School Governors and Ofsted

On 30 September 2011 Ofsted released a draft of the new framework for inspections due to be implemented in January 2012. Draft because they are still subject to parliamentary approval once the Education Bill received Royal Assent. Within the framework there will be a much higher focus on teaching and learning within the classroom. Inspectors will be focusing on just 4 criteria instead of the previous 26.

The four new criteria are:

• pupil achievement;
• quality of teaching;
• of leadership and management; and
• the behaviour and safety of pupils at school.

Ofsted is there to "judge the effectiveness of schools' governing bodies in challenging and supporting their schools so that weaknesses are tackled decisively and statutory responsibilities are met."

To do this, they will be looking at available data including the self-evaluation, RAISEOnline, minutes from governing body meetings, Head Teacher reports, and other documents. They will also conduct interviews with members of the Governing Body and members of the schools Senior Leadership Team to assess the impact of the Governing Body on the school.

Inspectors will generally wish to speak to 1 or 2 governors, and may wish to speak to the governor who oversees Safeguarding as in recent years that has been a particular focus for inspections.

It cannot be stressed enough the importance of minutes from meetings. It doesn't matter how much you challenge, support, or scrutinise, if it has not been recorded within the minutes of the meetings, it did not happen.

In May 2011, Ofsted produced a report outlining the work of 14 governing bodies which had been judged to be outstanding. It is recommended reading for all governing bodies. A governing body which is striving to meet these characteristics will find they have little difficulty in answering the questions listed above.

The entire article can be downloaded at http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/school-governance

Key characteristics of effective governing bodies

• Positive relationships between governors and school leaders are based on trust, openness and transparency. Effective governing bodies systematically monitor their school's progress towards meeting agreed development targets. Information about what is going well and why, and what is not going well and why, is shared. Governors consistently ask for more information, explanation or clarification. This makes a strong contribution to robust planning for improvement.


• Governors are well informed and knowledgeable because they are given high- quality, accurate information that is concise and focused on pupil achievement. This information is made accessible by being presented in a wide variety of formats, including charts and graphs.


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


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


• Absolute clarity about the different roles and responsibilities of the headteacher and governors underpins the most effective governance. Protocols, specific duties and terms of reference are made explicit in written documents.


• Effective governing bodies are driven by a core of key governors such as the chair and chairs of committees. They see themselves as part of a team and build strong relationships with the headteacher, senior leaders and other governors.


• In eight of the 14 schools visited, governors routinely attend lessons to gather information about the school at work. All the governors who were interviewed visit their schools regularly and talk with staff, pupils and parents. Clear protocols for visits ensure that the purpose is understood by school staff and governors alike. Alongside the information they are given about the school, these protocols help them to make informed decisions, ask searching questions and provide meaningful support.


• School leaders and governors behave with integrity and are mutually supportive. School leaders recognise that governors provide them with a different perspective which contributes to strengthening leadership. The questions they ask challenge assumptions and support effective decision-making.


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


• Time is used efficiently by governors because there are clear procedures for delegating tasks, for example to well organised committees. These committees have clear terms of reference, provide high levels of challenge and use governors' expertise to best effect. Systems are in place for sharing information and reporting back to the full governing body. This does not merely reiterate what has already been discussed in detail by the committee but focuses on the key points and decisions.


• The role of the clerk to the governors is pivotal to ensuring that statutory duties are met, meetings are well organised and governors receive the information they need in good time. Consequently, governors come to meetings well prepared and with pertinent questions ready so that they are able to provide constructive challenge.


• A detailed timeline of activities, maintained by the clerk and linked to the school development plan, provides a clear structure for the work of governors and ensures that their time is used appropriately.


• Governors in the schools visited, use their external networks and professional contacts to fill any identified gaps in the collective skills of the governing body.


• There are clear induction procedures for new governors which help them to understand their roles and responsibilities and ensure that best use is made of their varied skills and expertise.


• The governing bodies constantly reflect on their own effectiveness and readily make changes to improve. They consider their own training needs, as well as how they organise their work.

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