This is a sample. To download the full version, join NGA and visit our Guidance Centre
The right people
around the table
An NGA members’ guide: how to recruit new
governors and trustees to school boards in England
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©National Governors’ Association 2015
This is a sample. To download the full version, join NGA and visit our Guidance Centre
What’s inside?
1. Evaluating: composition and current practice
2. Recruiting: who to look for and how to get them
3. Appointing: interviewing and references
4. Inducting: support and training
5. Preparing: succession planning and exit interviews
“Getting the right people around the table is one of NGA’s eight elements of
effective governance. Building a successful team is all about achieving balance
and diversity in skills and experience and then investing in the development of
people. But we understand how tricky this can be in some areas of the country
which is why we are a founding member of the Inspiring Governors Alliance and
why we have put together this resource for our members. I hope you find
everything you need here to find great people to lead your school and if not
please do get in touch.” - Emma Knights, Chief Executive of the National
Governors’ Association: [email protected]
National Governors’ Association
The National Governors’ Association (NGA) is an independent charity representing and supporting
governors, trustees and clerks in maintained schools and academies in England. The NGA’s goal is to
improve the well-being of children and young people by increasing the effectiveness of governing
boards and promoting high standards. It does this by providing information, guidance, research,
advice and training. It also works closely with, and lobbies, UK government and educational bodies,
and is the leading campaigning national membership organisation for school governors and trustees.
Website: www.nga.org.uk · Telephone: 0121 237 3780 · Email: [email protected]
Need advice?
For advice on any issue, including recruitment, NGA Gold members have access to GOLDline
legal advice 9-5pm weekdays. Call: 0121 237 3782 or visit nga.org.uk/goldline
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©National Governors’ Association 2015
This is a sample. To download the full version, join NGA and visit our Guidance Centre
1. Evaluating: composition and current practice
The chair (as leader) with the support of the clerk (as constitutional and procedural advisor) is
responsible for the capability of the board as a whole. This involves evaluating the range of people
and skills on the governing board, whether everyone is being used in the best way, recognising any
training needs and whether new governors are needed now or as part of a plan for the future.
a) Evaluation: looking at current skills
To find out what skills you already have available to you on the board try using NGA’s free skills audit
updated for 2015. We've also produced a skills matrix to help make sense of the responses you get
from the audit. Together, these documents will give you a picture of the skills and experience across
the governing board, so that you can identify areas of particular strength or weakness. It is best
practice to conduct a skills audit annually.
Example of how to use the NGA skills audit and matrix:
“After explaining the reasons for carrying out the audit at a full governors meeting, the chair set up a
panel made up of one governor, the vice chair and our clerk. The clerk sent out the audit form
electronically, asking every governor to fill out the form by a deadline. Once she had received the audit
forms, the clerk collated the information using the NGA’s matrix. When the panel met up to discuss the
findings, it was already clear to us that we lacked someone who could analyse financial information
and that our collective knowledge of Special Educational Needs was shaky. At the next resources
committee meeting we presented the findings of the audit to the committee of governors, rating our
areas of greatest strength and weakness. We also recommended that we recruit a new governor for
the September term to specifically address the finance issue, and look to improve the skills of existing
governors with specific training in SEN.”
- A Primary School Governor
b) Evaluation: your composition
Part of the evaluation process is considering whether the composition of the board is still fit for
purpose.
Maintained schools have an Instrument of Government which sets out the composition of the
governing board. The constitution of an academy trust board, and any of its local governing bodies, is
laid out in its Articles of Association.
The questions to ask as part of the evaluation of the composition are:
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Does the board have the capacity to carry out its duties efficiently?
Is delegation easy to manage?
Do we have too much overlap on our committees?
How does the composition of the board, as set out on paper, reflect the way we really work
as a group?
In maintained schools, governing boards must not be smaller than seven members and must include
at least two elected parent governors, the headteacher (unless the headteacher chooses not to take
up the position), one elected staff governor, one local authority (LA) governor and as many additional
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©National Governors’ Association 2015
This is a sample. To download the full version, join NGA and visit our Guidance Centre
co-opted governors as necessary. The number of co-opted governors that would also qualify to be
staff governors is limited to one third of the governing board, when you include the head and the staff
governor.
Click here to see the different types of governor in more detail
The size of the majority of school governing boards is between 11-15 members. A quarter of
governing boards are comprised of 10 members or fewer. If your board is larger than this you might
want to consider reviewing the composition. Likewise, if you have a number of ‘vacancies’ on paper
but are actually running efficiently without filling them, you should consider formalising that size by
updating your Instrument of Government or Articles of Association accordingly.
Once you have decided on a composition that works for you, arrange for your clerk to change the
Instrument of Government or Articles of Association. You may need to get approval from the Trust,
foundation governors or relevant religious bodies where appropriate.
TIP: Review the practice of the board annually as part of an external or self-review.
c) Evaluation: current practice
When recruiting for new governors it’s a good chance to think about whether your current
governance practice is water-tight. You might want to find out what governors or trustees consider
the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of and to the school, otherwise known as a
SWOT analysis. This will also help you to identify the sort of help you may need in addition to new
governors.
Many governing/trustee boards use the 20 Key Questions for Governing Boards or 21 Key Questions
for Multi Academy Trust Boards to review the work of the board. Both these documents are published
by the All Party Parliamentary Group for Education Governance and Leadership.
Click here for more ideas about training and development
End of sample
To view the full NGA members’ guide: how to
recruit new governors and trustees to school
boards in England join NGA today and visit the
Guidance Centre
www.nga.org.uk/join
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©National Governors’ Association 2015