Governors praised for commitment to transforming schools

HUNDREDS of governors at scores of city schools are doing a great job giving up their time to support their local community, a council scrutiny panel has found.

More than 1,300 people, many of them parents of children at school, are active participants in making sure their local school is performing to the best of its ability.

And the scrutiny panel concluded that governors could do even more to make a real difference if they have the training, information and support they need.

Among its other conclusions was a call for pupils to be involved in governor meetings, improved links with community groups and projects, and training for governing bodies as a whole, when possible.

Cllr Fiona Gordon, convenor of the scrutiny panel which did an in-depth study of governors’ roles in their school, said: “Being a school governor is clearly an important, valuable job. We found that they’re committed and they care about doing the best they can to support their schools.

“We believe that their confidence in their role can grow if there’s clearer guidance about what their role is and what they can expect.

“We also think that local businesses should be encouraged to allow their staff time off to serve as school governors.”

The findings come in a report entitled ‘A Very Challenging Role’ which drew on the expertise of education specialist Professor Catherine Farrell, from the University of South Wales. The scrutiny team also carried out in-depth analysis of Hafod Primary School, Bishopston Comprehensive School and Ysgol Bryn Tawe as part of their investigation.

Emerging from the report are a number of recommendations, which include:

* Clearer guidance for governors about their role and what they should expect
* A mechanism for matching new governors with the governing bodies that have a gap for their particular skills
* Better information for governors provided on websites
* Encouraging businesses to give their staff time off to serve as school governors

Cllr Gordon said: “We should all recognise that the role of school governor has been transformed over recent years. They play a significant part in the life of their school.

“It is not just about the ethos of the school – their role also includes budget setting, staff appointments and staff discipline.

“We decided to conduct this inquiry because there was a view among some that governors were acting as ‘cheerleaders’ for their schools rather than providing challenge as critical friends.

“We found that in many schools, governing bodies have responded well to their changing role but in others old ways of working need to be updated to ensure governors have the capacity to challenge schools sufficiently.”

The report and its findings have been presented to Cabinet, which will respond to the recommendations in coming months.