight to 25 had a probable mental disorder in 2023, according to new findings published this week.

The Mental Health of Children and Young People in England 2023 report, published by NHS England, also found that children aged eight to 16 years with a probable mental disorder were seven times more likely than their peers to have missed more than 15 days of school in the Autumn term of 2022.

Most children aged 11 to 16 years said that they were able to access to support at school, however, they were less likely to agree that ’I feel comfortable talking to adults about my mental health’ (59.3% agreed) or ‘The support at my school is helpful’ (64.5% agreed). 

NGA has collaborated with Place2Be to produce a  guide for boards on their responsibilities with supporting mental health and pupil wellbeing and how to monitor this area.

Final call for our 2023 events

Young Governors Network
Join NGA’s director of policy and communications, Sam Henson, and policy and projects manager, Fiona Fearon at our last Young Governors Network of 2023, on 28 November at 4:30pm, as they discuss all things Manifesto and Governance workload. Book today.

Calling all governance professionals
Join us at the Governance Professionals Network on 30 November, 10am-12pm where you will learn more about governor workload, policy management and governance handbooks with plenty of opportunities for governance professionals to have their say and pose questions.

Book Now

Do you want to learn more about financial efficiency?

If so, then our upcoming webinar on 6 December is for you. In this webinar, NGA’s director of policy and communications, Sam Henson, and director of professional development, Charlotte Harding, set out how governing boards contribute to financial efficiency by prioritising spending in the interest of pupils.

We will also cover:

• Key indicators of financial efficiency
• How to recognise effective procurement in your school or trust
• The principle of integrated curriculum and financial planning
• Suggested approaches to income generation

Book Now

This week’s round up on Ofsted

This week the sector has seen a host of activity around the school accountability system. In addition to the release of Ofsted’s annual report, the sector saw the Beyond Ofsted inquiry publish their report proposing changes to the school inspection system, a report from NAHT sharing the views of school leaders and a report from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) setting out how Labour’s proposed school improvement model would work.

In her final report, HMCI Amanda Spielman addressed the rising concerns around absenteeism and behaviour. The report explores the main themes that were prominent throughout the inspections of providers.

NGA has a range of resources available on Learning Link and the Knowledge Centre to support governing boards navigate the inspection process.

The Gatsby benchmarks: 10-year review

The Gatsby Foundation alongside our academic partner, the University of Derby, launched a programme of research in the spring to assess what, if any, refinements might be needed to ensure that the impact of the Gatsby Benchmark Framework for Good Career Guidance continues for the next decade.

As part of an extensive research programme including literature reviews, roundtables and visits, they carried out a national consultation survey completed by over 1,200 education and business stakeholders and have published an update on the initial findings.

In collaboration with the Careers Enterprise Company (CEC), NGA has produced a guide for governing boards on how they can support their school/trust deliver a quality careers education offer.
 

Sign up now! Bookings available on NGA’s Leading Governance development courses

The development for chairs programme is designed for both trustees and governors who currently chair, and those aspiring to become a chair, supporting the development of leadership skills.

Trustees: Start date – 7 February 2024
LA Maintained and LGBs: Start date – 1 March 2024
Cost: £270 per participant for members, £285 for non-members.

The Level 3 Certificate in the clerking of school and academy governing boards programme is an accredited programme designed for governance professionals and clerks with at least three months experience, currently working in any school or trust setting. The cost is £530 per participant.

To find out more about either of these programmes, call us on 0121 237 3780 dial option 5, email us at leading.governance@nga.org.uk or visit our website.

Welcome to Governance LIVE – New Year sessions open for booking 

Free virtual sessions exclusively available to NGA GOLD members and MAT trustee members are now open for booking. Designed for new governors and trustees, the sessions support you to make an impact in your first six months.
Spring:

• 30 January – for new governors in maintained school
• 31 January – for new governors on a local academy committee within a MAT
• 6 February - for new trustees of a SAT board
• 7 February - for new trustees of a MAT board

Time:  4.00pm – 5.15pm

The sessions will explore:

• what you can expect (the positives including examples of real-life challenges)
• top tips and the support available to you
• how to make an impact quickly (the type of school/trust you’d like it to be and how to support achieving its vision)

Visit our website to find out more.

To book your place email: leading.governance@nga.org.uk

Existing NGA members can upgrade to GOLD membership to access these sessions.

This week’s recommended NGA resources

• What boards and leaders should expect from each other – our popular guides set out the respective roles and explain how to get governance right by working together.
• Monitoring the budget in maintained schools and academy trusts – learn how to interpret budget reports and ask the right questions.
• The role of members in an academy trust – find out how members contribute to trust governance and hold trustees to account.

Taking stock – governance workload and sustainability

The heightened intensity of governance pressures threating its sustainability, straining even the most dedicated volunteers is comprehensively explored in a brand new study by NGA.

Over a quarter of all governance volunteers and a third of chairs are contemplating resigning with the time and pressures of the role being the main drivers. Key findings have today been published in an executive summary of the full report which will be published next week.  The report asks the question – ‘is there anything we can remove from the responsibilities’ and asks ‘what else can be done’ to reduce workload.

Key findings, explored in our news page, address:

• The impact of rising numbers of exclusions and complaints on board workload
• Broader challenges within the system intensifying difficulties for boards
• Workload associated with the expanding expectations to support families
• The role of inefficient board practice and dysfunctional board culture on volunteer time and workload
• Mental load and wellbeing of governors and trustees

New research: Teacher wellbeing continues to decline

Teacher wellbeing is at its lowest level in five years, according to research published this week by Education Support. The survey of over 3,000 education staff found that 89% of all senior leaders (rising to 95% among headteachers) and 78% of school teachers reported feeling stressed.

The survey also found that 71% of staff thought inspections negatively impact their mental health and wellbeing with 73% sharing the view that inspections are not fit for purpose.

Commenting, Sinéad Mc Brearty, Chief Executive, Education Support said “Such high levels of burnout, overwork and loneliness will not lead to a world class education system” adding that “working in schools and colleges is unsustainably demanding”.

Recommendations include a funding settlement that matches current levels of demand on schools and colleges, as well as properly funded wider public services.

Our guide on improving staff wellbeing, supports governing boards to create a culture of wellbeing in their school or trust.

New Learning Link module on environmental sustainability

Learning Link’s newest module, Environmental sustainability: the governance role, is now live and ready to complete. As an introductory bitesize module, you will gain a broad overview of environmental sustainability, why it matters for schools and trusts and how you can begin to take action.

Designed to be completed in 20 to 30 minutes, this module will outline the Greener Governance campaign (including the 6 Cs), the Department for Education’s (DfE) climate change and sustainability strategy and helpful case studies. Your progress is saved as you go and helpful links to additional resources will be available.

This module is available to all Learning Link members and can be found under the Good Governance category on the platform. If you aren’t already subscribed, find out more about how Learning Link can help fast-track your governance skills and knowledge.

Join us at an NGA event this term

We are working hard to prepare fresh and exciting events for 2024, and we are nearly ready to share them with you. In the meantime, don’t forget to book your place on one of our networks, both taking place this month.

28 November 4.30-5.30pm - Young Governor’s Network
30 November 10.00-12pm – Governance Professional Network

Do you want to learn more about financial efficiency?
If so, then our upcoming webinar on 6 December is for you. In this webinar, NGA’s director of policy and communications, Sam Henson, and director of professional development, Charlotte Harding, set out how governing boards contribute to financial efficiency by prioritising spending in the interest of pupils.

We will also cover:

• Key indicators of financial efficiency
• How to recognise effective procurement in your school or trust
• The principle of integrated curriculum and financial planning
• Suggested approaches to income generation

Book Now

LSE report highlights inequality of SEND support

Research from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) has found that children and young people with SEND living in more affluent areas are more likely to be diagnosed with less prevalent, more precisely defined conditions e.g. dyslexia that involve agencies and resources outside of the school setting than those in poorer areas.

Children living in more deprived areas are more likely to have their needs recorded as more commonly documented SEND conditions e.g ‘Speech, Language and Communication Needs’.

NGA is aware of the difficulties that parents, carers and schools currently face in relation to SEND provision and although we support the intentions and commitment to change detailed in the SEND improvement plan released in March, we share the concerns of many of our members that significant changes are urgently needed.

Find out more about what we are calling for in relation to SEND in our recently published manifesto.

Sign up now!  Bookings available on NGA’s Leading Governance development courses

The development for chairs programme is designed for both trustees and governors who currently chair, and those aspiring to become a chair, supporting the development of leadership skills.

Trustees: Start date – 7 February 2024
LA Maintained and LGBs: Start date – 1 March 2024
Cost: £270 per participant for a member, £285 for a non-member.

The Level 3 Certificate in the clerking of school and academy governing boards programme is an accredited programme designed for governance professionals and clerks with at least three months experience, currently working in any school or trust setting. The cost is £530 per participant.

To find out more about either of these programmes, call us on 0121 237 3780 dial option 5, email us at leading.governance@nga.org.uk or visit our website.

NGA returns to the Schools and Academies Show in less than a week!

There’s less than a week until the Schools & Academies Show returns to NEC, Birmingham, next Wednesday, 22 November. Hear from inspirational speakers and leading government figures.

Don’t miss out on NGA’s sessions:

• In the Right Place, At the Right Time, Doing the Right Thing: Exploring the Links Between Behaviour and Attendance
  Main stage panel – including Emma Balchin, co-Chief executive
• Starting a New or Joining a MAT: A Governor’s Perspective
  Emma Knights, co-Chief executive and Sam Henson, director of policy and communications
• Staying Power: Ensuring your Governance Work is Sustainable
  Emma Knights OBE, co-chief executive

Register here for free! 
View the full agenda here 

Don’t forget to come and say hi at our Stand F22. We look forward to seeing you there.

Headteacher or CEO performance management

The performance of the headteacher or CEO is key to outstanding leadership and management for your school or trust. NGA can provide your board with the necessary support in the performance management process for your school or trust.

Elevate your school or trust's success by proactively recognising the Headteacher's or CEO's role in delivering your vision and strategy, and holding them accountable for meeting objectives.

Read more & enquire

Department for Education appoints a new minister

Damian Hinds has been appointed as a Minister of State for education following Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s partial cabinet reshuffle this week. Hinds joins the department following the resignation of Nick Gibb and formerly worked as the Education Secretary during 2018-19.

Cutting the cost of school uniform: webinar for schools

The DfE is hosting a one hour live event to help school leaders implement the statutory cost of school uniform guidance.

During the webinar you will hear directly from school leaders about how the principles of the guidance have been applied in their schools to reduce the cost of their uniform while still maintaining their core values and ethos. There will be time to ask follow-up questions to gain a greater insight into the schools’ decision-making process.
.
The event will place online on 29 November at 4pm.

Book your place.

This week’s recommended NGA resources

• NEW: How to use pupil voice – learn about the benefits, effective engagement methods, how boards can get involved, and monitoring the impact of pupil participation.
• Planning induction for new governors and trustees – a step-by-step guide to building an induction programme that helps new volunteers understand their role.
• Recruiting new volunteers – a collection of resources to help boards attract new governors/trustees, create a diverse board and increase retention.
• Understanding local governance – the role of the local tier in MATs, governance structures, delegated responsibilities, communication and reporting.

Waiting times for specialist support among factors driving up absence rates

A briefing on school attendance was published by the Children’s Commissioner this week, highlighting the latest absence rates.

Based on a recent audit, the briefing states that in 2022-23, the overall absence rate was 7.5%, compared to 4.7% in 2018/19. It also found that 22.3% of all pupils were persistently absent in 2022/23 and over 140,000 children were severely absent in Spring 2022, meaning that they missed at least half of their education.

Many children cited their wait for specialist support such as mental health support or an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) as a driver for their school absence, while in some instances, children were found to be struggling with issues in their home environment.

The briefing comes as FFT Education Datalab launched their new tool allowing schools to track, analyse and compare their attendance data against 1,000s of other schools. They also provide an analysis of persistent and severe absence rates going back to 2006-07.

Inspection grades align with performance outcomes

Latest findings on Ofsted grading show an alignment with performance outcomes with the report suggesting inspectors are identifying the quality of education in schools, even when outcomes data lags behind what is happening at the school at the time of the inspection.

The analysis also found that contextual factors contribute to the misalignment between Ofsted grades and performance data. For example schools with a higher level of disadvantage were more likely to have lower performance data. Other factors such as weak SEND provision, and attitude and behaviour judgements could pull down the overall judgement for schools.

The incoming HMCI Martyn Oliver has emphasised the extent to which the framework has moved away from data and the potential impact that this can have saying, “I think it’s difficult to explain how you get some of the worst outcomes in the country getting a ‘good’ inspection”.

NGA’s guide and learning link modules have been produced support governing boards through the inspection process.

This is your last chance to secure a place for our Annual Seminars

Our fast-approaching Annual Seminars will explore some of the key issues schools are currently facing including attendance, developing and retaining school staff, improving the lives of disadvantaged pupils, the role of schools in changing the world as well as the annual address and AGM.

We also have our Networks for Young Governors and Governance Professionals coming up before the Christmas break, with our webinar on financial efficiency being the last event of 2023.

 
Book Now

Ofsted review: the multi-agency response to children and families that need help

Ofsted has described joint working between partner agencies and schools as “weak”, in a report published this week. 

The research based on joint inspections in five areas found that school leaders felt they were often working in isolation, with communications from partner agencies being inconsistent.

While Ofsted found evidence of positive outcomes for children and good practice by schools, it said local safeguarding partnerships needed to ensure greater consensus with partners, particularly schools. It also noted the need for a shared understanding of what early help is among all relevant partners.

As part of its manifesto for 2024, NGA has called for a thorough review of the expectations of schools and trusts alongside other children and family services. NGA is also calling for the government to restore funding levels of for children’s services, equipping local authorities to more effectively to carry out their statutory duties.

New report: The importance of parental engagement

New research looking at parent satisfaction with their school’s efforts to engage them was published this week.

Based on feedback from 38,000 parents and carers, it found that 58% of parents feel completely or quite satisfied with the school’s efforts to engage them as parents, while one in five (21%) feel only slightly satisfied, or not satisfied at all. It also found that primary parents are far more satisfied than secondary parents with the school’s efforts to engage them.

This report can be used by schools when reviewing their parental engagement strategies to better understand and facilitate the relationship between the school and its parents.

Parental involvement is often key to student success and parents are one of the most important stakeholders for governing boards. NGA has produced guidance in collaboration with Parentkind, to help boards understand how they can influence the school’s parental engagement strategy as well as directly engage with parents.

New resource hub to support mental health in schools and colleges

A new online resource hub launched this week on the Mentally Healthy Schools site. Anna Freud, in partnership with and funded by the Department for Education (DfE), has collaborated with a range of education and mental health experts, including NGA to produce this new library for mental health leads and other education staff.

The mental health lead resource hub will support schools and colleges to embed and sustain a whole-school or college approach to mental health and wellbeing. It offers practical resources and tools from trusted organisations and training providers all under one roof, further supporting mental health leads to continue to develop their role and better support children and young people to thrive.

The resources include NGA’s guide for governing boards on pupil mental health and wellbeing, which can also be accessed via the Knowledge Centre.

Advertise your governance professional job for FREE

If your school or trust is currently in need of a governance professional, simply complete this online form. You will be prompted to include details on pay and hours and have the option of uploading documents to accompany the advert such as an application form, job description and person specification.

The governance professional career pathway includes role description templates for the three professional levels of clerk, governance coordinator and lead governance professional to compare with your own and make updates if necessary.

And if you or someone you know is looking for a new challenge in their career, you might just find it on the jobs pages. There are vacancies for all three governance professional levels and across all settings and phases.

NGA’s FREE service for advertising governance professional jobs has been improved to allow prospective applicants to view jobs by region.

For further assistance with governance professional recruitment, email clerkingmatters@nga.org.uk

Kings’ speech outlines the government's priorities for the coming year

Introducing the new Advanced British Standard (ABS) was amongst a range of measures announced by King Charles at the opening of Parliament this week. In hopes to “strengthen education long term”, the ABS will combine technical and academic routes into a single qualification. The King also announced the introduction of legislation aimed at reducing smoking and vaping amongst children.

However, sector leaders have criticised the King’s Speech over its failure to include issues such as children’s social care, early years, increasing child poverty and mental health.

To read NGA’s full response to the introduction of the ABS, visit our news page.

The DfE publishes guidance on installing temporary buildings on school sites with RAAC

The DfE has released guidance on installing temporary buildings on school sites affected by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

The guidance aims to support local authorities, school leaders and governing boards of maintained schools, and academies where they plan to install temporary buildings on school sites that are impacted. Topics covered include planning stipulations, the impact on sports and recreation and environmental considerations.

In addition to NGA’s guidance for governing boards on dealing with RAAC, we also have a webinar and guidance on estates management. 

More effort needed from government in reducing teacher workload

Teachers whose schools have more workload reduction strategies in place are significantly more likely to have positive views on manageability of workload and job satisfaction. This is according to research carried out by the National Foundation for Education Research (NFER).

The report, which reviews current practices being used to manage teacher workload in England, also found that that school leadership was one of the few mediating factors of workload reduction, showing the importance of culture and a whole-school approach to reducing workload.

However, the research found that despite most schools adopting workload reduction strategies, they are insufficient in reducing workload to acceptable levels, highlighting that tackling external pressures on schools so that teachers can focus on the job of teaching must be a Government priority.

Governing boards have a responsibility to support the wellbeing of all staff employed in their school or trust. Boards can use our staff wellbeing guide to evaluate current practice, explore ways to reduce unnecessary workload, and create a culture of wellbeing.

Ofsted pause MAT inspections

Ofsted has informed TES this week that it will no longer be carrying out summary evaluations of MATs until the next financial year. Leaders have speculated that this is due to a lack of capacity, forcing Ofsted to focus on the school inspections they are legally required to conduct.

NGA has been clear that formal Ofsted inspections of trusts are now necessary, given the changes to the schools system in recent years.

The announcement reinforces NGA’s view that Ofsted currently lack the capacity to effectively inspect trusts. If MAT inspections are to be introduced, then reform and investment into Ofsted will be necessary to ensure it is a success. NGA will continue to work with partners to refine any proposals on behalf of governors and trustees.

MAT member exclusive webinar

Join us for our dynamic webinar ‘Trust-building governance: empowering community-centred MATs' on 7 November 12.30-1.15pm exploring the pivotal role of governance in fostering trust with schools and communities through the power of transparent decision making.

We will outline the role of impactful delegation, and how you communicate governance practices across multiple tiers to provide your trust community with confidence in your ability to make the best decisions.

Key Webinar Highlights:

• unlocking the power of effective delegation
• transparency in governance decision-making
• maximising flexibilities in Trust governance

This is an opportunity for you to hear evidence-based lessons and top tips on how to cement the foundations for exceptional governance that places your trust at the heart of its communities.
Book your place now.

This week’s recommended NGA resources

• Questions for governing boards to ask – use our collection of questions to make sure you’re providing the right support and challenge.
• Link roles – learn why governing boards appoint link governors and trustees and how to ensure these roles strengthen you board’s monitoring programme.
• Improving staff wellbeing – explore opportunities to reduce unnecessary workload and create a culture of wellbeing in your school or trust.
• Support for chairs – access our tools, training and resources to better understand the role and make it manageable. 

Investment to improve artificial intelligence tools for teachers announced

A £2million investment in Oak National Academy has been announced by the Government to support teachers with resources powered by artificial intelligence (AI). The investment will assist with the development of high quality curriculum resources online, to create new teaching tools using AI, marking the first step towards providing every teacher with a personalised AI lesson-planning assistant.

Following the announcement, Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan said, “throughout my career, I have seen the positive impact that technology can have, which is why it is great we’re harnessing the potential of AI and supporting Oak National Academy to develop new resources for teachers”.

The announcement comes as the two day hackathon, hosted by the DfE brings teachers and leaders from schools and trusts across England to experiment with AI.

Less than five days left to complete NGA’s Annual Membership Survey!

NGA’s Annual membership Survey closes on Tuesday 7 November, 12pm. With less than 5 days left to go, there is still time for you to share your views and help us improve our services and ensure you get the best membership experience.

The survey is available to members only and takes approximately 10-15 minutes to complete.

Take the survey.

Join us at an NGA event this term

Don't forget to secure your place at the upcoming NGA events.

Our fast-approaching Annual Seminars will explore some of the key issues schools are currently facing including attendance, developing and retaining school staff, improving the lives of disadvantaged pupils, the role of schools in changing the world as well as the annual address and AGM.

We also have our Networks for Young Governors and Governance Professionals coming up before the Christmas break.

 
Book Now

NTP year three review: Educators praise ‘positive impact’ of tutoring

School leaders, teachers and tutors believe that the National Tutoring Programme (NTP) has had a positive impact on pupils’ attainment, progress, and confidence, according to a new report by NFER.

Of those surveyed, 79% were reportedly satisfied or very satisfied with both how tutoring aligned with the curriculum, and how the NTP met pupils’ learning needs.

However, funding was viewed as a significant challenge for the long-term sustainability of tutoring in schools, with most respondents stating that it's continuation is dependent on funding being available. NFER has called on the government to explore how financial support can be sustained to allow tutoring to become a permanent tool in addressing the attainment gap.

In a separate review of the NTP, Ofsted found that tutoring continued to be effective when it was well planned, delivered in small groups and aligned with the curriculum.

The DfE publishes research report on Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) 2021 Reforms

September 2021 saw the rollout of the DfE’s reforms to the EYFS which aimed to improve early years (EY) outcomes for all children. It focussed on developing the building blocks that secure the future success of EY pupils such as mathematics, language development and literacy.

More than two years on, the DfE, informed by IFF research, has published a report based on findings from EY providers, staff and local authorities to evaluate the 2021 reforms and to identify areas requiring further improvement.

Reviewing and amending approaches to curriculum, learning and development were the most common change in EY settings following the reforms. This included a shift of focus away from recording observations to increased time being spent with children. Of those staff who made changes to curriculum practices, it was believed that reforms had improved the quality of teaching.

NGA’s MAT Trustee Development Programme - spring 2024 workshop dates announced

NGA’s Leading Governance Development Programme for MAT Trustees provides practical, convenient and focused training for current, new and future trustees in MATs.

To meet demand, a further programme of workshops will start in the spring on Tuesday 6 February.

Our programme of eight workshops builds the essential knowledge, skills and behaviours for trustees to understand how to achieve strong MAT governance and fulfil their duties. The workshops explore important current themes, challenges and best practice approaches focussing on strong governance and the role of the board and its trustees in making this happen.

Participants can choose the whole programme or select specific workshops according to their learning priorities and budget.

Led by experienced facilitators with MAT governance expertise, the interactive, small group workshops provide the opportunity for participants to share and learn with their peers and to build the confidence and knowledge to govern effectively and meet their legal obligations.

Book your place.

Online Safety Bill becomes law

The Online Safety Act was made law this week, meaning technology firms bear more responsibility for the content they allow on their platforms. Aiming to make the internet safer for children, it will require firms to protect children from content like child sexual abuse, controlling or coercive behavior and promoting self-harm and suicide. Other powers will include cyber-flashing (sending unsolicited sexual imagery online) being an offence and making it easier for bereaved parents to obtain information about their children from tech firms.

Commenting, Technology Secretary, Michelle Donelan MP said it is a “game changing piece of legislation” that “puts protecting children first” whilst NSPCC Chief Executive, Sir Peter Wanless said “it is a momentous day for children and will finally result in the ground-breaking protections they should expect online”.

To read about governing boards responsibilities for safeguarding and online safety of pupils see our guidance.

Minimum service levels during strike action

The government has announced that it will introduce minimum service levels in schools to ensure education can continue during any future strike action. This follows the industrial action taken by teachers last academic year, which resulted in over 10 days of action in schools. 
 
Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan MP is meeting with union leaders to discuss the possibility of obtaining an agreement on a voluntary basis. However, she made clear that if a voluntary agreement is not reached the government will use the powers granted through the new strikes legislation introduced earlier this year instead. Unions have expressed their opposition to the announcement, with Paul Whiteman general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers calling the move “an overtly hostile act”.

NGA’s co-chief executive has also attended early discussions with the Department for Education (DfE) and other organisations representing the employers across the education sector. The DfE acknowledges the role of employers in ensuring any minimum service is delivered and we have been assured that NGA and other employer organisations will also be involved in future discussions, although the detailed process is not yet known.

NGA will be representing the voice of governing boards in those on-going talks. If you have any questions or views on the topic of minimum service levels, please do send them to our senior advice officer sabreen.marashli@nga.org.uk

Secretary of State responds to NGA’s joint letter about the school estate

Last month, eight unions and NGA sent a joint letter to the Prime Minister calling for urgent action in relation to the school estate. The letter highlighted some of the key concerns facing schools such as RAAC, asbestos and buildings past their estimated initial design life, and called for the Government to invest at least an extra £4.4bn annually to upgrade school buildings, bringing the total yearly spend to £7bn.

In response, the Secretary of State for Education reiterated the Government response to RAAC and highlighted their commitment to fund longer-term refurbishment, or rebuilding projects to remove RAAC where it is found. There was also welcome confirmation that existing programmes such as the School Rebuilding Programme will not be cut to meet these costs.

To help governors and trustees meet their responsibilities, NGA recently presented a webinar on estate management and published guidance on how governors and trustees can maintain strategic oversight.

Sign up now!  Bookings available on NGA’s Leading Governance development courses

The development for chairs programme is designed for both trustees and governors who currently chair and those aspiring to become a chair, supporting the development of leadership skills.

Trustees: Start date – 7 February 2024
LA Maintained and LGBs: Start date – 1 March 2024
 
Cost: £270 per participant for a member, £285 for a non-member.

The Level 3 Certificate in the clerking of school and academy governing boards programme is an accredited programme designed for governance professionals and clerks with at least three months experience, currently working in any school or trust setting. The cost is £530 per participant.

To find out more about either of these programmes, call us on 0121 237 3780 dial option 5, email us at leading.governance@nga.org.uk or visit our website.

Schools “can and should” share RSHE teaching materials with parents

Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan MP has written to all schools in England this week stating that they "can and should" share relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) curriculum materials with parents.

The letter also highlights that copyright law cannot be used by external companies providing teaching resources to prevent their materials being shared.

Keegan has written a separate letter to parents encouraging them to have confidence in their right to know what their children are being taught at school.

Commenting, Jason Elson, CEO of Parentkind said that parents are more likely “to have confidence in the curriculum and be supportive of the content” if they are consulted in advance.

However, Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders expressed concern that the letter “creates an expectation that schools will publish every piece of planning and resource used across the RSHE curriculum”.

New Welcome to Governance - OUT NOW

NGA’s latest edition of Welcome to Governance is now available.

This best-selling guide provides clear and practical guidance on school governance, whether you're new to school governance or looking to refresh your knowledge. It covers good practices for those governing at a local authority maintained school, single academy trust, or an academy within a multi academy trust (MAT).

In this edition, the guide provides additional guidance for those governing at an academy within a MAT and to help all governors become more effective, each chapter ends with three basic actions to take for embedding learning. 

Learn more about Welcome to Governance and take advantage of your 50% discount.

Join us at an NGA event this term

Don't forget to secure your place at the upcoming NGA events.

Our fast-approaching Annual Seminars will explore some of the key issues schools and trusts are currently facing, including attendance, developing and retaining school staff, improving the lives of disadvantaged pupils, the role of schools in changing the world. And of course, the Annual address and AGM! We also have our Networks for Young Governors and Governance Professionals coming up before the Christmas break.

It’s time to submit your vote – AGM 2023

Our AGM is an important part of continuing to ensure good governance within NGA. As a membership organisation, NGA belongs to and is accountable to our members. We value your input and feedback to shape our priorities as we seek to improve the effectiveness of governing boards and champion school governance in the education sector and beyond.

Your vote as a member is important to us. As this year’s AGM will be held virtually, voting will take place in advance by sending in your ballot via email. There will be no facility to vote on the day.

To find out more about this year’s AGM and to cast your vote, please visit our AGM page.

Evaluation of the NTP’s second year

The National Tutoring Programme (NTP) is having a positive, but limited impact on pupil progress in maths and English, according to a new report by NFER.

The research found that school-led tutoring resulted in small improvements in key stage 2 and key stage 4 maths progress, with limited evidence showing that it also had a positive impact on English progress. However, there was no evidence to suggest that participation in the tuition partners or the academic mentor’s routes resulted in improvements in maths or English progress.

Furthermore, less than half of pupils selected for tutoring were from disadvantaged backgrounds, with the report recommending the reintroduction of targets for the delivery of tutoring to disadvantaged pupils to help close the attainment gap.

NGA’s ‘Disadvantage: Widening the lens’ campaign page offers a range of resources for those governing to use with leaders in addressing educational disadvantage in their school or trust.

MAT member exclusive webinar

Join us for our dynamic webinar ‘Trust-building governance: empowering community-centred MATs' on 7 November 12.30-1.15pm exploring the pivotal role of governance in fostering trust with schools and communities through the power of transparent decision making.

We will outline the role of impactful delegation, and how you communicate governance practices across multiple tiers to provide your trust community with confidence in your ability to make the best decisions.

Key Webinar Highlights:

• unlocking the power of effective delegation
• transparency in governance decision-making
• maximising flexibilities in Trust governance

This is an opportunity for you to hear evidence-based lessons and top tips on how to cement the foundations for exceptional governance that places your trust at the heart of its communities.

Book you place now

Reviewing your complaints procedure

In light of the recommendation that boards review their complaints policy every autumn term, those governing may wish to consult NGA’s checklist, developed to help boards review the complaints procedure and ensure it is working as intended. Having an effective procedure in place will increase the likelihood of achieving a satisfactory outcome for all parties involved while minimising the time spent on dealing with complaints, which, given the governor workload crisis, is a key benefit of the review.

The checklist is available for both maintained schools and academy trusts and serves to supplement NGA’s guidance on managing complaints. Those chosen to undertake panel work may also wish to complete the e-learning module which provides practical, informed guidance on the role of governors, trustees and clerks during a panel hearing.

NGA provide evidence at the Education Committee

Governance losing its visibility within Ofsted reports was one of the key issues we raised when giving evidence at the Education Committee this week. Speaking on NGA’s analysis of Ofsted reports, our director of policy and communications, Sam Henson informed the committee that one third of reports do not give any mention to governance and there has been a “gradual decline in how useful they are [to governors]”.

NGA stressed the importance of continuing to engage with the governance sector during Ofsted reform and that training is essential in empowering governors and trustees to understand their role in inspections.

On whole trust inspection, NGA reiterated their position statement and manifesto, adding Ofsted in its current form does not have the capacity or expertise to carry out meaningful inspections of MATs, because the system is so heavily based on assessing the quality of education and leadership in a single school.

To watch the full session please visit the parliament.tv website.

Everyone on Board new campaign video - spread the message!

Inspiring Governance and NGA continue their campaign to tackle the under-representation of those from ethnic minority backgrounds and young people on school governing boards. In our new video hear four brilliant school governors – Bola-Alysia, Jasmin, Justin, and Meera – talk about why volunteering in the role is important to them, the benefits the role brings – and why others should consider joining them.

This campaign is an important step in helping tackle the fast-growing divergence in the school system between the demographics of those making decisions in our schools and the diversity of pupils in our schools. Please share the campaign video if you can with your networks, friends, and family.

NGA trustee vacancies: Voting now open

NGA has vacancies on our board of trustees in the North West, West Midlands, and London. The nominations are now in and the time to vote for your preferred candidate has arrived. If you are a member of one of the above regions, please have a read of the supporting statements submitted by the candidates in your region on our website and cast your vote.  Good luck to all candidates.

Effective headteachers see a boost in attainment by two grades

A recent report from the Education Policy Institute (EPI) assesses the impact of headteachers on school performance in England.

Most notably, it was reported that replacing an ineffective headteacher with an effective counterpart increases pupil attainment by an average of two GCSE grades across all subjects. Headteacher ‘effectiveness’ was measured by percentiles, where an effective headteacher is at the 84th percentile and a less effective headteacher sits at the 16th percentile.

The report also found that effective headteachers reduce teacher turnover in both primary and secondary schools, and for the latter, reduce staff absenteeism to a greater extent than a less effective headteacher.

The report calls on school governors to support new headteachers and retain experienced leaders in the profession since the cost of losing them is high. Visit NGA’s Knowledge Centre for a number of resources that support headteacher development, including guidance on developing an effective appraisal process and investing in CPD.

NGA’s Annual Membership Survey 2023 - Have you completed our survey?

NGA’s Annual Membership Survey is open and we are keen to understand your views. If you haven’t already completed it, please do take some time to participate. Your feedback will help shape how we support you, improve our services and ensure you get the best membership experience.

The survey is open to members only and takes approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. It closes on Tuesday 7 November, midday.

Please forward the survey to others on your governing board/s. 

Thank you for all your contributions.

Take the survey!

Complete your annual skills audit as a board with our brand new e-learning module

We recommend that skills audits are completed on an annual basis and by new governors/trustees when they join the board. This year, assessing your board’s strengths, weaknesses and areas for improvement is easier than ever, thanks to our new interactive NGA skills audit Learning Link module.

Designed to be completed together as a board in under an hour, this module will prompt you to discuss and assess your board’s overall competence across a range of areas, and help you to identify areas where, as a group and as individuals, further improvement is needed. Your results are saved and can be downloaded for future reference alongside some helpful links to additional resources.

This module is available to all Learning Link users and can be found under the Good Governance category on the platform. If you aren’t already subscribed, find out more about how Learning Link can help fast-track your governance skills and knowledge.

School teachers’ pay and conditions

The Department for Education (DfE) has published the 2023 school teachers’ pay and conditions document (STPCD), which includes the 6.5% increase to teacher pay to be backdated to 1 September 2023. The DfE has also updated the implementing your school's approach to pay guidance.

The STPCD is only statutory for maintained schools, but many academies also follow it.

Many boards will be reviewing and approving staff pay at this time of year, and NGA has guidance for both maintained schools and academy trusts on the board’s responsibilities in this area.

Members can also sign up to our upcoming annual seminar on developing and retaining staff.

We want to hear from you: Improving attendance

Has your school or trust implemented successful attendance improvement strategies? If so, we want to hear from you.

With both persistent and overall absence at their highest levels since records began in 2006-07, many children are missing out on their education and the challenge to re-engage them is placing significant pressure on schools and trusts. According to NGA's annual governance survey, attendance is a top concern for governing boards.

Over the coming months we will be gathering case studies showcasing successful attendance improvement strategies implemented by schools and trusts. They will be published as part of a report aimed at helping governors and trustees support their school leaders in improving attendance.

If you would like to contribute to this important piece of work, please email Fiona.fearon@nga.org.uk for further information.

Join us on 13 November, 4.30-6pm, for the first seminar of our annual conference, Tackling the Challenge of Pupil Attendance. Visit our events page to book your place.

Governance professionals wanted

Are you a governance professional with capacity to take on another school (or two!)? Or just looking for another opportunity? Check out the list of current vacancies on the NGA’s governance professional jobs pages. There are currently over 20 vacancies for all three levels detailed in the pathway: clerk, governance coordinator and lead governance professional.

If your school or trust needs to advertise for a governance professional, simply complete the online form with the relevant details. You will be prompted to include details on pay and hours and have the option of uploading documents to accompany the advert such as an application form, job description and person specification. You can compare your documents with those on the governance professional career pathway which has role description templates for the three professional levels of clerk, governance coordinator and lead governance professional.

For help with advertising governance professional jobs, email clerkingmatters@nga.org.uk

AQA announce move to digital examination by 2026

AQA’s latest report, ‘Making it click: the case for digital examinations in England’, outlines AQA’s proposals to make the first step towards a more digital exam system by 2026.

The proposals acknowledge that changes to assessment will not happen overnight, but taking the first step towards this method of assessment is an ‘opportunity to deliver benefits to learners, teachers and the sector as a whole’. 

The report highlights that through digital assessment, students are better prepared for the real world increasing the authenticity of assessment to future work experiences. It also reflects on the perspectives of students, parents and teachers to support the view that digital assessment is the way forward.

AQA say that ‘now is the right time to begin moving towards digital exams in England’ and will announce more detailed proposals in 2024. 

New exclusions panel guidance

NGA has published updated guidance to support governors and trustees serving on exclusion and suspension panels.

The guidance for exclusions panel members will support governors and trustees to understand the purpose of the meeting, review evidence, ask relevant questions and reach a decision.

A key update to the guidance is the addition of a decision-making framework to support panels in deciding whether the decision to suspend or exclude was lawful, reasonable, and procedurally fair.

Our guide to exclusions procedures was updated in July to cover changes to the statutory guidance from September 2023, including parents’ right to request remote meetings and changes to arrangements for cancelling suspensions/exclusions.

Book your place – Governance Professional Network

Join us for our next Governance Professionals Network on 30 November where there will be the usual updates, and opportunities for you to share your thoughts on the career pathway and other issues relevant to governance professionals.

The agenda and further details will be published nearer the event, but you can look forward to hearing about governor workload, policy management and governance handbooks with plenty of opportunities for governance professionals to have their say and pose questions.

This network is open to clerks and other governance professionals working in schools and trusts and we look forward to welcoming you.
Visit our events page to book your place.

Labour outlines their vision for education

Investing in more teachers, careers guidance, mental health support, and work experience are amongst the plans outlined by Shadow Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, at the Labour Party Conference this week.

Talking at the conference, Phillipson stated that life “should not come down to luck” and that for many children “their backgrounds are ravaging their opportunities”. To tackle this, and in contrast to the Conservative party, Labour will focus on maths in primary schools introducing the maths equivalent to phonics. Funding for these plans would come from ending tax breaks for private schools and enable teachers to get extra training.

Speaking on this announcement, NGA’s co-chief executive’s Emma Knights and Emma Balchin “welcome Labour’s proposed focus on functional and accessible numeracy” but say that it would also require a “wider improvement plan, including addressing the shortage of maths teachers, alongside a quality ongoing training and development offer”.

To read NGA’s full response to Labour’s education announcements visit our news page.

NGA responds to revised school budgets

NGA has published its response to the funding error discovered last week which has resulted in schools receiving less funding than initially projected.

While the overall budget for schools in England remains unchanged at £59.6bn in 2024-25, this is actually an increase of 1.9% per pupil compared to 2023-24, rather than the 2.7% previously announced by the government under a miscalculation.

Schools and trusts will need to review their projected budgets in light of these amended figures.

Establish your board leadership with NGA’s Leading Governance Development for Chairs programme for academy trusts

We have a few places left on the next cohort of training starting next week on Wednesday 18 October.

Designed for current and aspiring academy trust chairs and suitable for trusts of all sizes, this practical programme offers an introduction to the chair’s role in establishing board leadership skills and knowledge, and wider impact. Working with other trust chairs, participants will be able to share and explore the challenges of governance and the trust chair’s role. Participants will also gain a better awareness of their individual strengths and areas for development.

• 18 October 2023, 6.30-9pm - Session 1 Leading governance 
• 24 January 2024, 6.30-9pm - Session 2 Delivering effective governance 
• 13 March 2024, 6.30-9pm - Session 3 Leading trust and school improvement 

For more information and to book a place visit our website or email us at leading.governance@nga.org.uk

World Mental health day 2023

To mark World Mental Health Day which took place on Tuesday, the DfE’s Education Hub published a blog summarising the support available in schools/trusts and colleges for pupils and staff.

The Department has also announced:

• the extension of Mental Health Support Team’s to at least 50% of pupils and learners by March 2025, and findings from the most recent MHST school and college survey.
• the continued commitment to offer senior mental health lead training grants to all state schools and colleges, including a second grant where a trained lead has left a school or college before fully developing their whole school or college approach.

NGA and Place2Be’s pupil mental health and wellbeing guidance, aims to help boards understand their responsibilities for supporting mental health and pupil wellbeing. In collaboration with partners, NGA has also produced a range of toolkits designed to address the drivers of disadvantage within their settings.

Teachers and school leaders to trial reducing workload through AI

In a bid to address workload issues for teachers and school leaders, the DfE in collaboration with other organisations across the sector will host school leaders and teachers from across the country to experiment with AI (artificial intelligence). The two day event will test its potential in several scenarios, for example whether it could write a lesson plan or accurately mark exam papers.

Secondary schools will be invited to share their experience and knowledge to identify the best solutions with the Department’s workload reduction taskforce. In light of the announcement, Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan said “we need to improve our understanding of how AI works and safely. Participants of the hackathons will be supported by Faculty AI and the National Institute of Teaching to experiment and put forward solutions, paving the way for the future.”

Exclusive member only webinar

Trust-building governance: empowering community-centered MATs

Join us on 7 November, 12.30-1.15pm for an exclusive NGA webinar for MAT members focused on the pivotal role of governance in fostering trust with schools and communities through the power of transparent decision making.

NGA’s director of policy and communications, Sam Henson and trust governance specialist, Michael Barton will explore the role of impactful delegation and how you communicate governance practices across multiple tiers to provide your trust community with confidence in your ability to make the best decisions.

 Key Webinar Highlights:

• unlocking the Power of Effective Delegation
• transparency in Governance Decision-Making
• maximizing Flexibilities in Trust Governance

Don't miss this opportunity to hear evidenced lessons and top tips for how to firm the foundations for exceptional governance that places your trust as the beating heart of its communities. 
 
Visit NGA’s events page to book your place.

£196 million due to be invested to tackle the teaching recruitment crisis

The DfE is set to spend £196 million this academic year to attract more teachers across key subjects. This will fund scholarships, bursaries and salary grants to help thousands of candidates through their initial teacher training (ITT). According to the DfE, trainee teachers will have access to £15 million more in financial support during the upcoming recruiting cycle compared to the previous cycle, in hopes of supporting the delivery of the new advanced British standard (ABS) announced by the Prime Minister at the Conservative Party Conference last week.

The announcement comes as the NASUWT teaching union called for an increased investment in the profession amid warnings of a “deepening recruitment and retention crisis.”

Academy AGM: How to plan your meeting

Many governance professionals will be arranging annual general meetings for their trust boards at this time of year. NGA guidance on academy trust AGMs covers the purpose of an AGM, when it should be held, who can attend, and how voting works. We also provide a template agenda which can be downloaded and adapted for your trust.

Included in the guidance is a link to the role of members, which explains how and why members are essential to the integrity of an academy trust governance, and their involvement in AGMs.

Navigating the resourcing storm - brand new funding blog and our upcoming Leadership Forum

Ahead of our next leadership forum event on funding and budgets, NGA’s Director of Policy and Communications, Sam Henson has written a blog exploring funding pressures and the heightened challenges caused by managing school estates.

Join us on 18 October, diving into these issues in an interactive discussion on a topic you tell us is your most enduring challenge - funding and balancing the budget. DfE’s Tom Goldman and Tanya Arkle will set the scene, discussing how to use resources well, and much more. They will answer any burning questions that you may have live at the event, so don’t miss out on this special opportunity!

You will then be divided into four breakout rooms to discuss this topic in relation to your specific school or trust setting. You can choose from the following:

• Local governors within MATs
• SAT trustees
• Maintained school governors
• MAT trustees           

Book Now

Increase in school funding struggles to keep pace with school costs

A new report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) shows that while school funding is on course to exceed 2010 levels in real terms, it is only just keeping pace with cost pressures schools are facing.

The report concludes that the disconnect between these measurements should be reflected in policy and debate when considering schools’ actual experiences. It also suggests the situation could be improved by altering the process for agreeing teacher pay so that it is announced earlier in the year to enable better financial planning.

NEW guidance on estates and risk management

NGA has published new guidance for governors and trustees, including:

• Two guides on estates management for those governing in multi academy trusts (MATs) and single schools (maintained schools and single academy trusts).
• Two guides on risk management for those governing in maintained schools and academy trust settings, as well as an example risk register suitable for all school types.

These guides are intended to help governors and trustees understand and fulfil their responsibilities. For those governing in MATs, our guides aim to consolidate where the different elements of estates and risk management may sit across the layers of governance.

You can also sign up to view our upcoming webinar on estates: Safe Schools, Sound Futures: Estate Management for Governing Boards.

NGA is seeking your views on Ofsted

As part of the Education Committees inquiry into Ofsted’s work with schools, NGA has been invited to provide oral evidence.

To ensure NGA’s evidence reflects the current views of those responsible for school governance, we are inviting governors and trustees that have been part of an Ofsted inspection under the Education Inspection Framework to respond to a quick five- minute survey.

Details of the inquiry can be found on the Education Committee webpage. If you would like to share any additional views in relation to the aims of the inquiry, please email NGA’s Senior Policy and Research Officer, Nina Sharma at nina.sharma@nga.org.uk.

The survey will close on Monday 9 October 2023 at 9am. Please share this survey with other governors and trustees who have recently experienced an inspection. Your participation will provide crucial insights that reflect governance views on inspections. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey and make your voice heard.

Conservative Party Conference

Speaking at the Conservative Party Conference this week, Rishi Sunak revealed plans to bring together A Levels and T Levels into a single new Advanced British Standard qualification for 16-18 year olds. Additionally, under the new plans every student will be required to study some form of English and maths to 18.

The announcement includes an initial investment of £600 million over two years, including funding for a tax-free bonus of up to £30,000 for teachers in key shortage subjects over the first five years of their career.

Meanwhile, Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan announced that mobile phones should be banned in schools across England to improve behaviour and reduce disruptions in lessons. New guidance is due to be published to support headteachers in banning their use throughout the school day.

New guide on looked after children

A new guide about looked after children (LAC) has been published this week by BECOME, the charity for children in care and young care leavers. In collaboration with Adam King from 9000 Lives, the guide presents recent data, key term definitions and questions to ask at governing board meetings.

NGA encourages governing boards to move beyond viewing eligibility for the pupil premium as the only indicator of disadvantage and as such include LAC. Also included within these wider drivers of disadvantage are:

• Poverty
• Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
• Vulnerability (including LAC and young carers)
• Certain ethnic groups
• Mental health and wellbeing

Our Widening the lens on disadvantage guidance is designed to help governing boards explore what disadvantage means in their context and to identify pupil groups who may need additional support. It forms an introduction to NGA's series of toolkits for tackling disadvantage in education.

NGA and the Institute of Physics releases guidance on whole school equity

The Limit Less campaign from the Institute of Physics (IoP) aims to equip and support educators to give every pupil the opportunities they deserve. The campaign aims to encourage schools to take a whole-school approach to equity and empower pupils to explore a future that best fits their talents.

To help governing boards and schools with this, IoP have released an animation which can be used by boards to set the context and frame conversations about how they can take a ‘whole-school’ approach to equity.

NGA is pleased to co-develop a guide for governing boards to help understand what a whole-school approach to equity means and provide guidance to schools on how they can develop a plan to achieve this.

Ofsted publish findings of independent review of careers guidance

Ofsted has published an independent report reviewing the current state of careers guidance in schools and colleges illustrating the improvements since its last review in 2013 while acknowledging areas of improvement that need to be addressed.

The report recommends expanding careers education for younger students. The findings of the review show that most guidance begins at age 15, yet insights and skills should be developed earlier and should be provided opportunities to interact with employers. The recommendations from the research shed light on the importance of work experience and parent and employer engagement to support knowledge on career options.

Visit the Knowledge Centre to read about the roles and responsibilities of governing boards to help pupils make informed choices about their future.

New job vacancy: Head of consultancy

We are currently looking for an experienced individual to lead, manage and develop innovative consultancy services in our small, friendly and flexible charity. The role of head of consultancy would suit candidates who are visionary leaders, passionate about transforming education and governance across England.

• Part time: 30 hours per week
• Starting salary: £31,200 - £39,600 per annum depending on experience, based on part time 4 days a week. (£39,000 - £49,500 FTE)
• Office based with hybrid working (One day a week in our Birmingham office; Three days working from home). For exceptional candidates, we will consider remote working.

For more information on the role and how to apply visit our website.

NGA’s Annual Membership Survey 2023

NGA’s Annual Membership Survey is now open.

Your feedback is important to us so we can understand your views and make your NGA membership the best it can be.

The survey takes approximately 10-15 minutes to complete, and it would be really helpful to have as many members as possible to respond.

The survey closes on Tuesday, 7 November 2023, at midday.

Take the survey!

Winners of Outstanding Governance Awards 2023 revealed

NGA was absolutely thrilled to welcome both the overall winners and finalist to an exciting and memorable day, celebrating the incredible efforts of governing boards and governance professionals.

To recognise good governance practice and the significant impact on the lives of children and young people at their schools and trusts, 13 governing boards and governance professionals joined us at the House of Commons yesterday for the Outstanding Governance Awards.

Congratulations to the award winners:

• Outstanding clerk to a governing board – Tim Bennett, Kings Heath Primary School
• Outstanding lead governance professional – Maria Maltby, David Ross Education Trust
• Outstanding governance in a single school – University Technical College Leeds
• Outstanding governance in a multi academy trust – Ambitions Academies Trust

For a full list of our brilliant winners and finalist, and an overview of their achievements visit our news page.

Attendance: ‘monumental, multi-service effort’ needed to improve attendance

Pupil attendance remains firmly in the spotlight following a report from the Commons Education Committee, with calls for bolder measures to tackle the number of children missing school.

Rising levels of persistent absence are being attributed to a variety of complex factors including mental health problems and cost of living pressures. The effectiveness of fixed penalty notices, for which there is still no national policy, has also been called into question.

The common’s report echoes findings published by Public First this week, which captured the voices of parents from across England. It stated that covid has caused a ‘seismic shift’ in parental attitudes to school attendance that is going to take a ‘monumental, multi-service effort’ to change.

Join us at our annual seminar on Monday 13 November, where we will explore the key issues surrounding attendance. NGA has produced a guide to improving school attendance, which sets out governing board responsibilities and questions to ask. 

NGA is seeking your views on Ofsted

As part of the Education Committees inquiry into Ofsted’s work with schools, NGA has been invited to provide oral evidence.

To ensure NGA’s evidence reflects the current views of those responsible for school governance, we are inviting governors and trustees that have been part of an Ofsted inspection under the Education Inspection Framework to respond to a quick five minute survey.

Details of the inquiry can be found on the Education Committee webpage. If you would like to share any additional views in relation to the aims of the inquiry, please email NGA’s senior policy and research officer, Nina Sharma at nina.sharma@nga.org.uk.

The survey will close on Monday 9 October at 9am. Please share this survey with other governors and trustees who have recently experienced an inspection. Your participation will provide crucial insights that reflect governance views on inspections. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey and make your voice heard. 

Championing equality, diversity and inclusion: NGA's commitment

Boards hold significant responsibility in promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) within schools and trusts. Through the decisions they make and the guidance they provide, they can lead the way in bringing about positive change for leaders, staff, and pupils.

NGA, along with other sector bodies and national associations have collaborated to establish new commitments to advance EDI in education.  The 'statement of action' serves as a resounding declaration of the collective and individual resolve to champion EDI, and an acknowledgement of our collective responsibility to actively address these issues.

Governors and trustees can embrace their role as champions of EDI by driving positive change, utilising available resources and collaborating with like-minded schools and trusts to create an educational environment that welcomes all individuals.

Visit our campaigns page for more information about NGA’s work in relation to EDI. 

Essential new handbook available for MAT governance

NGA’s new handbook, ‘Governing a Multi Academy Trust’, is now available for you to buy from our website. This practical handbook is the essential resource for MAT trustees, executives and governance professionals, covering all of the key information about trust governance in one definitive guide.

Inside the handbook, you can discover the essential principles of trust governance with valuable insights into establishing and maintaining high-quality trusts, collaborating with the local tier, and crafting a compelling vision, strategy, and identity.

At the end of each chapter, further reading and resources are provided to help you embed learning and further enhance your understanding of governance in a MAT.

Visit NGA’s Knowledge Centre to find out more.  

DfE flexible working toolkit published

The DfE has published a flexible working toolkit this week, for use in all schools and settings including special schools, alternative provision, pupil referral units and trusts.

The resources form part of the DfE’s Flexible Ambassador Schools project 2020-2021, with support from other sector experts. They have been tested with a range of schools across England.

You can use the resources to:

• increase your understanding and awareness of flexible working in schools, including its benefits
• develop and implement a flexible working policy, strategic approach, and effective practice
• help you to request flexible working

You can also visit the Knowledge Centre to access NGA’s guide to flexible working for use by governing boards and school and trust leaders.  

New Governing Matters out now

The autumn issue of Governing Matters is out now. In this packed issue, we explore the key findings from our annual governance survey, hear from Paul Whiteman, General Secretary of NAHT on the issues and opportunities facing education in England, as well as looking back on the highlights of our summer conference.

We also explore how schools and trusts can nurture positive mental health and wellbeing in children with Hannah Baker, co-chief executive officer of Partnership for Children. Richard Freeth, partner at Browne Jacobson, brings you a round-up of the latest changes to the DfE’s exclusions guidance and what they mean for schools. 

Don’t miss NGA’s annual conference week: 13-17 November

Secure your place for our week of virtual events discussing the hottest governance topics and what can be done to tackles the big challenges.

At our four annual seminars, NGA’s co-chief executives, Emma Knights and Emma Balchin, will be joined by an expert panel to cover important issues you are facing: 

Monday 13 November: the challenges of pupil attendance
Tuesday 14 November: developing and retaining school staff
Wednesday 15 November: improving the lives of disadvantaged pupils
Thursday 16 November: the purpose of education and the role schools play in changing the world

On Friday 17 November you can also join us at the annual address and AGM, where you can hear about NGA’s plans for the year ahead. The AGM provides members with the opportunity to ask questions of the board.

Visit our events page to find out more about the annual conference week and the rest of our autumn term events. 

Liberal democrats reveal their plan for education

Halving the amount that schools pay towards the cost of a child’s educational health care plan (EHCP) are among the 23 education policies approved at this week’s Liberal Democrat party conference. These policies set out the party’s core education offer with full costings expected upon the release of the party manifesto.

The liberal democrats also want to implement a “root-and-branch” reform of school inspection. Similarly to Labour, this will include shifting Ofsted to a report-card model but also requiring them to work with schools, providing the guidance and support they need to improve. Other reforms would see inspections deliver a complete evaluation of the whole school and annual safeguarding and financial check-ups, separate to Ofsted, to ensure consistent good governance. 

Jo Saxton steps down as Ofqual’s chief regulator

Dr Jo Saxton who has served as chief regulator since September 2021, will be leaving her role as chief regulator at Ofqual for her new position as chief executive of UCAS.

In her announcement, Dr Saxton said, “I am very proud of what we have achieved over the past 2 years. I fundamentally believe that a return to exams and pre-pandemic grading was the right and fair thing to do for students of all ages. I am also an ardent champion of parity – it was wrong that there were delays in students receiving their vocational qualifications in summer 2022, and I’m pleased we have been able to change the system so that can never happen again.”

While Ofqual will be looking to appoint a new chief regulator in the coming months, the existing senior leadership team and governance of Ofqual will provide continuity of leadership to the organisation and an interim Chief Regulator will be confirmed in due course.

DfE releases updated list of schools with confirmed RAAC

This week’s update to the DfE’s list of schools with confirmed RAAC saw the inclusion of a further 27 schools, bringing the total to 174 confirmed cases. The DfE has also updated its guidance for responsible bodies and education settings with confirmed RAAC and includes the update to Ofsted’s approach to inspections of schools with confirmed RAAC and those indirectly impacted, for example hosting pupils from schools with RAAC.

NGA’s guidance for governing boards on dealing with RAAC in schools has also been updated.

DfE officials will be hosting a webinar on Tuesday 26 September at 4pm. The webinar will provide an update on progress and outline the support available. Registration is now open and will close at 2pm on Tuesday 26th September.

NGA’s response to the latest DfE update can be found here. 

DfE announcement: Teacher workload reduction taskforce

The government has announced the membership of its taskforce for reducing teacher and leader workload, established to support the government’s wider ambition to reduce working hours for teachers and leaders by five hours per week within three years.

The taskforce had its first meeting this week and will continue to meet regularly until the end of March 2024 when it will make its recommendations.

The taskforce of 14 members includes representatives from all four teaching unions, teachers, leaders, academics, and other sector experts including NGA.

NGA has commented on our membership of the taskforce, where we will represent the view of governors and trustees. 

New Blog: The big issues facing trusts

We are excited to welcome so many of you to London on Monday for our MAT Governance Conference. In anticipation of the conference, NGA’s trust governance specialist, Michael Barton took the opportunity to reflect on what this year’s annual governance survey tells us about the big issues facing multi-academy trusts in 2023.

As explained in his blog, many of the issues facing MATs are common across the school sector, from balancing the budget to SEND and attendance. Nonetheless, there remain some hugely relevant trust-specific issues:

• The role of Ofsted in multi-academy trusts
• The place of the local tier in trust governance
• The future trajectory of the trusts system

We are excited to build on our survey findings, by discussing these issues in more detail with our delegates and keynote speakers on Monday.

NGA’s setting specific development course for MAT trustees

NGA’s Leading Governance Development Programme for MAT Trustees provides practical, convenient and focused training for current, new and future trustees in MATs.

Following its successful establishment last year, this engaging and interactive programme runs again with the first workshop session on 17 October. You can book your place here.

The programme of eight workshops builds the essential knowledge, skills and behaviours for trustees to fulfil their duties and understand how to achieve strong MAT governance. They also explore important current themes, challenges and best practice approaches focussing on good governance and the role of the board and its trustees in making this happen.

Participants can choose the whole programme or select specific workshops according to their learning priorities and budget.

Led by experienced facilitators with MAT governance expertise, the interactive, small group workshops provide the opportunity for participants to learn alongside their peers and to build the confidence and knowledge to govern effectively and meet their legal obligations.

One in three teachers use AI to help with schoolwork

Polling by Teacher Tapp has found the proportion of teachers that have reported using artificial intelligence (AI) tools to help them with their work has risen to 35%, according to a recent survey of more than 9,000 teachers and leaders. An increase from April where just 17% reported doing so.

44% of male staff reported using AI, compared to 31% of female staff. Younger staff were also more likely to use it, with two in five teachers in their twenties reportedly using AI, compared to only 26% of those aged 50 plus.

Reported uses included lesson planning, creating resources, writing reports, responding to parent emails, as well as writing UCAS references and job adverts.

The DfE has commissioned a project to explore whether AI could be used for marking and feedback, with the aim of better understanding and testing its possible uses. Ministers reportedly intend to publish the findings of the project in the spring. 

Key updates for Church of England trusts

The DfE published updated versions of two key documents this week, for MATs which contain one or more Church of England school. The model articles of association have been updated, and a new memorandum of understanding has been agreed between the Department and National Society.

The trust’s articles are a contract between the trust and Department. They set out the fundamental constitutional rules for the trust, including the composition and procedures for the members, trust board and local academy committees. We have published a briefing on the changes to the model articles, and advise boards to update their articles to reflect current best practice.

The memorandum of understanding explains how the Department approaches the academisation of CofE schools, and the development of CofE trusts. It is therefore important reading for CofE MATs, and maintained schools considering joining those trusts – whether or not they currently have a religious character. Our guidance on Taking the Next Step provides further support for schools considering academisation.

Governance Leadership Forum: Funding and the budget challenges facing governing boards

This term, we will be discussing the primary challenge facing many governing boards - funding.

We will explore the depth of the difficulty posed by funding issues, what courses of action could be taken to improve the situation in the short to medium term, and what can be done to mitigate the financial pressures in the interim.

The DfE’s Tom Goldman, Deputy Director, Funding Policy Unit & Tanya Arkle, School Resource Management Deputy Director, will be setting the scene to school funding and good use of resources, followed by a Q&A session. We will then move into four breakout rooms and lead into further discussions, specific to school and board type.

The forum will also explore:

• The real experiences you are facing
• What’s driving financial pressures for the different structures and contexts
• What boards have done and can do to mitigate financial pressures
• What needs to happen to make the situation better

Book Now

Ofsted add to collection of subject reviews: geography, PE and music

Ofsted’s latest subject reviews on geography, PE and music place a spotlight on the common features of these subject areas, identifying areas of strength and development in how pupils are taught the subjects.

Each of the subject reviews show that despite improvement to areas of each subject, there is still work to be done to ensure that pupils are given access to various ways of learning and are able to engage in a diversity of topic areas within these subjects.

The reviews also highlight the importance of support for staff to engage in development and for their knowledge to align with the choices set out in the curriculum. The governing board has an important role in ensuring pupils receive a high quality curriculum offer. Visit the Knowledge Centre for guidance on the role of boards in curriculum development and effectiveness.

New job vacancy: head of consultancy

We are currently looking for an experienced individual to lead, manage and develop innovative consultancy services in our small, friendly and flexible charity. The role of head of consultancy would suit candidates who are visionary leaders, passionate about transforming education and governance across England.

• Part time: 30 hours per week
• Starting salary: £31,200 - £39,600 per annum depending on experience, based on part time 4 days a week. (£39,000 - £49,500 FTE)
• Office based with hybrid working (one day a week in our Birmingham office; three days working from home). For exceptional candidates, we will consider remote working.

For more information on the role and how to apply visit our website.

We are recruiting trustees to join NGA’s board

Looking for a way to make a difference to young people's lives?  Join us as a trustee at NGA and help us to continue to enhance the effectiveness of school governance in England. 

Our board members bring together a wealth of experience and expertise and guide our hardworking team to fulfil the charity's vision.

We currently have vacancies in London, the North West, the North East, and the West Midlands.

If you’d like to hear more, why not attend our virtual information session, where our current chair Lynn Howard will share information on being a trustee at NGA and answer any questions prospective candidates may have.

For more information on becoming a trustee at NGA, visit our website. We'd love for you to join us in making a positive impact on the education of children and young people.

This week we bring you the latest updates from the DfE and Ofsted concerning the ongoing concerns around RAAC. Look out for our new resources and upcoming events – including our annual seminars taking place in November. We are also advertising for a new job opportunity at NGA – read on to find out more.

Message from the DfE: Reminder for responsible bodies – fill out the RAAC questionnaire    

Thank you to the many responsible bodies that have already responded to our RAAC questionnaire, including those who have responded in the last few days.

We know from experience it can be difficult to age buildings accurately, so our questionnaire asks responsible bodies to respond if their buildings were built or modified between 1930s – 1990 to absolutely ensure we have identified any building with RAAC. Responsible bodies should continue to come forward with information using the questionnaire if they haven’t already. Fill out the questionnaire.

See also:
NGA guidance: Dealing with RAAC in schools
NGA webinar: Safe schools, sound futures: Estate management for governing boards

Ofsted publish statement for schools impacted by RAAC

Ofsted has announced that any education setting on the Department for Education’s (DfE) list of settings affected by RAAC will not be inspected this term. Those that are not listed but still impacted by RAAC can request a deferral. Ofsted’s deferral guidance has been updated to acknowledge that Ofsted will consider the request as an ‘exceptional circumstance’.

These measures will be under review and where Ofsted has concerns about a school, they may continue to carry out an inspection irrespective of RAAC.

If your school or a school in your trust is expecting an inspection, read our guidance on what to expect and about Ofsted’s updates from September 2023.

Join us in NGA’s annual conference week: 13-17 November

Secure your places during our week of virtual events discussing the hottest governance topics and what can be done to tackles the big challenges.

At our four annual seminars, NGA’s co-chief executives, Emma Knights and Emma Balchin, will be joined by an expert panel to cover important issues you are facing: 

• Monday 13 Nov: the challenges of pupil attendance
• Tuesday 14 Nov: developing and retaining school staff
• Wednesday 15 Nov: improving the lives of disadvantaged pupils
• Thursday 16 Nov: the purpose of education and the role schools play in changing the world

On Friday 17 November: you can also join us at the Annual Address and AGM, where you can hear about the plans for the year ahead. The AGM provides the members the opportunity to ask questions of the board.

Find out more about the annual conference week events and the rest of our autumn term events: www.nga.org.uk/events  

NFER report reveals school budget squeeze

Almost half of primary schools and two fifths of secondary schools had or were expecting an in-year deficit in 2022-23. The findings published by the National Foundation for Education Research (NFER) this week also revealed a bleak outlook for 2023-24, with 50% of primaries and 42% of secondaries expecting both to have an in-year deficit and needing to make cuts to provision.

These findings echo our annual governance survey, where respondents who could not balance income/expenditure rose by 15 percentage points in 2023 to 41% and those who felt their school/trust was financially unsustainable in the next three to five years without significant changes rose by 14 percentage points to 35%.

For more information and support with school and trust budgets please visit our knowledge centre.  

More than a million days of learning lost after record numbers of suspensions

More than 3,000 children a day lost learning through suspension from school in 2021-22, according to new DfE data.

Analysis of the data carried out by a new Who's Losing Learning? Coalition, made up of founding organisations The Difference, Impetus and IPPR also found that more than half of all suspensions were of children living in poverty.

The analysis also found that poverty is one of the main causes of low attendance with three times as many children receiving free school meals (FSM) are absent from school than those who don't get them.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) expressed support for calls to “focus on identifying the reasons behind higher rates of persistent absence and suspension”.

NGA has produced a range of resources to support governing board’s in their role in addressing behaviour and minimising exclusions, including guidance and online learning. 

NGA publishes checklist for reviewing policy for pupils with medical conditions

NGA has published a new checklist for reviewing the policy for pupils with medical conditions. The checklist will help governing boards ensure that all pupils with medical conditions, are properly supported so that they can play a full and active role in school life, remain healthy and achieve their academic potential.

Governing boards have a legal duty to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions. Boards should therefore have a policy in place which is readily accessible to parents and school staff.

Find out more on our Knowledge Centre.

NASUWT industrial action

Members of the teaching union NASUWT are taking industrial action from 18 September. Eligible members in around 10,000 schools have been instructed to limit their working time. This includes refusing to do extra-curricular activities, lunch duties, and weekend work.

While all four teaching unions voted to accept the government’s 6.5% teacher pay deal, NASUWT announced it will go ahead with industrial action over workload and working hours.

The union’s general secretary, Patrick Roach, said the action “will not disrupt pupils’ education – instead, it is focused on the bureaucracy and non-teaching tasks which we know are doing so much to increase workloads, contributing to teacher stress and burnout, and distracting teachers from being able to focus on teaching and learning.”

The DfE has previously announced it will convene a workload reduction task force to explore how workload for teachers and leaders can be minimised.

NGA governance professional jobs service

Don’t miss the opportunity to start the next chapter of your governance professional career. The governance professional career pathway includes a section on finding governance professional jobs and vacancies for all three levels detailed in the pathway: clerk, governance coordinator and lead governance professional. If you are looking for a new challenge, check out the list of current vacancies.

If your school or trust needs to advertise for a governance professional, simply complete the online form with the relevant details. You will be prompted to include details on pay and hours and have the option of uploading documents to accompany the advert such as an application form, job description and person specification. Role description templates for the three professional levels of clerk, governance coordinator and lead governance professional are available on the governance professional career pathway.

If you need any further assistance with securing your next governance professional position or recruitment, email clerkingmatters@nga.org.uk

Claim now: free DfE quality assured mental health lead training

DfE funded mental health lead training  is available for all state schools and colleges in England, to improve your approach to promoting and supporting mental health and wellbeing. 

More than half of schools and colleges have already benefitted from the training, which is available online and/or face-to-face and tailored to the needs of different types of settings.

Visit the Education and Skills Funding Agency (EFSA) website to claim the £1,200 grant.

If you have completed the training and would like to share your approach with other schools and colleges, please email Deborah.Jones@education.gov.uk, who would be happy to discuss opportunities for this.

Annual governance survey report 2023 – in the news

Press nationwide highlighted some of the key findings from our 13th annual governance survey report - after its publication last week. 

Coverage by the BBC, the Independent and the Daily Mail predominantly focused on the worrying increase in safeguarding concerns. 55% of those asked reported an increase in safeguarding concerns, while only 3% noted a decrease.

Co-chief executive, Emma Knights also appeared on BBC Newsnight and BBC 5Live to share boards concerns about the conditions of school and trust premises as well as the concerns around RAAC.

Sam Henson, director of policy and communications, also highlighted the six key issues causing concern for school governors and trustees from the survey in an article he wrote for TES.

To read our comments on the survey findings, please visit our news page. 

New job vacancy: head of consultancy

We are currently looking for an experienced individual to lead, manage and develop innovative consultancy services in our small, friendly and flexible charity. The role of head of consultancy would suit candidates who are visionary leaders, passionate about transforming education and governance across England.

Part time: 30 hours per week
Starting salary: £31,200 - £39,600 per annum depending on experience, based on part time 4 days a week. (£39,000 - £49,500 FTE)
Office based with hybrid working (one day a week in our Birmingham office; Three days working from home). For exceptional candidates, we will consider remote working.

For more information on the role and how to apply visit our website.

Next step announced for language hub programme

The DfE has announced this week that 19 schools will lead on the government’s flagship language hubs programme. The programme aims to raise national interest in studying languages and drive more pupils to study them throughout their education from primary schools onwards.

Commenting on the programme, Schools Minister Nick Gibb said “young people who are confident in a second language are at a huge advantage in life. On top of the social and cultural advantages it provides, there are many economic benefits of learning another language”.

In a hugely eventful week for schools and trusts, NGA brings you the latest updates on the RAAC story including our brand-new information sheet. This week also marks the release of our brand-new Annual Governance Survey 2023 report while we also bring you our latest blog on priorities for the term ahead.

DfE publishes list of schools with confirmed RAAC

The DfE has published the names of 147 schools with confirmed RAAC and issued updated guidance "to vacate and restrict access to spaces with confirmed reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC)". 

4 in 10 respondents to NGA's 2023 annual governance survey told us their buildings were not in good condition, NGA's Director of Policy and Communications Sam Henson responded saying "this isn't just an issue about those outlier schools told to close but a much bigger emergency that means children and staff across the country are learning and working in substandard conditions."

NGA's information sheet on RAAC for school boards provides specific guidance for addressing confirmed RAAC in school buildings.

All NGA members can access Gold Advice line for questions on RAAC. Call 0121 237 3782 or email gold@nga.org.uk. Our October webinar will address board responsibilities and school estate concerns. Book now

NGA’s 2023 annual governance survey report published

Our annual survey report, building on the interim report from July, is out now! It dives deeper into your views on governance, school challenges, and multi academy trusts. Key findings reveal recruiting difficulties for governing boards have surged to the highest rate in nine years, the increasing challenge to retain support staff owing to non-competitive pay rates and a large increase in concerns around attendance, behaviour and safeguarding. Meanwhile just 18% now perceive their school or trust as financially sustainable.
Read more on our news page

Get insights and join our webinar with Nina Sharma and Megan Tate on September 19th at 12:30pm.

Top priorities for the new term

The autumn term brings important changes to statutory guidance as well as essential board business to complete. Read our latest blog for a summary of what you need to know and to find helpful NGA resources covering:

• changes to Keeping Children Safe in Education that impact IT monitoring, safer recruitment and cyber security.
• updated statutory guidance on suspension and exclusion, setting out changes to remote meeting arrangements.
• 2023 Academy Trust Handbook updates and our advice on how to make the best use of the handbook throughout the year.

Make the most out of your membership

As a member, don’t miss out on receiving essential benefits, such as Governing Matters magazine, the weekly e-newsletter, events, and much more.

To access your benefits, please log in to NGA’s website nga.org.uk. Once logged in, go to ‘My NGA’ located in the top right corner of the page. You will be able to access your ‘Member Dashboard’ and benefits, edit or complete your details on ‘Your Profile’, and modify your ‘Communication Preferences’ to receive your membership magazine and the weekly newsletter.

Account managers can go to the ‘Member Dashboard’ to ‘Manage your account’ and ensure that your correct governors and trustees have access. Please encourage your members to sign into their accounts and take advantage of their benefits.

Need help? Contact our support team on 0121 237 3780 (option 3), view our FAQs, or submit an enquiry.

New local governance resources published

At the start of the academic year, trust boards will be reviewing their scheme of delegation and accompanying committee terms of references. The role and remit of local academy committees is one of the key issues to be considered and ultimately agreed on as part of this review.
NGA has published model terms of reference for a local academy committee, and a model role description for a local governor built on NGA’s sector leading research.

Follow us on X!

Stay up to date with all things governance and learn how NGA is helping you and your board by following us on X, previously known as Twitter.

Want daily updates and insights? Follow us on:

• Our main account - @NGAmedia
• Our exclusive governance professionals account - @ClerktoGovernor

You can also follow our two joint chief executives' accounts to read their views and insights on the latest developments in the education and governance sector.

• Emma Balchin's account - @NGAEmmaB
• Emma Knights' account - @NGAEmmaK

Stay connected with us!

Have you seen our new webinars?

What a better way of kicking off your CPD this term than with NGA’s webinar offering? We have a host of ready to watch webinars on a multitude of topics plus exciting new additions every month! You can sign up today to our autumn term additions:

1. Nina Sharma and Megan Tate present a webinar on annual governance survey on 19 September at 12.30pm
2. Our October webinar  on 10 October at 12.30pm explores the responsibilities boards hold in relation to premises and how boards can address the huge concerns over school estates that have been hitting the headlines in recent days

Also for those of you part of a local association, don’t miss our Local Associations Meeting taking place on 5 October, hosted by our Governance Development Team.
www.nga.org.uk/events

Learning Link: new releases and coming soon!

This term Learning Link are excited to be releasing two new modules that have been highly requested by subscribers, as well as some important updates to our existing modules.

Following key guidance changes, this week we released updates to the following modules:

1. Safeguarding: how to fulfil the governance role
2. Minimising exclusions
3. How to: review suspensions and exclusions

Later this term we will be releasing a new Safer Recruitment module to help you meet your compliance obligations, and an exclusive interactive version of NGA’s Skills Audit to complete as a board.

Future releases for this school year include How to: Manage complaints effectively and Pupil mental health, so stay tuned!

If you are not currently a subscriber and would like more information about our e-learning platform contact us or visit Learning Link.

NGA Governance professional jobs service

Don’t miss the opportunity to start the next chapter of your governance professional career. The governance professional career pathway includes a section on finding governance professional jobs and vacancies for all three levels detailed in the pathway: clerk, governance coordinator and lead governance professional. If you are looking for a new challenge, check out the list of current vacancies.

We are recruiting Trustees to join NGA’s Board

Looking for a way to make a difference in young people's lives?  Join us as a trustee at NGA and help us to continue to enhance the effectiveness of school governance in England. 

Our board members bring together a wealth of experience and expertise. They guide our hardworking team to fulfil the charity's vision. We currently have vacancies in London, the North West, the North East, and the West Midlands.

If you’d like to hear more, attend our virtual information session, where our current Chair, Lynn Howard will share information on being a trustee at NGA and answer any questions prospective candidates may have.

For more information on becoming a trustee at NGA, visit our website. We'd love for you to join us in making a positive impact on children and young people.

NGA’s setting-specific development course for MAT trustees

NGA’s Leading Governance Development Programme for MAT trustees provides practical, convenient and focused training for current, new and future trustees in MATs.
Following its successful establishment last year this engaging and interactive programme runs again with the first workshop session on 17th October. You can book your place here.

NGA would like to welcome our valued members back after a well-deserved break. Our first newsletter of the academic year is packed with updates from the sector, including new concerns over buildings and estates, attendance updates and a review of this year’s exam results. Look out for details on how you can apply to join NGA’s board of trustees!

New blog: Welcome to the start of a new school year

As we enter into a new academic year, we also embark on a new phase of leadership at NGA. Our co-chief executives, Emma Knights and Emma Balchin have written a blog to welcome you back. They reflect on the ‘not so new’ challenges governing boards and their schools and trusts will face this year, including the impact of the cost-of-living crisis and the lingering legacy of the pandemic, on some of our most vulnerable children.

We recognise that the wellbeing of children and young people is at the heart of why you volunteer and what NGA stands for and will continue to be at the centre of our leadership of NGA.

Read the full blog.

We are recruiting trustees to join NGA’s board

Looking for a way to make a difference to young people's lives?  Join us as a trustee at NGA and help us to continue to enhance the effectiveness of school governance in England. 

Our board members bring together a wealth of experience and expertise and guide our hardworking team to fulfil the charity's vision.

We currently have vacancies in London, the North West, the North East, and the West Midlands.

If you’d like to hear more, why not attend our virtual information session, where our current chair Lynn Howard will share information on being a trustee at NGA and answer any questions prospective candidates may have.

For more information on becoming a trustee at NGA, visit our website. We'd love for you to join us in making a positive impact on the education of children and young people.

The DfE release guidance for schools with confirmed reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC)

The DfE has published guidance on what to do if RAAC is found in your setting. It follows an announcement yesterday that a further 104 schools will need to put in place new safety measures to address concerns relating to buildings with RAAC.

Until suitable safety measures can be put in place, schools are being asked to vacate spaces or buildings within the school estate that are known to contain RAAC.

Although the DfE will provide funding for all mitigation works that are capital funded, the expectation is that schools will cover additional revenue costs, such as rent for emergency or temporary accommodation. Schools that may have difficulty doing this should liaise with their assigned caseworker and the Education and Skills Funding Agency in the first instance.

For those schools that have not done so already, governors and trustees should ensure that the DfE’s questionnaire is completed as soon as possible so that any RAAC can be identified and managed.

Book your place on our October webinar, where NGA’s Sam Henson and Rani Kaur will be discussing the board’s responsibilities in relation to school and trust estates, what the leading concerns are across the sector, and what boards can do about it.

Attendance: The government publish response to consultation

Post-pandemic absence rates are not improving and the disadvantage gap in attendance has widened, DfE data reveals.

Following last year’s consultation on changes to school attendance data and fixed penalty notices, the department is proceeding with the requirement for schools to keep electronic admission and attendance registers.

Designed to cut persistent absence rates (currently one in five pupils), it is hoped these records will better make it easier to address potential or established patterns of absence through early intervention.

There is less certainty around a national threshold for the use of fixed penalty notices. The government ‘remains committed’ to improving consistency in their application, but this proposal was tied to the now axed Schools Bill.

Other changes will include requiring schools to provide data on pupils who have missed, or will miss, 15 days of school due to illness, while removing the grounds for pupils to be deleted from roll due to illness.

NGA has worked with the DfE to produce a guide to improving school attendance.

Kick off the new term with NGA events

We are excited to be with you this new academic year, supporting your governance journey with our brand new resources and events. Join our first event of the new term, where NGA’s Nina Sharma and Megan Tate explore the key challenges emerging from our highly anticipated annual governance survey. If you’d like to gain a deeper understanding of the current governance climate, you won’t want to miss this one out!

You will have the opportunity to join a range of forums, network events, conferences, and webinars to keep you up to date with the latest information, advice and guidance.

Book your place now

Supporting staff wellbeing

We hope all school staff have enjoyed a well-earned summer break and start the new term feeling refreshed. However, working in schools is increasingly challenging, particularly for those in leadership positions.

Governing boards have significant responsibilities to support and monitor the wellbeing of all staff employed in their school or trust, including their work-life balance. This is critical to recruiting and retaining good staff and improving pupil outcomes.

We’ve refreshed our guide to improving staff wellbeing and our school leader wellbeing evaluation tool to help boards in all types of school and trust identify areas for improvement and implement successful strategies to ensure a healthy workplace culture.

Exam results show a return to pre-pandemic levels

Last month, thousands of pupils received their results for AS/ A levels, GCSEs and other vocational qualifications. As part of the Government’s two- step plan following the pandemic, there has been a return to pre-pandemic grading in England this summer.

Both GCSE results and A level results were similar to 2019, with 21.6% of pupils sitting GCSEs achieving grade 7 and above compared with 20.6% in 2019, and 26.5% of A level students achieving a grade A, up from 25.2% in 2019. Further analysis from FFT Education Datalab also shows a narrowing attainment gap at GSCE between boys and girls.

There was a 90.4% pass rate for T-levels, with DfE data showing that health had the highest percentage of students achieving pass or above (96%).

While 79% of pupils gained a place at their first choice of university or college, there was a visible widening of the regional attainment gap between the north and south for AS and A level results. Ofqual’s chief regulator, Jo Saxton said is the gap is “uncomfortable” and is a “picture that needs to be seen” by policy makers.

Read NGA’s response to AS, A level, T- level results and GCSE and VTQ results on our website.

Additional special free schools and SEND reform pilot areas announced

The DfE has revealed plans to build seven new special free schools, which will create more than 1,000 new places in Cambridgeshire, Kent, Merton and Norfolk. NGA welcomes this announcement as we regularly hear from members concerning the difficulties faced by a shortage of special school places.
 
The DfE has also announced the local authorities who have been selected to pilot key SEND reforms. The pilot will help inform the development of new national standards, which are hoped will improve the consistency of provision across the country.

To address concerns raised by families that the system can be fragmented, the pilot will also bring together education and health services, as well as parents and families to develop an inclusion plan that sets out the delivery of local services in a co-ordinated way.

Setting-specific professional development for trust and school leaders

Our virtual face-to-face sessions are tailored to the requirements of leadership and governance in four different settings:

• MAT board leaders – Monday 18 September
• MAT academy leaders – Tuesday 19 September
• SAT leaders – Wednesday 20 September
• LA maintained school or federation leaders – Wednesday 27 September

Designed for CEOs, headteachers and other executive school and trust leaders, each focussed session allows participants to explore together how to work with their boards to help develop more effective governance. 

Led by expert facilitators with first-hand experience of trust and school leadership, each session reviews current good practice in key areas such as strategy co-development, building good relationships, making the most of support and challenge, efficient reporting and effective meetings.

Troubleshooting typical challenges, participants will be able to plan quick wins and sensible practical approaches to more deep-rooted obstacles to good governance. To help implement improvements, each session is supported by a useful toolkit of templates and sources of practical guidance. 

Book now

New education minister appointed

David Johnston OBE has been announced as the new minister for children, families and wellbeing this week following a mini cabinet reshuffle. His remit, among other things, will include SEND, alternative provision, children and young people’s mental health, children from disadvantaged backgrounds and vulnerable children.

Johnston, who inherits the role from Claire Coutinho, previously served on the education select committee and was parliamentary private secretary at the DfE. In addition to this, Johnston is a governor at Pimlico Academy, a London secondary school, and another sixth form college in London.

Ofsted school inspection handbooks update from September 2023

As we start the new academic year, Ofsted has updated the school inspection handbook to reflect the proposals that were put forward to improve certain areas of inspection practice.

In the updated handbook which comes into force from 1 September 2023, governing boards can expect to see an added section on ‘schools raising concerns’, setting out when and how concerns can be raised.

Other updates offer clarity on areas of inspection, notably specifying that the chair of the board of trustees in trusts of over 40 schools may delegate some meetings. The handbook also provides definitions for various terminology relating to school governance roles and school structures.

Governing boards should familiarise themselves with the updates which can be found in the summary of changes guidance or find the changes embedded within the school inspection handbook. Governing boards can also use NGA’s wide range of resources to support them with inspection and update their knowledge on how governance is inspected.

This week we bring you details of the latest National Funding Formula announcement as well as the new School Sport and Activity Action Plan published this week. Look out for our new guidance on managing complaints and how to sign up for our autumn events.

New blog: A fond farewell from Steve Edmonds

In our last blog of the academic year, we hear from Steve Edmonds, NGA’s director of advice and guidance, as he reflects on the changing landscape of school and trust governance.

This will be Steve’s last article as he leaves us for pastures new at the end of summer. Steve has brought so much value to furthering NGA’s work in amplifying the voice of governors/trustees in the sector. We are sure you will join us in wishing Steve all the best on his new venture.

Read the blog.

Details of the National Funding Formula announced 

Following on from the teachers’ pay announcement last week, the Department for Education (DfE) has announced details of the National Funding Formula (NFF) for 2024-25, which determines how schools will be funded next year.

The additional funding for teachers’ pay will come through a teachers’ pay additional grant paid on top of the NFF in both 2023-24 and 2024-25. 

Overall, core schools funding for both mainstream schools and high needs, and including the teachers’ pay additional grant, is increasing by over £1.8billion in 2024-25 compared to the previous year. This is on top of a £3.9 billion increase in 2023-24. The minimum per pupil funding levels will also increase by 2.4% compared to 2023-24 – at least £4,655 per primary pupil, and £6,050 per secondary pupil. Local authorities will be allocated funding in 2024-25 on the basis of falling rolls, as well as growth. This funding can be used to support schools which see a short-term fall in the number of pupils on roll.

You can read NGA’s response to the teachers’ pay award announcement on our news page. 

Is your governance workload too much?

We are conducting research to determine the degree to which workload is a concern for governors and trustees, identify the primary factors that contribute to high governor workload, and assist governors and trustees in carrying out their responsibilities effectively. If you feel like your governance workload is too much or know someone who feels like this, we want to hear from you!

To get in touch please email Adelaide Chitanda, the project manager, at adelaide.chitanda@nga.org.uk.  

DfE publish Sport and Activity Action Plan

The Government has published a two year plan to improve equal access and the quality of physical education (PE). The School Sport and Activity Action Plan aims to support teachers and schools to deliver two hours of high quality PE and provide extra-curricular opportunities to both girls and boys.

The plan includes the introduction of a new digital tool for primary schools to “report on spending of their allocation of the premium” and a new equality criteria in the School Games Mark.

Ali Oliver, chief executive of the Youth Sport Trust (YST) welcomed the action plan stating, “the significant commitment to investment, alongside clear expectations and accountability is much needed.” Adding that the plan “should only be seen as the first step”.

Written in collaboration with YST, NGA’s PE and school sport guide for governing boards, highlights the importance of an inclusive PE and school sport offer in pupils’ wider development including their mental health and wellbeing. 

Bookings for our autumn term events are now open

We start the next academic year with a look at the key findings from the annual governance survey. NGA’s research team, Nina Sharma and Megan Tate delve into the changes over the past year, giving you a deeper understanding of the current governance climate and support your practice with tips and links to related NGA guidance.

As well as our webinars, our Leadership Forum will focus on funding and the challenge of balancing the budget. Join your peers to explore and share your experiences of managing the challenge and mitigating financial pressures.

Ofsted publish history subject report

The gap between the quality of history education in primary and in secondary schools appears to be closing, according to Ofsted’s latest subject review. Findings from the review show that the history curriculum is in a stronger position than 12 years ago with enough time being allocated in timetables and pupils generally developing secure knowledge on the subject.

For pupils to receive a rich history curriculum:

• Teachers and leaders understand the generative power of knowledge in history.
• Teachers are confident in making pedagogical decisions that emphasise important content and concepts in a meaningful way.
• Leaders plan systematically to develop teachers’ knowledge of the content they teach and of how to teach history effectively to pupils.

Governors and trustees are responsible for ensuring that all pupils are offered a rich and engaging curriculum. NGA’s guide to curriculum effectiveness sets out the legal responsibilities governing boards have, alongside a practical approach to collaborating with school leaders. 

Sign up now! Bookings available on NGA’s Leading Governance development courses

The development for chairs programme is designed for both trustees and governors who currently chair, and those aspiring to become a chair, supporting the development of leadership skills.

Trustees: Start date – 13 September 2023
LA Maintained and LGBs: Start date – 26 October 2023
Cost: £270 per participant for a member, £285 for a non-member.

The Level 3 Certificate in the clerking of school and academy governing boards programme is an accredited programme designed for governance professionals and clerks with at least three months experience, currently working in any school or trust setting. The cost is £530 per participant.

To find out more about either of these programmes, call us on 0121 237 3780 dial option 5, email us at leading.governance@nga.org.uk or visit our website. 

Complaints and exclusions

NGA has published new guidance on managing complaints and reviewing your complaints procedure.

The procedural guide to managing complaints will support staff, governors/trustees and governance professionals involved in the process and should be used alongside the procedure for your school/trust. Topics covered include investigating complaints and panel hearings.

The checklist for reviewing your complaints procedure will help ensure that the procedure is working as intended to achieve a satisfactory outcome for all parties, while minimising time spent on dealing with complaints.

Our guide to exclusion procedures has also been updated to cover changes to statutory guidance from September 2023, including parents’ right to request remote meetings and changes to arrangements for cancelling suspensions/exclusions. 

NGA Governance professional jobs service

NGA’s FREE service for advertising governance professional jobs will continue to be available during the summer break. If you or someone you know is looking for a new challenge in their career, check out the listings on the jobs pages. The vacancies cover all three governance professional levels and are for all settings and phases.

If your school or trust needs to advertise for a governance professional during the holidays, simply complete the online form with the relevant details. You will be prompted to include details on pay and hours and have the option of uploading documents to accompany the advert such as an application form, job description and person specification.

The governance professional career pathway includes role description templates for the three professional levels of clerk, governance coordinator and lead governance professional to compare with your own if you need to update them.

For further assistance with governance professional recruitment, email clerkingmatters@nga.org.uk

New length of the school week guidance published

The DfE has published new non-statutory guidance on the expectation for all state funded mainstream schools to deliver a school week of 32.5 hours or more by September 2024 at the latest.

The guidance sets out steps for increasing time beyond the minimum school week and includes case studies where schools have seen positive outcomes from having a school week of 32.5 hours or more.

NGA has published guidance on changing the length of the school to support those governing when considering proposed changes in their school or trust. 

Sir Martyn Oliver recommended as new Chief Inspector of Ofsted

Sir Martyn Oliver has been named as the DfE’s preferred candidate for Ofsted Chief Inspector. Confirmed this week by Secretary of State for Education, Gillian Keegan, the Outwood Grange Academies Trust boss will appear before the education committee in September. If successful, he will start his five year term on January 1 next year.

In a statement, Oliver said “Subject to the pre-appointment hearing, I can promise that I will work extremely hard and very closely with the whole sector” adding he would work to “create the best system in all areas of education, children’s services and skills for the benefit of children and young people.”

The announcement follows the publication of NGA’s Annual Governance Survey interim report which found that views on inspections among those governing remain diverse with a majority (60%) supporting a graded school inspection system, while 34% hold an opposing view.

Read the report.

This week we bring you the latest sector news including a pay award of at least 6.5% for teachers and leaders. We also publish a snapshot report into the findings of our latest Annual Governance Survey as well as updated guidance on schemes of delegation.

Teachers’ pay award announced

The Government has accepted the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) recommendations for 2023-24 teacher pay awards in full, meaning teachers and leaders will receive a pay award of at least 6.5%.

Schools will be expected to fund 3.5% of the rise from their own budgets, which the Department for Education (DfE) said is “affordable” given the increase in school funding announced last year and which many schools will have budgeted for given the evidence the Government submitted to the STRB.  The DfE will provide funding for the remaining 3 per cent from reprioritising within its own budgets to protect frontline services. 

The Government has also committed to other measures to promote recruitment and retention across schools including convening a workload reduction taskforce.

In a joint statement the four education unions ASCL, NAHT, NASUWT and NEU said they will be asking their members to the STRB’S recommendation, which will allow them to call off strike action.

NGA is pleased the DfE has accepted STRB’s recommendation but recognises the difficulty it will create for some schools in balancing their budget. Overall, this an improved settlement that reduces the threat of further strike action and helps prevent teacher recruitment and retention challenges from escalating further.
 

NGA report on key findings from Annual governance survey 2023

Challenges around balancing the budget, attendance and staff recruitment are among the emerging findings reported in NGA’s latest research. The report, published this week, provides a snapshot of school governance in England. It does so in the absence of official data and supports NGA’s work to shape education policy.
The survey also found that:

• less than half of respondents support strike action
• safeguarding concerns are rising, with 55% reporting a rise in the past year
• views on school inspection are diverse
• satisfaction with the government is at an all-time low

Commenting, Sam Henson, NGA’s director of policy and communications said “The findings convey the devastating impact of another year of escalating costs across all areas” adding “The Department for Education needs to take note of the knowledge and experience of the governance community…” You can read NGA’s full response to the findings on our news page.

A full report will be published in September 2023.

Read the interim report.

Invitation to take part in a roundtable exploring accountability reform in England

We are delighted to invite you to take part in an online roundtable discussion with school governors, hosted by research consultancy Public First in collaboration with the NGA. The research will explore the role of schools in disadvantaged communities and the accountability system.

The discussion will consider whether the current focus of external accountability measures (such as Ofsted, league tables and performance measures) on academic outcomes is best serving our pupils. We are keen to better understand the views of governors as to how we can create a system which encourages schools to be as focused on producing the happy and healthy citizens of tomorrow.
The roundtable will be held online and take place on Tuesday 1 August 2023.

The meeting will be recorded for transcription purposes, as quotations from the roundtable may be used in a final published report; however, all individuals will be anonymised. 

Sign up or find out more.
 
 

SATs results 2023 published

Updated guidance on primary accountability measures confirmed that data on primary pupil progress in 2024 or 2025 will not be published because there are no key stage 1 SATs results to provide a baseline. The DfE intend to return to producing progress measures using KS1 assessments in 2025/26 and 2026/27 ahead of the Reception Baseline Assessment progress measures from 2027/28.

The update comes as thousands of pupils received their key stage 2 SATs results this week. Overall, attainment remained broadly similar to 2022, however, national attainment remains considerably lower than pre-pandemic levels.

The Minister for school standards, Nick Gibb, commented on the release of the results, acknowledging that pupils’ education has been disrupted due to the pandemic. He outlined packages such as the National Tutoring Programme and subject hubs, aimed at supporting pupils to “leave school with a secure grasp of reading and writing”.
 

Updated guidance on schemes of delegation now available

Ahead of the new academic year, we are pleased to have published a comprehensive update to our guidance on schemes of delegation. The scheme of delegation is one of the most important documents agreed by the trust board, as it sets out the distribution of key functions within a trust, including the role of the local tier.

Trusts will likely be reviewing their schemes now or in September, as NGA recommend that the scheme is reviewed and agreed annually. Our guidance explains what roles are mandated by law, and which are at the discretion of the trust. The guidance also includes an exemplar matrix, which trusts can use as a starting point for their own scheme, and then adapt to their context.

We have additional guidance covering best practice on roles and responsibilities. This includes our trustee role description, CEO job description, and our guidance on the role of the local tier.
 

Ofsted publish maths subject report

Ofsted has reported that maths education is “broadly more positive” than it was 11 years ago, with school leaders focused on delivering a high quality curriculum. Drawing on evidence from subject visits to a sample of primary and secondary schools, Ofsted found that there had been a “resounding, positive shift” in primary maths and notable improvements at secondary level.

However, the inspectorate also highlighted early gaps in knowledge that may be difficult to identify “until a significant amount of time has elapsed”. The recruitment and retention of specialist maths teachers was also identified as a significant challenge.

Recommendations include developing a curriculum that emphasises secure learning of maths knowledge and prepares pupils for transitions between key stages.

Read the full report and recommendations here.
 
 

Last chance to reserve a place at NGA MAT Conference

Stay on top of the current governance topics by attending our upcoming Multi Academy Trust (MAT) governance conference, in partnership with Browne Jacobson, at London's Leonardo Royal Hotel London Tower Bridge.

Taking place on Monday 25 September, the day will feature three high-profile keynote speakers, a variety of interactive workshops, as well as a panel discussion exploring the balance between growth and place.

Take advantage of this valuable opportunity to network with fellow MAT governors and learn from industry experts. NGA MAT members can attend for free with their membership, and we have reserved a handful of tickets for non-members too.
Book now

This week we see the re-launch of our Educators on Board campaign as well as the publication of the Academy Trust handbook. We also bring you the latest sector news including Labour’s plan for education and concerns around nursery closures. Look out for details on how you can sign up to our Young Governors Network.

The guidance explains how the department intends to help position the right high-quality trust to meet the needs of pupils and communities, and the support it will provide to strong trusts that have the capacity for growth. It is the latest instalment of the government's plan to demonstrate its commitment to empowering high-quality trusts to take on and improve more schools. The guidance covers:

• The decision-making process and identification of strategic needs in each area.
• How the department will apply a high-quality trust framework (using the finalised trust quality descriptions).
• Both the quantitative and qualitative evidence that will be used to build consistency, objectivity, and transparency in decision making.
• The role of regional directors in assessing decisions and the factors they will consider related to trust quality.

The proposed evidenced approach is built through a combination of headline metrics, verifiers, and qualitative sources, and while governance and leadership play a crucial role as the fifth pillar of trust quality, the guidance remains almost silent on the specific role of trust boards.

Four areas to review before the end of term: New NGA blog 

As the summer break approaches, governing boards have a lot to do. NGA’s latest blog suggests four key areas that should take priority: 

1. Pupil outcomes: How are your pupils doing? Are they meeting their targets? 

1. School visits: Are you making the most of your visits to the school? 

1. Link roles: Are your link governors making a difference? 

1. Governance professional: Are you getting the most out of your governance professional? 

Visit our website  to read the blog which has tips and resources on each of these areas. 

International Perspectives on Early Years Education 

Ofsted has published a new report that explores early years provision in an international context. The International Perspectives on Early Years report,  provides useful background for those governing when discussing the early years strategy for their schools and trusts.
 
As well as providing a comprehensive analysis of global practices in early years education, the report re-enforces the importance of high-quality provision, parental involvement, and strong partnerships with local communities. 

School leaders divided on cost-effectiveness of the National Tutoring Programme 

 76% of leaders currently using the National Tutoring Programme say it is improving the attainment of their disadvantaged pupils, according to a new report by NFER. Despite this, over half (58%) do not think that it is a long-term solution to closing the attainment gap. Meanwhile two thirds of those using it said they plan to continue doing so into the 2023/24 academic year.  

Reasons given by those leaders dropping out of the NTP included reduced subsidies, planning difficulties, administrative and reporting requirements being too burdensome, and difficulties sourcing suitable tutors.  

NGA’s ‘Disadvantage: Widening the lens’ campaign page offers a range of resources for those governing to use with leaders in addressing education disadvantage within their school or trust.  

Don't miss out on our exciting summer events! 

1. Summer Conference: Join us on 1 July in Salford, Greater Manchester for our annual summer conference. This year's theme is "Courageous Leadership," and our keynote speaker is Diana Osagie, Founder and CEO of the Academy of Women's Leadership. Book your place today!  

1. Governance Professional Network: Our next Governance Professional Network is only two weeks away! This is a great opportunity to network with other governance professionals and learn how to prepare for the autumn term. Book your place today to avoid missing out!  

1. Webinar: Join NGA’s Emma Balchin and Nina Sharma on 4 July when they will discuss the emerging key themes from external reviews conducted by National Leaders of Governance over the last 12 months. Register for the webinar.   

1. Young Governors’ Network meeting: The final network meeting of the academic year takes place 11 July. The discussion topic is governance workload and we will be joined by our guest Nick Harris from Send Church of England Primary School in Woking, who will share thoughts from the perspective as a young chair.  Attendance is open to all young governors and trustees below the age of 40. NGA membership is not required. Register to attend.  

Sign up to the career’s roundtable with The Gatsby Foundation  

The Gatsby Foundation is looking ahead to the next ten years of Good Career Guidance for young people in England. As part of this work, they are keen to explore the role governance plays in helping to ensure the very best careers provision for young people.  

NGA is supporting by hosting a roundtable for those governing. The roundtable will be chaired by Ryan Gibson who led the original Gatsby Benchmark Pilot and is now Senior Advisor for Careers at Gatsby leading this important national work. Please note, this roundtable is not suitable for governors of primary schools.  

The roundtable will take place online 11 July, 5-6pm. Please email Tom Shirt at tom.shirt@gatsby.org.uk by 3 June to confirm your attendance. 

Teachers to strike again in July 

The National Education Union (NEU) has announced two more days of strike action in July, following the rejection of a 4.3% pay rise offer from the government. 

The strikes will take place on 5 and 7 July, and are the latest in a series of industrial action by teachers over pay and funding. 

The NEU is calling for a pay rise that matches inflation and is concerned that the government is contemplating not implementing the recommendation of a 6.5% increase made by the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) in their leaked report.   NGA has called on the government to publish STRB’s report, confirm whether the recommendation has been accepted and if it is to be fully funded.   

Revised professional standards for school business professionals  

As well as their role in supporting effective operational management, business professionals working at all levels in schools and trusts, contribute towards effective financial and governance compliance, risk management and identifying resources.   

Those governing will be interested to know that the Institute of School Business Leadership (ISBL), have revised their professional standards, which set clear expectations and encourage continuous professional development of all those involved in school business leadership. The standards are recognised by all education stakeholders and are referenced in the Academy Trust Handbook 

NGA are pleased to support the standards and we will continue to highlight the importance of business support and governance working seamlessly together. 

New Governing Matters out now

Your final issue of Governing Matters for this academic year is out now, a fascinating issue where we look at some of the key issues facing schools and trusts.

In this issue, we are delighted to feature education charity Class 13 who challenge us to imagine what a truly equitable environment in our schools looks like. We celebrate the work of governing boards and leaders in Lewisham who are driving real change as well as looking back on a year of greener governance.

We also discuss the continuing and growing issue of attendance, in this instance with some very practical advice on parental engagement and look at the importance of organisational culture.

If you haven’t received a hard copy, visit the Governing Matters page and read these articles and more. 

Ofsted announce updates to inspections processes

Following the “wide ranging debate about the impact of school inspections”, Ofsted has announced several updates impacting inspection processes, complaints and the support available for wellbeing.

They include:

• clarity on the threshold for effective and ineffective safeguarding provision.
• where safeguarding is found to be ineffective, inspectors will now return within three months of report publication.
• clarity for headteachers on sharing their draft inspection report.

Visit the Knowledge Centre for more information about the changes to inspecting safeguarding and when schools can expect their next inspection.

As part of their review on the complaints process, Ofsted also announced a consultation with the aim of improving dialogue between leaders and inspectors, reducing administrative burden and increasing transparency.

The Education Committee has launched an inquiry and is calling for evidence to assess how well Ofsted is fulfilling its role in inspecting schools. The inquiry will look at the impact of Ofsted judgements on workload and wellbeing for the school community, and the usefulness of Ofsted inspections for schools and parents.

A research team based at the UCL Institute of Education are inviting you to take in part in a research project - Beyond Ofsted - funded by the National Education Union (NEU), looking at school inspection in England. They will hold online focus groups for governors, gathering your views on inspection and areas for improvement.

Visit the website to find out more.
 

Being Strategic: updated guide to strategy development

We’ve updated our popular strategy development guide for those leading and governing in schools and in multi academy trusts (MATs).

Being Strategic explains how strategic priorities are identified, resourced and monitored throughout the year. It also provides valuable advice on vision setting, self-evaluation, risk assessment, and communicating the strategy to stakeholders.

There are now two versions of the guide: one for single schools, single academy trusts and federations, and one for MATs who implement their vision and strategy across schools.

To accompany the refreshed guidance, our Being Strategic webinar covers how boards and leaders collaborate over strategy development, questions to ask, and creating the right culture for the strategy to succeed.
 

Consultation on draft Academy Trust Governance Code

NGA has been working with partners across the sector on a new governance code for academy trusts. A draft version of the code has now been published, and a consultation is open until 31 July.

The Code is voluntary, rather than being a legal or regulatory requirement. It is not a statement of all of a trust’s compliance requirements, which is already provided by other documents. Instead, the Code is intended to be a practical tool to support continuous governance improvement, by going beyond compliance to focus on the core principles which underpin effective governance.

The Code attempts to identify those principles which unite effective trust governance across the sector, whilst also recognising the differing contexts and maturity of specific trusts.

We would encourage anyone interested to read the draft code and complete the consultation survey.
 

Bird’s eye view of poverty in schools survey

We are working with others across the education sector to highlight the effects of child poverty on pupils, schools and the wider education system and to advocate for change. In a first-of-its-kind survey, the Education Anti-Poverty Coalition, coordinated by Child Poverty Action Group, is asking everyone working in and with schools across England to share their experiences of the scale and impact of child poverty in their school or setting.

Please take five minutes to complete the survey.

 
Join us for the last three events of this term!
Summer Conference

At our highly anticipated summer conference we will be joined by Diana Osagie, Founder and CEO of the Academy of Women’s Leadership, who will deliver a keynote presentation on courageous leadership, delegates will be the first to hear the headline findings from our annual survey, and there will also be a range of informative workshops. Book Now

NGA’s Governance Professionals Network

This term’s topic of discussion is 'being prepared for the Autumn term'. You will hear from our in-house expert speakers who will explore ways in which you can start planning the next academic year. Learn More

Remaining Summer term webinars

On 4 July, 12.30pm, NGA’s director of professional development, Emma Balchin and senior policy and research officer, Nina Sharma will be discussing the emerging key themes from external reviews of governance conducted by NLG’s over the last 12 months. Book now.

Don’t forget to watch our previous webinars here.
 

Sign up to develop a climate action plan for your school

Students Organising for Sustainability UK (SOS-UK) are offering a free opportunity for schools to work with them to develop a Climate Action Plan (CAP). The approach will empower pupils and give them the confidence to lead on the development of a CAP for their school in collaboration with staff, governors, and the wider school community.You will also have the opportunity to work with sustainability professionals such as energy auditors, nature and wildlife experts and climate scientists. 

The CAP you develop with SOS-UK will have a holistic perspective of sustainability and encompass all areas of school life such as: building infrastructure, waste & water management, biodiversity, energy, procurement and consumption, social justice, community and more. Schools will be supported throughout their CAP journey by a designated SOS-UK CAPs staff team.

Register your interest online and a member of the CAPs team will be in touch.  
 

Sign up for Edurio webinars on stakeholder engagement and HR 

Edurio, England's leading stakeholder feedback platform for schools and multi-academy trusts, hosted this year’s annual survey and are running a series of webinars in June that you can sign up to.

They include:tric feedback: Toolkit for impactful school stakeholder surveys

Ideal for CEOs and anyone leading an improvement strategy - you’ll learn:

• Why stakeholder feedback is key
• The five key steps for success
• How to move forwards with free resources

Tuesday 20 June 10-11.00 am visit Edurio’s website to sign up.

1. People Power: Unlocking talent capacity in trusts

Ideal for HR Directors and anyone championing staff and culture in Academy Trusts - you’ll learn:

• Identify reasons for high turnover
• Accelerate your staff EDI commitment
• Cultivate a culture-centred approach

Tuesday 27 June 10am-2.30pm visit Edurio’s website.
 

Understanding the role of artificial intelligence in education

To mark the 10th anniversary of London Tech Week, the government has launched a call for evidence, establishing ways of using artificial intelligence (AI) in a positive way. The call asks for views on risks, ethical considerations, and training for education workers.

Speaking at the London tech week conference, education secretary Gillian Keegan said “artificial intelligence is transforming the world around us” adding “we must make sure education is not left behind.”

NGA welcomes your views. Please contact nina.sharma@nga.org.uk to share your thoughts on the benefits and risks that AI can bring to education. If you haven’t already, listen to NGA’s podcast on making EdTech work for you, where NGA’s Nina Sharma and Steve Edmonds are joined by experts exploring the impact of technology in schools as well as looking at how boards can test the robustness of new proposals.
 

DfE launches new music education monitoring board

The government announced its national plan for music education last year, setting out its vision to enable all children in England to explore their musical interests. One year on, the DfE has now launched a new education monitoring board that will oversee the progress in delivering the plan.

The panel of experts is due to meet for the first time later this month, with termly meetings thereafter. Schools Minister, Nick Gibb, explained how “music offers an enriching experience which is why we want all schools to teach a fulfilling music curriculum.”

Central to the national plan for music education and the monitoring board’s role, is building on and supporting the implementation of the Model Music Curriculum published in March 2021. While school leaders are responsible for delivering the curriculum, those governing have a significant role in ensuring that every pupil experiences a curriculum that is broad and balanced. Boards can use NGA’s curriculum effectiveness guidance to support their conversations.
 

Flexible working support

The DfE is funding a programme to promote flexible working practices in schools and trusts, which includes a series of free training and webinars. Delivered by professional services provider, Capita, the programme aims to increase awareness of the benefits of flexible working and the full range of flexible working practices available.

It will also support leaders to design flexible roles, adopt a proactive approach, and navigate the challenges flexible working can pose in schools.

Governors and trustees can read more about the programme and register here.
NGA also has guidance on flexible working to support boards to develop a culture of flexible working in their settings.

The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), the National Education Union (NEU), the National Governance Association (NGA) and UNISON are organising a mass lobby of parliament on Tuesday 20 June.

Teachers, leaders, support staff and governors are joining forces to lobby MPs for a better deal for schools, colleges and children.

Members will be highlighting to their MPs the unprecedented crisis facing the sector in particular as a result of the underfunding of education, staff shortages and the rising pressure on pupils, families and school staff. For more on why NGA has joined with trade unions on this lobby, please head to this TES article by NGA Chief Executive Emma Knights.

The new report published by the National Governance Association (NGA), highlights the meaningful impact local governance has on the success of multi-academy trusts (MAT) and why it is integral to the future of the trust-based system.

“Local governance here and now” published today (12 May), draws on NGA’s extensive knowledge and previous research and uses in depth interviews carried out with those governing and supporting governance in MAT’s up and down the country to bring the local governance story to life in a new way. It shows how the reputation and identity of a MAT in the local area directly influences the impact of their local governance tier and the benefits of MATs of encouraging their local tier of governance to work with schools outside of the trust.

The report finds that irrespective of their size and context, the MAT’s involved in the study delegated similar responsibilities to their local tier of governance. The responsibilities are linked to school improvement, stakeholder engagement, ensuring the safety and wellbeing of pupils and supporting pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). These 4Ss of standard, stakeholders, safeguarding and SEND, provide an effective guideline that expects all MAT to utilise to maximise the impact of their local governance.

Other key findings include:

• Headteacher performance management is an issue that creates the largest disparity in the involvement of the local tier among trusts.
• Effective communication channels between the trust board and the local tier are essential to amplifying local tier voices and the stakeholders they represent.
• Collaboration among local chairs is a beneficial addition to the MAT governance structure, but for those in non-leadership roles, it could go further.
• Governance professionals are essential in ensuring meaningful impact occurs on the local level and within the wider governance structure.

In the new school year, the National Governance Association’s executive leadership will be changing to become a job-share chief executive shared by Emma Balchin and our current chief executive, Emma Knights.

Today NGA is advertising for a Director of Professional Development to take over from Emma Balchin on 1 September.