Welcome to governance in Wales

Cymraeg

We’ve brought together some reading, resources, links and an eLearning module to help you to prepare ahead of being matched with a school. Use this page as a starting point for further reading about your role.

The school governor role

The role of the board is to provide strategic leadership for the school or schools it’s responsible for.

As with governance in the business and charity sector, the board helps to ensure that there is:

Accountability – justification for the decisions that are being taken.
Oversight – scrutiny and investigation of key decision-making and performance.
Assurance – confidence that the school is operating effectively and compliantly on a day-to-day basis and is on a stable footing.

Together, this helps to provide assurance that the school is performing well, able to improve and is complying with relevant duties and requirements.

The Welsh Government’s three core duties of school governing boards

The Welsh Government advises the purpose of governance is to help provide the best possible education for learners.

Providing a strategic view – setting the framework within which the head and staff run the school; setting the aims and objectives; agreeing policies, targets and priorities for achieving these objectives; monitoring and evaluating.
Acting as a critical friend – providing support and challenge to the headteacher and staff, seeking information and clarification.
Ensuring accountability – explaining the decisions and actions of the governing body to anyone who has a legitimate interest.

Read more about the Welsh Government’s expectations of school governors.

Governance in maintained schools

All schools in Wales receive their funding from the local authority. Most schools are community schools, although there are some foundation and voluntary schools.

The Welsh Government’s three core duties of school governing boards

The Welsh Government advises the purpose of governance is to help provide the best possible education for learners.

Providing a strategic view – setting the framework within which the head and staff run the school; setting the aims and objectives; agreeing policies, targets and priorities for achieving these objectives; monitoring and evaluating.
Acting as a critical friend – providing support and challenge to the headteacher and staff, seeking information and clarification.
Ensuring accountability – explaining the decisions and actions of the governing body to anyone who has a legitimate interest.

Read more about the Welsh Government’s expectations of school governors.

Link governor roles and committees

You might be assigned a link governor role and be asked to join a committee when you start as a governor.

Link governors take on oversight of a particular area of school life such as safeguarding, pupil premium or special educational needs and disabilities. Committees are delegated responsibilities by the main board in a particular area.

Learn more about link governors and committees

So what do governors actually do?

Fo the most part, governors perform a ‘hands-off’ role.

Day-to-day management decisions are mostly always the responsibility of the headteacher and other staff, with governors focusing on strategic decisions and providing oversight.

A lot of your time as a governor will be spent preparing for and attending meetings. There are usually one or two meetings you’ll need to attend each term.

Our research found that volunteers spend an average of 7 hours a month on governing duties.

School governing board meetings

Read more about how board meetings are run and what you can expect to cover.

Skills and expertise for governance

The Welsh Government advises that governors will be involved in the following areas:

Core Responsibilities Descriptors for governance:

Standards – ensuring the school promotes high standards of educational achievement, and attendance and behaviour, including the rigorous review of published performance data

Targets – setting targets by which progress for pupil achievement and outcomes can be measured

Curriculum – ensuring that all learners have access to a broad and balanced curriculum, and that statutory requirements are met

Determining the aims, policies and priorities of the school – in discussions on the School Development/Improvement plan, School Self Evaluation; renewal and approval of statutory policies and documents

Finance – determining and monitoring the school’s budget

Staffing – deciding the number of staff, the pay policy and making decisions on staff pay, staff appointments, suspension, disciplinary issues and dismissal, grievances, performance management and matters affecting the work/life balance of the headteacher and staff, all with due regard to the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD)

Providing parents with information regarding the school – e.g., via annual report to parents and statutorily required meetings with parents

Inspection preparation and follow up – including producing an action plan and monitoring progress following an inspection by Estyn

The wellbeing and safeguarding of learners – including promotion of healthy eating

Awareness of governors’ responsibilities in equality matters and where to seek advice

Evaluation of the performance of the governing body as and when required.

Read more about relevant skills and the skills you’ll develop in the role

How to be an effective governor

As a governor in Wales, you’ll complete mandatory induction training to help you fully understand your role and responsibilities.

Key areas to focus on include:

Providing strategic support, and understanding the headteacher’s responsibility for the management of the school
Good communication skills
Diplomacy and the ability to work collectively
Preparing for meetings and showing commitment to the role through attending training

Governor conduct

The Welsh Governor’s Guide to the Law advises:

Governing bodies and individual governors should act at all times with honesty and integrity and be ready to explain their actions and decisions to staff, pupils, parents and anyone with a legitimate interest in the school. Governors must be aware that minutes and papers of governing body meetings should, as soon as reasonably practicable after a meeting, be made available for anyone to see them at the school.

Conflicts of interest

A conflict of interest is any situation in which a governor’s (or a person connected to the governor’s) personal interests or loyalties could, or could be seen to, prevent the governor from making a decision only in the best interests of the school or trust.

What constitutes a conflict of interest and managing conflicts of interest?

Links to guidance and further reading

There is a lot information to help you in your role as a governor. Use these links to further your knowledge about the role and the various areas you can support with.

eLearning - An Introduction to School Governance in Wales - the governor journey

Our free e-learning module, produced in partnership with Governors Cymru Services, Governors for Schools and Cardiff University is available for you to begin.

This module is designed specifically for those interested in becoming a governor and for those who have recently commenced their school governor journey in maintained schools in Wales.

Start the eLearning module