MS, Cabinet Secretary for
Education: School governing bodies play a crucial role in our
school system, supporting learners and staff. They have a wide
and varied range of responsibilities set out in legislation and
Welsh Government guidance.
The school system in Wales has seen vast reforms over the last
decade, often with additional or amended duties imposed on
governing bodies, but the role of school governing bodies has not
altered in any fundamental way.
So today I am announcing a review of school governing bodies in
Wales.
We are taking action to ensure both that our governors are
equipped with the support and training they need to undertake
their role, and that their role is appropriately set out in
legislation and guidance.
The review will include the following themes:
- Structure and roles
- Composition of governing bodies (representation of
parents, staff, community, LA nominee, etc)
- Clarity and appropriateness of roles and responsibilities
between governors, headteachers and local authorities
- Effectiveness and impact
- How governing bodies contribute to raising educational
standards
- The quality of challenge and support provided to school
leadership
- Impact on school improvement and learner outcomes
- Support and training
- Availability, accessibility and effectiveness of training
and guidance for governors
- Quality of clerking and administrative support
- Consistency of support across different LAs and regions
- Accountability and oversight
- Compliance with statutory duties (safeguarding, finance,
curriculum, inclusion)
- How governing bodies are held to account by LAs, Estyn
and Welsh Government
- Recruitment and retention
- Process for recruiting governors (including diversity and
representation)
- Retention, workload and barriers to effective
participation
- Best practice and innovation.
- Examples of high-performing governing bodies and
innovative practices
- Opportunities for collaboration between schools and
governing bodies
We will work with a reference group which is representative of
the school sector to inform the review.
The reference group will:
- consider the findings and recommendations from previous work
conducted in this area, including the Estyn thematic review from
2023
- provide advice and challenge on scope, methodology and
emerging findings and options
- act as a critical friend, ensuring the review is balanced,
evidence-based and reflects the perspectives of key stakeholders
- ensure that members represent the perspectives of their
sector/organisation while contributing to collective consensus
- support coherence and credibility of recommendations,
considering alignment with wider education reform
- contribute to identifying risks, opportunities and practical
implications for implementation.
The full terms of reference for the review are attached to this
statement. Practical options resulting from this work will aim to
be made available to Ministers within a year.
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