Governors Skills Audit

• A score of 4 means you have significant (more than 4 years') experience of governance within the schools sector (on a school or academy trust board).
• 3 means you have up to 4 years' experience governing within the schools sector or more than 4 years' experience governing in a different sector (such as director of a charity or limited company).
• 2 means you have more limited governing experience outside the school sector.
• Provide a score of 1 if you have no prior governing experience.

• A score of 4 means you have more than 4 years' experience of chairing governing boards and or committees in schools or academy trusts.
• 2 or 3 (depending on the type and extent of your experience) means you have some chairing experience, including being a vice chair or acting as chair for meetings. Relevant experience also includes chairing a board or committee outside the schools sector (which has common traits such as working with executives and navigating procedures).
• 1 means you have no chairing experience.

Developing a medium to long-term strategy for any organisation requires: risk management; identification of key performance indicators and deciding how they will be monitored; and consideration of stakeholder (pupils, staff, families and the wider community) views.

• A score of 4 means you have experience of strategy development in a school. For example, you have led a governing board strategy development day.
• 3 means you have experience of strategy development at the same level outside the schools sector.
• 2 means your experience is less extensive.
• 1 means you have no experience of developing a strategy.

• A score of 4 means you know what your school's strategic priorities are, what they mean for pupils and other stakeholders, and can confidently discuss these priorities with others.
• 2 or 3 (depending on the level of your understanding) means you are aware of your school's strategic priorities but don’t feel confident discussing them.
• 1 means you don't know what your strategic priorities are – perhaps because you have recently joined the board or because you haven't been involved in developing the strategy.

Risk evaluation and management help ensure strategic priorities are met. 

• A score of 4 means that you have experience of evaluating and managing risk in a school governance role. In particular, you have contributed to discussions about the school risk register, potential impact and mitigation of risks.
• 2 or 3 (depending on the relevance and extent of your experience) means that you have some understanding of how risk management works in practice. Reading the NGA risk management guidance will help you achieve a score of 2 as a minimum.
• 1 means you have no experience of risk evaluation and management and do not feel able to contribute to such a discussion.

School funding is largely based on pupil numbers and also includes grants such as the pupil premium.

• A score of 4 means you have a good understanding of how funding is allocated under different budget headings and how spending impacts on pupil outcomes.
• 2 or 3 means you have some awareness of your school’s funding and how this is allocated but you would not feel confident providing examples of how spending impacts on pupil outcomes.
• 1 means you are not aware of what the key information is.

Governing boards (finance/resources committees in particular) should receive budget monitoring reports from their headteacher and or school business professional.

• A score of 4 means you can confidently use these reports to ask relevant questions which help provide assurance that the budget is being managed effectively. Your questions focus on any changes to planned spending and the explanations for such changes.
• 2 or 3 (depending on the relevance and extent of your experience) means you have evaluated financial data in a school or another organisation, and this experience informs your contribution to finance and budget discussions in meetings.
• A score of 1 means that you have no experience of using financial data and so do not yet feel able to contribute to relevant discussions.

Influencing curriculum policy (as opposed to the way in which pupils are taught), is a fundamental part of the board’s role. You can read about the content of your school’s curriculum on their website.

• A score of 4 means you have read and understood the curriculum content and feel confident discussing this with colleagues.
• 2 or 3 means you have read the curriculum content but do not yet feel confident discussing this with others.
• 1 means you are not aware of what the curriculum content is.

• A score of 4 means you have been involved in your board’s stakeholder engagement activity, which may include: evaluating parent survey responses, attending parent and pupil forums, or meeting with staff and outside organisations (such as the local authority).
• 3 means you have experience of stakeholder engagement on another governing board.
• 2 means you have experience of stakeholder engagement outside of the schools sector.
• 1 means you have no experience of stakeholder engagement.

• A score of 4 means you are proactive in ensuring that your development needs are met through courses, e-learning, reading resources or networking. Your induction should provide an essential starting point.
• 2 or 3 means you have identified knowledge or skills gaps but have not yet engaged in or planned relevant development activity.
• 1 means you have not yet identified knowledge or skills gaps and have not engaged in development activity.

• A score of 4 means that you are willing to share the workload, welcome a range of experiences and perspectives, feel comfortable offering up constructive challenge, can reach a reasonable consensus, seek to resolve issues that may lead to conflict.
• A score of 2 or 3 means you have identified areas you would like to work on.
• 1 means that you have not yet built collaborative relationships and do not feel confident in how to achieve this.

NGA guidance on what governing boards and school leaders should expect from each other should be understood and applied to your own context.

• A score of 4 means you have read and understood the guidance.
• 2 or 3 means that you have read the guidance but require further clarity.
• 1 means you have not read or understood the guidance.

The core functions are:

• Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
• Holding executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the organisation and its pupils, and the effective and efficient performance management of staff; and
• Overseeing the financial performance of the organisation and making sure its money is well spent

• Ensuring the voices of school stakeholders are heard.

Chapter one of the Governance Handbook explains the core functions and describes the features of effective governance. If you have read and understood this chapter, provide a score of 4 for this statement.

• A score of 4 means you have been a member of a panel where you applied relevant policy and procedure and worked with colleagues to reach a decision.
• 2 or 3 (depending on your level of confidence) means you understand how and why panels are formed and, with some support, you would feel confident being part of a panel.
• 1 means you do not feel confident being part of a panel.

Your induction to the board (including any induction training course you attend) should provide a broad understanding of the board’s legal and compliance responsibilities, such as its safeguarding duties.

• A score of 4 means you have gained a detailed understanding of your board’s legal and compliance responsibilities from experience of governing, attending meetings, carrying out the business of the board and undertaking further training and development activity.
• 2 or 3 means you have a lower level of knowledge and understanding.
• 1 means you have yet to gain a broad level of understanding.

• A score of 4 means that, based on your experience of governance, you are able to recognise something that is not – or does not appear to be – right and raise it as an issue in an appropriate way, however challenging it may be.
• 2 or 3 means you do not feel confident in recognising and or challenging appropriately.
• 1 means you would like more support or guidance in this area.

You may wish to consult The Framework for Ethical Leadership in Education.

Effective governing boards understand the benefit of having independent, expert advice and the risk of not having it. It is important to have regard to the advice of the board’s governance professional (clerk to the board) on issues of compliance and other matters. It may also be necessary, on occasion, to seek legal, financial, or human resource advice.

• 4 means you feel confident identifying when expert advice is necessary.
• 2 or 3 means you have a lower level of confidence.
• 1 means you are unable to recognise situations where expert advice is necessary. 

Governing boards are accountable to the communities they serve. Developing knowledge and understanding of your community means you are better placed to understand the impact of your strategy and decisions on the community.

• A score of 4 means you have knowledge and understanding of the community served by the school – its characteristics, economy and cultures – which is informed by a range of experiences such as volunteering, talking to people, and or living and working in the community. 
• 2 or 3 means that your experience and understanding could be extended.
• 1 means you have not yet built a broad knowledge and understanding of the community served by the school.

Governing boards have a legal duty under The Equality Act to protect pupils and staff against discrimination, harassment and or victimisation.

A score of 4 means you have read and understood Department for Education guidance on The Equality Act (and or NGA Equality and diversity guidance).

2 or 3 means you have some understanding of the responsibilities that schools have under The Act but require further clarity.

1 means you have not yet built an understanding of The Act as it applies to schools.

Culture – the way things get done around here – is what makes a school or trust unique. Culture influences behaviour and practices and so is a crucial component of implementing a vision and strategy. The policies that governing boards adopt influence culture in their school.

• A score of 4 means you have tangibly influenced an organisation’s (not necessarily within a school) culture of equality and diversity. Examples include being part of a working group for creating more flexible, family friendly working practices or helping to design a work environment that is more accessible.
• 2 or 3 means you have not tangibly influenced an organisation’s culture but recognise the ways in which this is achieved.
• 1 means you have yet to build an understanding of how organisations develop and maintain a culture of equality and diversity.

An example is training on unconscious bias (beliefs and views about other people that might not be right or reasonable). 

• A score of 4 means you can confidently contribute to discussions and actions that promote diversity and inclusion. You may have increased your knowledge and understanding through personal experience or by participating in a range of training and development (such as using books, podcasts and mentoring) to gain authentic insight.
• 2 or 3 means you have some knowledge or experience in this area but do not yet feel able to contribute to discussions or suggest appropriate actions.
• 1 means you have not engaged in relevant development activity and do not feel able to contribute to discussions.

• A score of 4 means you are confident to engage in constructive dialogue over decisions, expectations, attitudes, assumptions or language that, whether intentional or not, could result in individuals or groups being disadvantaged or marginalised.
• 2 or 3 means you have a lower level of confidence.
• 1 means you would benefit from development, support or guidance in this area.

Data and insight help governing boards to explore issues, verify evidence and question any discrepancies. Examples include data on exclusions, recruitment, and career progression of different groups.

• A score of 4 means you have used data or insight to identify issues of inequality and affect positive change.
• 2 or 3 means you have limited or indirect experience of using data or insight for this purpose but are aware of its importance.
• 1 means you have not yet built an understanding of how and why data can be used to identify, promote and resolve issues of inequality.

Reflect on the scores you have provided for statements 18 to 23. What do you think will have the biggest impact on your contribution. This could include:

• Mentoring and coaching
• Specific training (such as unconscious bias training)
• Reading
• General awareness raising
• A whole board approach (such as a diversity and inclusion workshop)

Reflect on your responses to this audit as well as any previous conversations about your governance development. What do think will have the biggest impact over the next 12 months? For example:

• Completing your induction (if relevant).
• Continuing professional development in specific areas of responsibility (for example, if you have responsibility for pupil premium, this might be an area you’d like to build a greater understanding of).
• Mentoring and support from within the board.

• Do you have any specific skills or experience that you think could be utilised by the board?
• Are there specific areas or committees you would like to become more involved in?
• Would you like to take on a leadership role within the governing board (such as chairing a committee or a link governor/trustee role)?