Thursday, January 26, 2023
  • Login
School Management Plus: School & education news worldwide
  • Home
  • Latest
  • Leaders
    • Heads & Governors
    • Admissions & Marketing
    • Bursars & Finance
    • Staff Recruitment
    • Development & Fundraising
    • Alumni Relations
    • Communications & PR
    • Estate Management
    • School Data Management
  • Educators
    • Safeguarding
    • College Counselling
    • Online Learning
    • Early Years
    • Exams & Qualifications
    • Assessment
    • Inclusion
    • Sports and Outdoors
  • International
    • The View From Here
    • Wellbeing
    • Curriculum Design
    • Overseas Development
    • Staff Recruitment
    • EdTech
  • Your School
    • Are you a Kampus24 School?
    • Spotlight on a School
    • 30 minutes with…
    • Partnerships & Outreach
    • School News & Announcements
  • Jobs
    • Place a Vacancy
    • View Vacancies
    • Movers & Shakers
    • CPD
  • Video & Podcast
    • Inspiring Leadership
    • School Leaders
    • Membership Bodies
    • The ABC of Safeguarding
    • The Friday Club
  • Resources
    • From Our Partners
    • Supplier Directory
    • Events Calendar
  • About
    • Editorial Board
    • Associations & Distribution
    • Our Publications
      • International School Magazine
      • School Management Plus Magazine
      • Wellbeing in International Schools Magazine
      • WISEducation newsletter
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Latest
  • Leaders
    • Heads & Governors
    • Admissions & Marketing
    • Bursars & Finance
    • Staff Recruitment
    • Development & Fundraising
    • Alumni Relations
    • Communications & PR
    • Estate Management
    • School Data Management
  • Educators
    • Safeguarding
    • College Counselling
    • Online Learning
    • Early Years
    • Exams & Qualifications
    • Assessment
    • Inclusion
    • Sports and Outdoors
  • International
    • The View From Here
    • Wellbeing
    • Curriculum Design
    • Overseas Development
    • Staff Recruitment
    • EdTech
  • Your School
    • Are you a Kampus24 School?
    • Spotlight on a School
    • 30 minutes with…
    • Partnerships & Outreach
    • School News & Announcements
  • Jobs
    • Place a Vacancy
    • View Vacancies
    • Movers & Shakers
    • CPD
  • Video & Podcast
    • Inspiring Leadership
    • School Leaders
    • Membership Bodies
    • The ABC of Safeguarding
    • The Friday Club
  • Resources
    • From Our Partners
    • Supplier Directory
    • Events Calendar
  • About
    • Editorial Board
    • Associations & Distribution
    • Our Publications
      • International School Magazine
      • School Management Plus Magazine
      • Wellbeing in International Schools Magazine
      • WISEducation newsletter
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
School Management Plus: School & education news worldwide
No Result
View All Result
Home Heads & Governors

Is your governing body representative?

A new report highlights how governance in international schools is changing - and where it could improve

Luke Walduck by Luke Walduck
January 11, 2023
in Heads & Governors, International Schools
Reading Time: 3 mins read
11 1
A A
0
international school chains are growing
Linked InShare on FacebookShare on TwitterPin This

New research into international school governance has highlighted how the governing bodies of some schools around the world are leading change.

But the study, by ISC Research, also highlights areas where aspects of governance could be stronger, especially regarding representation and accountability.

A place within school governance

While many international schools are now valuing the role of everyone within a school community to achieve student success, when it comes to governance, some members of a school community have no representation.

Just 2 per cent of international schools that were surveyed have boards that include a full complement of a parent with a child attending the school, the head or principal, a teacher, an administrator, and a representative of the school ownership. Thirty-one per cent of international schools surveyed do not have a direct representative of the school community on the school board.

Increasing responsibilities

Thirty-nine per cent of international schools in the research said their governing bodies now include wellbeing of the headteacher as their responsibility. Commenting on this within the report, Bambi Betts, director of the Principal’s Training Center for International School Leadership, said: “If the governance doesn’t feel accountable to providing support, a healthy and efficient board-head relationship is clearly jeopardised.”

“Thirty-nine per cent of schools said their governing bodies now include wellbeing of the headteacher as their responsibility.”

Vanita Uppal, director of the British School New Delhi in India, shared the impact of her governing body supporting her wellbeing: “Every meeting I have with the board, especially appraisal meetings, they don’t just talk about my targets, they talk about my wellbeing and have actually put down my wellbeing as one of my targets, because they think I don’t pay enough attention to it. That has been incredible.”

Also prompted by the pandemic has been a move by school governance towards active crisis support. Forty-two per cent of governing bodies in the research said they now collaborate with senior leadership teams during times of crisis.

The report highlights the need for a clear understanding of the responsibilities that governors might and might not take.

Ian Hunt, CEO of the two Haileybury campuses in Kazakhstan, sister schools of the UK independent school, stressed the importance of school boards not “meddling in operational aspects of the day-to-day running of the school. They are there to support the executive,” he said.

“The board must be all about collegiality with a common goal to make the school that they represent the best possible learning environment,” he explained, and described how the Haileybury schools in Kazakhstan achieve this by welcoming the board into the school to observe classes, student interactions, and staff operation.

“The board members get a much closer and clearer understanding of the inner workings of the school and, actually, the soul of it,” he said.

Surprisingly, it appears that most governing bodies do not consider they have an important role contributing to their school as a place of learning. Fewer than 10 per cent of governing bodies researched said that they take responsibility for providing direction for the learning. “It is concerning that so few respondents connected in any way that governance had any strategic responsibility for the nature or direction of the learning programme,” commented Bambi Betts in the report.

“Most governing bodies do not think they have an important role contributing to their school as a place of learning.”

“A primary role of any governing [body] is to design and monitor strategic policy on the key drivers of the mission. Interesting that ‘learning’ doesn’t seem to be high on that list,” she added.

Assessing governance progress and responsibility

The report raises concern about the extent to which governance responsibilities are achieved, suggesting it is ambiguous in many schools.

While 83 per cent of international schools within the research said they conduct some level of annual evaluation of the governing body, 52 per cent do so through self-evaluation alone, and only 29 per cent conduct accreditation or external evaluation that includes an appraisal of the governing body.

The free report offers insight to all schools and their governing bodies about governance practice occurring within the international school sector, including areas of governance that may need review.

Tags: governanceinternational schools
Share3Share15Tweet10Pin3
Luke Walduck

Luke Walduck

Luke Walduck is the School Development Manager at ISC Research.

Video

  • All
  • Video
Publications

Independent School Management Plus – Winter 2023

January 24, 2023
79
The Friday Club: Rachel Scannel, Bromsgrove School
The Friday Club

The Friday Club: Rachel Scannel, Bromsgrove School

January 13, 2023
193
James Handscombe
College Counselling

In Conversation: James Handscombe, Harris Westminster Sixth Form

January 12, 2023
151
Podcast: ABC of Safeguarding – Jo Cooke, Holme Grange School, Wokingham
Safeguarding

Podcast: ABC of Safeguarding – Jo Cooke, Holme Grange School, Wokingham

January 9, 2023
132

Latest News

Ofsted blames teacher recruitment problems
News

Teacher recruitment crisis hinders Covid catch-up

December 13, 2022
151
Teacher Wellbeing Index 2022teacher wellbeing is a big concern
Latest News

Bleak findings in new Teacher Wellbeing Index 2022

November 29, 2022
411
Wellbeing falls in early secondary
Inclusion

Young people’s ‘sharp decline in wellbeing’ during early secondary years

November 24, 2022
218
ISA Schools Awards
Latest News

Independent Schools Association announces award winners

November 21, 2022
349
Heather Hanbury likes female leadership
Alumni Relations

‘Unleash your feminine side to be a great leader’ says girls’ schools chief

November 21, 2022
144
Jim Knight, new chair of COBIS
International Schools

Lord Knight appointed as next chair of COBIS

November 14, 2022
134
School Management Plus: School & education news worldwide

© 2020 Independent School Management Plus.

Navigate Site

  • Home
  • Latest
  • Leaders
  • Educators
  • International
  • Your School
  • Jobs
  • Video & Podcast
  • Resources
  • About

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Latest
  • Leaders
    • Heads & Governors
    • Admissions & Marketing
    • Bursars & Finance
    • Staff Recruitment
    • Development & Fundraising
    • Alumni Relations
    • Communications & PR
    • Estate Management
    • School Data Management
  • Educators
    • Safeguarding
    • College Counselling
    • Online Learning
    • Early Years
    • Exams & Qualifications
    • Assessment
    • Inclusion
    • Sports and Outdoors
  • International
    • The View From Here
    • Wellbeing
    • Curriculum Design
    • Overseas Development
    • Staff Recruitment
    • EdTech
  • Your School
    • Are you a Kampus24 School?
    • Spotlight on a School
    • 30 minutes with…
    • Partnerships & Outreach
    • School News & Announcements
  • Jobs
    • Place a Vacancy
    • View Vacancies
    • Movers & Shakers
    • CPD
  • Video & Podcast
    • Inspiring Leadership
    • School Leaders
    • Membership Bodies
    • The ABC of Safeguarding
    • The Friday Club
  • Resources
    • From Our Partners
    • Supplier Directory
    • Events Calendar
  • About
    • Editorial Board
    • Associations & Distribution
    • Our Publications
      • International School Magazine
      • School Management Plus Magazine
      • Wellbeing in International Schools Magazine
      • WISEducation newsletter
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us

© 2020 Independent School Management Plus.

Welcome Back!

Sign In with Facebook
Sign In with Linked In
OR

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.