Governance
Academy conversion: the essentials
Since the introduction of the Academies Act 2010, each passing month has seen more schools start down the path of conversion. The Act significantly increases the scope of the previous academies programme which saw around 200 academies open in the last eight years. Stephanie Day reports
Why convert?
Academies are independent schools funded directly by the Department for Education (DfE) under the terms of the academy funding agreement which the academy enters into with the Secretary of State for Education. This agreement sets out the basis on which the academy will receive its funding and also the contractual obligations which the academy is expected to perform in return.
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Who governs the governors?
Governing bodies play an important part in the life of a school. An effective governing body entails an effective school. Andrew Maiden advises regular reviews of governance procedures
Many governing bodies work in isolation to other governing bodies. It is important for governors to take the time to review the effectiveness of their governing body. After all, just because things have been done in a particular way for years at the school doesn't necessarily mean that it represents good practice.
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Reviewing the board
Effective governance is achieved by reviewing the attributes of existing governors, writes Nick Sladden
The recent trend has been for governing bodies of schools to have fewer governors. As a result, it has now becoming even more crucial to ensure that all the required skills and experience are held within a board.
The starting point in achieving the requisite expertise on the governing body is to review the attributes of existing governors. This has two benefits: existing governors may possess a range of skills or knowledge that may never have been identified or used previously; and it helps to identify any skills shortages. An effective process to assist this review is a “skills audit”.
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The right fit
Many schools struggle to recruit governors, largely due to the increasingly high mountain of paperwork that the governing body is expected to plough through. Rather than invite applicants to a post, it is worth targeting the right individuals directly
The governing body needs to be actively involved in supporting the head, bursar and staff. The overall management of the school is too important to be treated lightly. It is better to have a smaller, dedicated governing body than a large, indifferent one.
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The body politic
Effective governance is critical for successful schools. Nick Sladden advises that governing bodies should review their accountability arrangements to ensure they observe best practice
It is the responsibility of every school governing body to ensure that it is composed of an appropriate number of individuals with the effective breadth and depth of expertise. Having effective governance arrangements – due processes and procedures – has become increasingly important across public, private and voluntary sectors, including independent schools.
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