Industry News
Report reveals concerns over system of school governors
Posted on 5th June 2007
A social policy think tank has raised concerns over the current system of school governors as the complexities of their role has changed over the last few years.
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation argued that although governors are an important and valuable part of a school's running, the increasing complexity of the job has left some confusion over the precise role of governors.
Furthermore, schools in disadvantaged areas often find it difficult to retain governors with sufficient expertise and time, even though these schools need strong governance more than others, the research showed.
Professor Alan Dyson, who lead the study, explained: "School governors carry out an important and extremely valuable role in the management of schools. But in the light of these findings we need to ask questions about whether we are asking too much of them – especially in disadvantaged areas."
Julia Unwin, director of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, concluded by saying that she hoped the report would spark a debate about the governance of schools in the UK.
Recently, the School Governors' One-Stop Shop, a non-profit organisation, called for more people to come forward to volunteer to become school governors.