Governing schools in the immediate response to the COVID-19
(coronavirus) crisis meant rapidly adapting to new challenges,
governors and trustees say.
While they are uncertain about the longer-term impact of COVID-19
on pupil outcomes, mental health and well-being, governors and
trustees said they were confident in their ability to continue to
monitor and address these as part of their governance role.
A study from Ofsted and
the National Governance Association (NGA) shows that the
business of governing has continued throughout the COVID-19
pandemic. However, the support provided to governing boards to
address the challenges posed by COVID-19 has varied depending on
school and area, governors and trustees said.
The research explores the views of governors and trustees in the
months during lockdown when schools were closed to most pupils.
It looks at how those governing responded to COVID-19, as well as
the longer-term challenges they face as all pupils return to
school.
Governors and trustees said they had adopted new ways of working
to respond to a fast-moving situation. This included delegating
decisions to governing board chairs and setting up dedicated
committees for COVID-19-related issues. Online tools and apps
have been pivotal in enabling the work of governance to continue.
While some governors and trustees felt that online meetings had
drawbacks, others said that online tools could hold benefits for
the future, potentially helping to recruit from a more diverse
pool of governors and trustees.
The level of support provided to governors varied from school to
school, from trust to trust, and across different areas, the
report shows. Governors and possibly heads in multi-academy
trusts (MATs) tended to feel better supported by the trust in
their decisions than schools not in a MAT, although there was
much variation in which decisions were delegated to academy
level. Some governors relied on informal networks of schools
where support wasn’t available.
Responding to the pandemic, governors said their priorities were:
Catching up on missed learning and children’s mental health and
well-being: governors felt confident they would be able to
monitor pupil progress and hold heads to account without exam
data from September. But they warned of longer-term challenges
in monitoring the progress of pupils who have fallen behind
while not in school, and who weren’t already identified as
being in need before schools closed.
Inequality of access to digital technology and the varying
quality of online education: the sudden introduction of remote
and online learning raised concerns for several governors about
equal access to online technologies and the quality of remote
learning. Schools are at different stages in establishing
online remote education, but governors suggested that greater
oversight of the quality of that learning and pupil access was
vital.
Some governors and trustees said that they were concerned about
how long it would take for pupils to catch up and the long-term
impact of school closure on different groups of children. Many
were reconsidering their strategic plans to take the impact of
school closures into account. Most governors and trustees felt
that adjustments, including changes to the curriculum, would need
to be made over the next academic year.
Amanda Spielman, Ofsted’s Chief Inspector, said:
Strong governance is good for schools and their pupils. The
challenge and support that governors and trustees bring will no
doubt be even more crucial as schools reopen to all pupils.
Children have missed out on a great deal in recent months.
Every part of the system must play its part in making the
return to school a success.
Emma Knights, chief executive, National Governance Association
said:
Governing boards have adapted remarkably well to governing
remotely, keeping on top of essential business and responding
to a fast-changing landscape. They have been ensuring that
senior leaders have robust plans in place to enable the
successful further opening of schools while supporting the
wellbeing of those executive leaders. Over the coming weeks and
months, governors and trustees will be taking great care to
understand the impact of partial school closures on all pupils,
especially the most disadvantaged, and make sure that resources
are used in the best way to enable pupils to recover as quickly
as possible.
