How to ensure effective governance in schools and trusts

While effective governance must be practiced and developed all year round, the start of a new academic year is often an ideal time to review your current governance procedures and check that everything is in place for the coming year.

Set your School and Trust up for success with these top governance tips

1. Plan ahead - develop an annual meeting schedule to ensure that the governing board has the correct number of meetings in place, including an AGM in line with your Articles of Association and deemed best practice. Share the schedule with all trustees and governors by the end of Summer Term so that as much notice is given to ensure as many Trustees and/or Governors attend as possible. 

2. Flexible locations - how practical are your meetings? Consider whether these will be solely in person or hybrid. Academy trusts should consider the content of their Articles of Association: the latest model Articles state that any trustee shall be able to participate in meetings of the trustees ‘by telephone or by any suitable electronic means agreed by the Trustees, and by which all those participating in the meeting are able to communicate with all other participants’.

3. Check membership - review the establishment, terms of reference, constitution, and membership of any committee of the trustees once every 12 months as a minimum. Consider the membership of your governance groups and ensure skills audits, registers of interest, and terms of office are all up to date. Does Get Information about Schools (GIAS) and Companies House reflect your current membership? Any changes should be updated within 14 days.

4. Registers of Interest - complete these annually and update during the academic year where a change of circumstance takes place: agendas for meetings should also seek declarations in respect of the agenda. Trustee and Governor Registers of Interest should be uploaded to the Trust/School website. Senior leaders should also complete a Register of Interest, but there is no requirement to publish this information.

5. Action plan - create an action plan based on any recommendations identified within a recent skills audit or governance review. This should include any training requirements and how these will be delivered across the academic year.

6. Outline vacancies - where you have governance vacancies, you’ll need plans in place that follow the appropriate nomination and election process - don’t forget how important an in-depth induction programme is for new appointments.

7. Remain compliant - trusts and academies must refer to the updated Academy Trust Handbook each year, particularly where they relate to governance requirements, and ensure that the Board is aware of the detail. The Academy Trust Handbook should be shared with all Trustees to ensure they are aware of the content and the changes introduced in the current version. 

8. Don't stand still - plan for an external review of governance if you’ve not had one completed within the last three years. The DfE suggests that external reviews are conducted routinely as part of a wider programme of self-assessment and improvement. The Charity Governance Code recommends that academy trusts undertake external evaluations every three years, with an annual self-review deemed to be good practice.

9. Be transparent - governor information and duties need to be published on your website; the details required differ according to whether you’re an LA maintained school or academy trust. LA maintained schools should publish information on the governing body in line with statutory guidance (constitution of governing bodies of maintained schools), while academy trusts should refer to the Academy Trust Handbook for details.

If you’re looking for advice and guidance on effective governance or would like to learn more about our range of services and relevant training, please talk to us.