‘Deep diving’ in small schools
Mike Sheridan, Ofsted's Regional Director for London, writes about the new education inspection framework and how Ofsted will inspect the curriculum in the smallest schools....
11 October, 2019
Thinkpieces
The British government is failing pupils with special needs – here’s how to change that
When it comes to inclusive education, England has gone backwards, with more and more students placed in segregated provision or excluded from educational opportunities....
16 July, 2019
Grammars receive £50m boost, while primary and secondary schools rely on cash donations from parents
A handful of grammar schools have been given funding to expand, but do the low numbers of disadvantaged pupils attending these well-funded schools increase the societal divide in education? ...
13 December, 2018
Headteacher boards – the graveyard of strategy?
Picture your school's future strategic direction in the hands of other school leaders - with none of the accountability and openness which the school system expects of your own board. It couldn't happen, right? The Secret Governor looks at headteacher boards and wonders....
18 November, 2018
A governor’s view of the bigger picture
The Secret Governor may or may not be on your governing board. They may also continue to refer to it as a ‘governing body’, which may or may not be an attitude which Requires Improvement. They have indicated that this post represents a very personal...
18 October, 2018
What governors know about the curriculum now matters more than ever
Dr. Tony Breslin, author of the new Modern Governor "The Curriculum and Beyond: what every governor needs to know" summarises the rationale for the module and explores what role governors should have in determining how a school's curriculum is defined....
15 October, 2018
Strategic leadership for governors and trustees: obligations, opportunities and pitfalls
Dr. Tony Breslin, - author of the new Modern Governor "Strategic leadership for governors and trustees: obligations, opportunities and pitfalls"- explores how the changing nature of both the school system and strategic leadership affect the practice of governance....
27 September, 2018
Survey: state school teachers say much of their work is meaningless
Private school teachers are generally happier than state school teachers, but not for the reasons you might think....
14 September, 2018
A letter to a departing chair
A long-standing chair of governors is leaving. But will anyone really notice? A fellow-governor writes them a valedictory letter....
21 August, 2018
Managing staff workload – a governor’s perspective
Judith Rutherford, chair of governors at Hiltingbury Junior School in Hampshire, shares her governing board's experience of how an effort to change staff workload for the better had an impact on how governors worked with the school....
27 June, 2018
Long read: Your understanding of grammars requires improvement, Mr Gibb
The Secret Governor - who governs at a school in a fully-selective authority - challenges the Schools Minister about his understanding of what grammar schools are and what academic selection at age 11 means for an area....
25 June, 2018
What is the AMAP and what does it mean for governors?
Sarah Lyons from the Joint Union Asbestos Committee explains what the DfE's new Asbestos Management Assurance Process (AMAP) means for those involved in governance....
12 March, 2018
Reflections on digital governance
Eylan Ezekiel reflects on a year of changes which have made digital governance at Larkrise Primary School a more effective & easier to manage reality. ...
13 February, 2018
Five ways you can shape and grow effective governance
Tony Breslin explores five commitments which the school governance community might make to ensure that governance moves forwards into the future....
18 December, 2017
Who governs our schools – recommendations and a call to action
Tony Breslin collates the summary recommendations from the RSA's "Who governs our schools?" report & suggests how the questions might be used by GBs & SLTs....
11 December, 2017
Who governs our schools – collaboration and partnership to share knowledge
Tony Breslin explores the role of collaboration & partnership - both within and beyond the education sphere - in effective governance in schools & academies...
30 November, 2017
Who governs our schools – leadership and autonomy in the emergent school-scape
Tony Breslin explores what the changing landscape of school structures means for the autonomy of school leaders - and the significant effects on governance....
21 November, 2017
Who governs our schools – governors as stakeholders, experts or both?
Tony Breslin examines why the role of stakeholders is vital for effective governance in schools and asks what role children should play in this....
16 November, 2017
Who governs our schools – the challenges of a changing policy landscape
Tony Breslin examines the intended and unintended consequences for school governance of the seismic changes in policy associated with the academies system....
08 November, 2017
Who governs our schools – induction, development, access
Tony Breslin examines the need for a system-wide improvement of induction in governance literacy and calls for a trial of remuneration for local governance....
01 November, 2017
Who governs our schools – purpose and participation
Tony Breslin asks if school governance can be improved through a better understanding of what its purpose is and what effects participation in it can have....
18 October, 2017
Who governs our schools – and why does it matter?
Tony Breslin expands on the themes in the RSA's recent report "Who governs our schools?" and asks why they're important in the changing world of education....
12 October, 2017
Who governs our schools? Trends, tensions and opportunities
Dr Tony Breslin introduces a series of forthcoming articles reflecting on the RSA's recent report "Who governs our schools?"...
11 October, 2017
First principles: Nolan and the ethics of education
Amid calls for a code of ethics for education, Martin Matthews asks if anyone remembers the Nolan principles of public life....
04 October, 2017
Why teach RE in modern education?
Bill Moore - school governor, teacher and adviser on RE - explores the role of religious education in schools and what governors should ask about it....
26 September, 2017
A free online CPD module on asbestos in schools
Details of the free e-learning module from Modern Governor offering CPD on asbestos in schools to governors, trustees and anyone involved in education....
05 September, 2017
Academy related party transactions in the media: legally dubious by definition?
Warwick Mansell examines the regulation of related party transactions by the Academies Finanicial Handbook & explores what-if any-benefits they might bring....
06 July, 2017
What are NLGs and why might our school need one?
Martin Matthews explains the role of NLGs, why schools might want to work with one and how to find the right NLG for your school....
28 June, 2017
Governor Live Review: performing a SWOT analysis of your school
A review of the Governor Live interactive workshop led by on how maintained school can objectively assess their school when considering academisation....
20 June, 2017
Governor Live Review: Safeguarding – the legal aspects for governance
A review of the Governor Live session led by Michelle Gray from berg on the legal issues around safeguarding for governors....
09 June, 2017
Governor Live Review: Leading or joining a MAT – the legal issues
A review of the Governor Live session led by Michelle Gray & Darren Ashworth on the legal issues around leading or joining a MAT, including HR and land....
08 June, 2017
Why asbestos management in schools isn’t working
What do the results of an NUT survey, numerous FOI requests & a voluntary DfE survey tell us about asbestos management in schools - and what don't we know?...
04 May, 2017
Not in our governing body’s name
This year our budget has been cut by £62k. Our responsibilities have increased. Next year the cut will be the same. Not in our governing body's name....
02 May, 2017
Governor Live Review: Systems & controls and the Academies Financial Handbook
A review of the Governor Live session led by Karen Rae on financial systems & controls and how these relate to the Academies Financial Handbook....
28 April, 2017
Asbestos in schools – a national conference
Details of how school governors and academy trustees can take part in the first national conference addressing the issue of asbestos in schools....
26 April, 2017
Governor Live Review: Understanding cash flows for governance
A review of the Governor Live online event "Understanding cash flows for governance"-Armstrong Watson's Karen Rae explores why this is vital in governance....
31 March, 2017
A failure of trust
In this guest article Mike Cameron examines a DfE/EFA report into a multi-academy trust which highlights several areas of concern regarding good governance....
29 March, 2017
Time for a pay cap for academy CEOs?
Warwick Mansell asks if the unregulated pay of multi-academy trust CEOs in a time of austerity could have consequences beyond MAT boardrooms....
16 March, 2017
Towards a skilled, professional, inclusive governance community
Cathy Pearson asks questions of the governance community. What does it mean to get professional accreditation for a voluntary role, and how might we do it?...
28 February, 2017
CPD in governance for members of your SLT
A headteacher's position on a maintained school's governing body is described as ex officio - meaning that s/he has that position due to the leadership role s/he occupies. Most governors would probably say that having their headteacher on their board is invaluable, as we can get insights and...
17 February, 2017