As Ofsted raises the stakes on governors causing them to take a deeper interest in discharging the main function of schools, i.e. providing a stimulating curriculum that lifts standards, there is a danger that they could fall foul of their most senior managers, i.e. the headteachers, for meddling in matters in which they should have no business. It must be said at this point that the overwhelming majority of governors and managers in the country’s schools have a splendid working relationship and wish to keep it that way.
Governors also recognise that they carry out their functions in a voluntary capacity. Most have day jobs that bring home the bacon and keep them out of mischief. Not only don’t they wish to meddle with management issues but they simply don’t have the time to do so.
Occasionally, however, we do come across “rogue” governors who are keen to embark on ego trips and cause their headteachers’ grief.
Generally, at the first meeting of an academic year, the governing body reviews the terms of reference of its committees, appoints members to them and delegates responsibilities to individual members – nominating governors to oversee discrete areas of school life such as Special Needs, Equal Opportunities and Health and Safety.
The Department for Education published in 2012 a very helpful decision planner for governors, from which every governing body can derive considerable benefit. The planner is set out at four levels: responsibilities that the full governing body may assume, duties that can be delegated to committees, tasks to be carried out by individual governors and aspects of school life for which the headteacher takes charge.
governorsagenda 