Third Guest Lecturer.

23/01/2012- Today our third guest lecturer came in, and discussed with us the role of a Governing body. This was a real insight into the positive impact they have on schools across the UK, except Scotland, it was also interesting to see how many obstacles they have to tackle and overcome. He first explained to us that Governing bodies (which should meet at least once a term as a minimum) have an agenda to follow each meeting; this agenda could include reports on finance, progress in development plans, Head teacher's reports etc. Some, more interesting components of a meeting are how they operate, he told us that in some situations if there is a lot to do and discuss the Governing body may well be split so time is used more efficiently as those on the body are not paid and are an array of volunteers. It was also interesting to find out that every Governing body needs a special educational needs Governor. Like ESTYN and OFSTED, a Governing body's aim is to improve and promote high standards of educational achievement. What is saddening to hear is the the lack of control a Governing body has over its finances, before they can even decide how the money is spent, 95% of it goes straight to salaries, heating, electricity etc- many things that must be paid for. In addition, depending on the size of the school, depends on the size of a Governing body in a large secondary school, there can be up to 20 people on the body, and on the other side of the spectrum, if it is a small Primary school, there may only be 9. There are an array of people who can be on a Governing body including parents (who must have children in the school,) LEA's, teachers, other staff, community officers and the Head teacher (who can decide whether to be a Governor, or not.) However, this then tackles many problems; because the body is reallocated every four years, what happens if a parents child is at the school for only one of those years, the parent will be on the board without a child present at the school, and may ultimately loose interest in the body's main motif. There is also a debate to whether those on the body should be experts or not, and whether they should be paid. It is fair to argue that if they were to be paid, it would attract those who are just in it for the money. On the 'expert argument,' one could suggest that an expert may have the knowledge to professionally be a member of the committee, yet do they actually care, compared to a normal person who is very passionate about the school's welfare?

It is clear to see that Governing bodies hold a key role in the operation of schools, yet, can the way THEY operate be improved?