1. Governor Induction Part 3
Accountability in School Governance
Rebecca Walker
Clive Haines

2. Accountability in School Governance

3. Accountability in School Governance
Accountability in school governance has two elements that governors need to consider: Accountable for – school improvement Accountable to – school (and wider) community

4. Accountability in School Governance
Schools are subject to sharp accountability for pupil outcomes. Governors have a key role in ensuring that the school’s strategic direction, which they help set, is delivering good results. Each Ofsted Section 5 report includes a separate section on the quality of governance; Section 8 (short inspection) reports also set out the inspection team’s findings in regards of the school’s governance.

5. Raising standards, improving lives Inspection Framework 2015
The school governance role is changing, and continues to change. Governors need a robust process and framework for setting priorities, creating accountability and monitoring progress.

6. Raising standards, improving lives What does an inspection look like?
Inspection activities will always include discussion with:
A representative of the LA / academy trust or other responsible body
Governors – as many as possible
Staff, which may include support and admin staff
Pupils, who may be asked to bring examples of work
Where manageable, parents & carers
Leadership and management at all levels

7. Raising standards, improving lives What does this mean for us?
Ofsted will put emphasis on whether governors are:
Supporting and challenging school leaders
Holding the school to account
Measuring the IMPACT, and how this is being communicated (our accountability)
If the school is graded at 3 (requires improvement) for Leadership and Management, it is highly likely that…
Ofsted will recommend a Review of Governance.

8. Raising standards, improving lives What does this mean for us?
Inspectors will consider whether governors are discharging their accountability in respect of:
Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the school - including the impact of teaching on achievement
Challenging and supporting the school’s leadership
Overseeing the financial performance of the school and ensuring it is money well spent.

9. Raising standards, improving lives What will they look for?
What contribution do the governors make to school improvement planning? What’s your IMPACT?
How well informed and evaluative are the governors regarding the role and IMPACT of every SLT member?
How well informed and evaluative are the governors about the role and IMPACT of the Middle Leaders?
How closely do the governors monitor the scope, cost and IMPACT of staff CPD?
What documentation do we need to monitor the above?

10. Raising standards, improving lives What will they look for?
Inspectors will consider whether governors:
Rigorously monitor the impact of teaching on achievement
Evaluate the school’s performance management
Understand and rigorously interrogate school data
Have an accurate view of the performance of different groups of pupils – and the effectiveness of the school’s response.
What documentation do we need to monitor the above?

11. Raising standards, improving lives Under the new inspection framework
Inspectors will also consider:
Whether the governing board is ensuring that the school’s finances are properly managed.
The governors’ role in deciding how the school uses its Pupil Premium grant funding.

12. Raising standards, improving lives Things to consider
How involved are you in decisions about the teaching / curriculum / resources elements of the school budget?
What questions do you ask about the staffing needs?
What criteria do you apply when evaluating spending proposals and the annual budget plan?
What questions do you ask regarding the school’s Pupil Premium spending decisions?
How do you determine whether the money has been well spent?

13. Raising standards, improving lives In the best schools….
“Governors keep themselves well informed through regular reports and presentations from the school’s leaders and also from their own focused visits. They have a clear picture of how well the school is doing, including the quality of teaching and the achievement of pupils. “They are very conscious of their responsibilities and are closely involved in setting ambitious targets for the executive headteacher. Records of governors’ meetings show that, as well as providing strong support to the school, governors ask challenging questions of the leadership team to hold it to account for its actions. “ (continued next slide…)

14. Raising standards, improving lives In the best schools….
“ … Governors are prudent in their financial management. For example, they ensure that teachers’ pay awards are warranted, that the pupil premium supports disadvantaged pupils effectively and that the sports funding increases pupils’ physical activity and their enjoyment of sport. They make sure safeguarding arrangements fully meet requirements.” (extract from the report for an ‘Outstanding’ school, Oct ‘15)

15. Accountability in School Governance

16. Showing your Accountability
Website - Statutory Requirements Newsletters Governor Minutes Parent communications Statutory Policies The School Prospectus Published Complaints Procedure

17. Functions of the School Budget Plan
Schools must be able to show parents, regulators and auditors that they are achieving value for money and that their expenditure ensures that children get the best outcomes. Schools have a delegated budget to cover salaries, running costs, maintenance and equipment. The Governing Board is responsible for managing this budget – can be a committee.

18. Overseeing Financial Performance
There needs to be at least one governor on the board with specific relevant skills and experience of financial matters who can raise questions such as:
Are we allocating resources in line with our strategic priorities?
Are we making full use of all our assets and efficient use of our resources?
Are other schools buying things more cheaply, or getting better results with less spending per pupil?
How can we get better value from our budget?

19. Review of Functions of the Budget Plan
Feeds the School Development Plan (SDP)
Clear link between SDP and Budget Plan
Review the main budget lines periodically
Balance control mechanism - Procurement - Check the checker - Value for money

20. The Budget
LA delegated budget: The school budget share from your Local Authority covers the majority of your budget for pupils aged Provision: Allocation is direct from the DfE (EFA) Grants: Your school may receive funds or grants from the government to support specific initiatives or strategies. Other income: eg. from lettings, voluntary contributions from parents, sponsorship, parental fundraising.

21. The Dedicated Schools Grant (LA)

22. Breaking it down

23. Benchmarking and Efficiency
Governors can use schools’ comparison data provided by the DfE to compare their school’s spending against that of similar schools.
Examples:
If the cost of energy seems high compared to similar schools: could we be investing in energy- saving devices to reduce this cost?
If the spend on learning resources seems high: are there opportunities to collaborate with local schools to bring this down?

24. Where to get help:
The chair of governors / governor mentor
The clerk (advice / training / processes)