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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| 'Struggle' over school governance | 'Struggle' over school governance |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Schools in poorer parts of England are struggling to find enough governors to cope with what is an increasingly complex role, a study has said. | Schools in poorer parts of England are struggling to find enough governors to cope with what is an increasingly complex role, a study has said. |
| A Joseph Rowntree Foundation report said the idea every school should have its own governors might seem "bizarre". | A Joseph Rowntree Foundation report said the idea every school should have its own governors might seem "bizarre". |
| One way forward could be to have experienced, committed and perhaps paid governors covering groups of schools. | One way forward could be to have experienced, committed and perhaps paid governors covering groups of schools. |
| The report argued there was a need for a wider-ranging public debate about the whole issue of school governance. | The report argued there was a need for a wider-ranging public debate about the whole issue of school governance. |
| There are some 350,000 places on school governing bodies in England, to be filled by volunteers drawn from the staff, parents, local authorities and communities. | There are some 350,000 places on school governing bodies in England, to be filled by volunteers drawn from the staff, parents, local authorities and communities. |
| Recruiting governors is a problem, and recruiting governors with time, commitment and expertise is particularly difficult Joseph Rowntree Foundation The study was located in three different areas which all had social and economic disadvantages. | Recruiting governors is a problem, and recruiting governors with time, commitment and expertise is particularly difficult Joseph Rowntree Foundation The study was located in three different areas which all had social and economic disadvantages. |
| The researchers identified schools serving most of the children there and interviewed more than 100 people connected with them, including governors, head teachers, and local authority officers. | |
| 'Burdensome' business | 'Burdensome' business |
| Their report said that, in recent decades, governments had expected school governors to take on more responsibility without ensuring they had the capacity to do so. | Their report said that, in recent decades, governments had expected school governors to take on more responsibility without ensuring they had the capacity to do so. |
| Most interviewees felt governors were working hard and that, under the right circumstances, could make a valuable contribution to the running of schools. | Most interviewees felt governors were working hard and that, under the right circumstances, could make a valuable contribution to the running of schools. |
| "Those circumstances include, above all, an adequate supply of governors with time, commitment and expertise to engage with the burdensome and complex business of governance," the report said. | "Those circumstances include, above all, an adequate supply of governors with time, commitment and expertise to engage with the burdensome and complex business of governance," the report said. |
| But it added: "Those circumstances are difficult to create. Recruiting governors is a problem, and recruiting governors with time, commitment and expertise is particularly difficult." | But it added: "Those circumstances are difficult to create. Recruiting governors is a problem, and recruiting governors with time, commitment and expertise is particularly difficult." |
| A series of options had therefore been discussed. | A series of options had therefore been discussed. |
| "In general terms, there was a strong sense that the government needed to reduce its expectations of what governors could reasonably manage, the report said. | "In general terms, there was a strong sense that the government needed to reduce its expectations of what governors could reasonably manage, the report said. |
| 'Valuable' role | 'Valuable' role |
| One option - albeit out of tune with recent policy - was to abandon the idea of governing bodies and let some other agency get on with running schools. | One option - albeit out of tune with recent policy - was to abandon the idea of governing bodies and let some other agency get on with running schools. |
| But there were also a number of "halfway houses". | But there were also a number of "halfway houses". |
| "Federated schools exist currently, of course, and it is not difficult to envisage an experienced, committed - and perhaps paid - core of governors taking responsibility for a group of schools." | "Federated schools exist currently, of course, and it is not difficult to envisage an experienced, committed - and perhaps paid - core of governors taking responsibility for a group of schools." |
| People had pointed out, though, that this sat uneasily with "a standards agenda that remains highly school-focused and with the continued pressure on schools to compete for students", the report added. | People had pointed out, though, that this sat uneasily with "a standards agenda that remains highly school-focused and with the continued pressure on schools to compete for students", the report added. |
| The leader of the study, Professor Alan Dyson, said: "School governors carry out an important and extremely valuable role in the management of schools. | The leader of the study, Professor Alan Dyson, said: "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." | "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." |
| The report concluded that the options could not be considered without more fundamental questions being addressed. | The report concluded that the options could not be considered without more fundamental questions being addressed. |
| "These are questions about the sort of school governance we want and what we want governance for," it said. | "These are questions about the sort of school governance we want and what we want governance for," it said. |