‘Great Expectations’: School Governors in Northern Ireland

The purpose of this blog article is threefold. First, we consider the important role which school governors play in the education system in Northern Ireland. Second, we examine the accountability tensions between Local Management of Schools (LMS) and the oversight role of the Department of Education. Finally, we reflect on the current system of volunteerism which underpins the role of school governors.

There are over 355,000 children and young people enrolled in a variety of education settings in Northern Ireland (nursery schools, primary, special schools, non-grammar and grammar schools). Every school which is funded or grant-aided by government in Northern Ireland is managed by a Board of Governors (BoG) who are volunteers from a variety of backgrounds and work with the School Principal to meet the educational needs of the pupils. Typically, the Board of Governors includes representatives from the Department of Education (DE) and/or the Education Authority (EA), parents, teachers and foundation governors (trustees or transferors).

The role of governors

Governors are important stakeholders in the Local Management of Schools, an initiative introduced in 1990 which changed the way in which schools were funded in Northern Ireland. LMS afforded school governors and principals greater autonomy to make decisions about resource allocation and educational priorities.

Statutory functions of the Board of Governors include:

• Setting the school’s vision, aims, plans and policies.
• Establishing and maintaining the school’s ethos.
• Monitoring and evaluating school performance.
• Managing school funds economically, effectively and efficiently in line with published guidance.
• Curriculum planning, including examinations management and administration policy.
• Employment issues such as selecting and appointing staff, staff conduct, discipline and grievances.
• Pupil pastoral care and protection issues.

This video, provided by the National Governance Association, oulines the role of school governors.

These are major tasks for volunteer governors, particularly parent governors. While high quality courses are available, they are ultimately voluntary. The guidance from the Education Authority which provides training courses (such as effective governance, safeguarding and finance) is that ‘governors are expected to undertake training to enable them to fulfil their role’.

Are we expecting too much from (parent) governors, particularly given the significant financial pressures on schools? The Education Authority stated in reviewing its budget position for 2024-25 that approximately 40% of schools had been in financial deficit at the end of March 2023. At the end of March 2024, 50% of schools were in financial deficit and, if no further funding was allocated to schools in 2024-25, this figure would rise to 80%.[1] These pressures place a heavy oversight burden on governors.

Moreover, the different types of schools in Northern Ireland have diverse management and governance arrangements as follows:

• Controlled Schools (130,375 pupils) are managed by the Education Authority through BoGs. Other stakeholder bodies include: Transferors Representative Council (TRC); Controlled Schools Support Council (CSSC) and the NI Council for Integrated Education (NICIE).
• Voluntary Grammar Schools (51,111 pupils) are managed by each school’s BoGs. A key stakeholder is Governing Bodies Association (GBA) funded by DE to provide support and advice to voluntary grammar schools.
• Catholic Maintained Schools (123,638 pupils) are managed by the Catholic Council for Maintained Schools (CCMS). Other stakeholders are: Catholic Schools Trustee Service Representative Council (TRC) and the Commission for Catholic Education.
• Grant Maintained Integrated Schools (17,493 pupils) are managed by each school’s BoGs. Other stakeholders are the Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education (NICIE) and the Integrated Education Fund.
• Irish Medium Schools (6,488 pupils) have various managing authorities. There are Controlled and Maintained Irish-Medium schools and units. Maintained schools are Voluntary schools owned by trustees and managed by BoGs. Other stakeholders are Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta (CnaG) and Iontaobhas na Gaelscolaiochta (InaG).[1]

Oversight Vs LMS

To add to this complexity, membership of the BoGs varies with school size and type. This Byzantine policy landscape makes accountability mechanisms diffuse between the School Principal, Board of Governors, Managing Authorities and Department of Education. So, even though LMS promotes greater autonomy, the Department of Education can legally intervene in a number of circumstances:

Typical areas where DE can intervene are as follows[2]:

1. Policy and legislative oversight: DE sets the education policies and legislative framework within which BoGs operate. The Department ensures compliance with statutory duties such as the delivery of the Northern Ireland curriculum, health and safety standards, and adherence to safeguarding regulations. DE can require a BoG to address deficiencies in policies, training, or implementation of safeguarding measures.
2. School performance: Inspection and monitoring; DE draws on inspection reports of the Education and Inspectorate (ETI) to assess the performance of schools. If the school is deemed to be under-performing DE can direct the BoG to implement a school improvement plan or special measures. DE can provide additional resources or external expertise to help in this process of improvement.
3. Financial management: DE can monitor the financial performance of schools and can intervene if: budgets are mismanaged or funds used inappropriately; schools are running significant deficits; or there are specific measures needed to restore financial stability. DE can initiate a financial recovery plan requiring regular progress reports from the BoG. In extreme circumstances, DE can withhold or redirect funding if the BoG does not comply with statutory obligations or fails to follow a direction issued by DE.
4. School Governance: DE can appoint additional governors or replace existing ones if it deems the BoGs to be ineffective in fulfilling its responsibilities. This action is reserved for cases of severe dysfunction or persistent failure on the part of a BoG. Examples of such governance dysfunction could include: allegations of corruption, misuse of funds or persistent non-compliance with policies. DE can issue statutory direction, replace governors, or appoint external governors to restore effective governance in these circumstances.
5. Transformation: If a school is underperforming or deemed unsustainable, DE can work with the BoG and Managing Authority to facilitate closure or amalgamation with another school. DE must approve significant changes proposed by BoGs in the form of a development proposal such as expanding or reducing school size, closing a school, or transforming to integrated status.

While the above indicates that DE has significant powers to intervene, the Department typically acts in collaboration with managing authorities such as the Education Authority and CCMS. DE primarily aims to guide, support and ensure compliance rather than micro-manage the day-to-day governance of schools.

Volunteerism

So how is the schools’ governance system working in practice? The Northern Ireland Audit Office (2023) identified a number of challenges facing governors in relation to their accountability responsibilities to DE and the EA for public money and ensuring the best outcomes for learners:

• It is difficult for schools to establish and retain a diverse group of governors with the mix of skills and experience required.
• The scope of duties expected of governors is complex, wide-ranging and increasing.
• The time commitment required can discourage potential volunteers.
• There is a risk of nepotism, favouring relatives or friends for teaching positions.

Governors play a vital role in the schools’ system but is the burden of expectation too high for volunteers? The Independent Review of Education (2023) noted that,

…the current approach to school governance is complex and diverse, lacking consistency across the sectors and stages…this involves differences in the number of governors, appointment routes and the range of interests represented. It is not clear that the current model is in the best interests of the learner.

In short, we have a complex mosaic of school types, managing authorities, and allied stakeholders which constitute the system of education in Northern Ireland, all of which operate under the general concept of local management of schools. There is a balance to be struck in terms of autonomy which the LMS model affords, and the demands of public accountability both in terms of spending public funds and, importantly, ensuring a high quality of education provision. Is it time to rethink a model of governance that depends on community minded volunteers?

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[1] These statistics update the Ulster University Briefing Paper Transforming Education: The Governance of Schools (Report 05, 2020) by Dr Matthew Milliken.

[2] Please note: these areas are not exhaustive or definitive but rather, indicative and not to be read as legal guidance. A full list of primary and subordinate legislation available to DE is available at: DE legislation