Does your school support collaboration and ensure working relationships are effective, respectful, well informed, challenging and productive? The views of all leadership groups regarding the effectiveness of working relationships are extremely important and impact significantly upon the success towards your goals and targets. Do we ever reach a perfect state… of course we don’t so what questions should we be asking ourselves at this moment in time?
Good Governance and leadership is crucial if schools are to move with the changing times and still maintain excellence and continued improvement meeting the needs of their children and communities. These relationships are not always the easiest to sustain in the longer term and meetings can be easily become routine and mundane.
We regularly support schools and Multi Academy Trusts who are continuously looking to spice things up and make improvements to processes, systems, working practices and working relationships.
A key area to consider is ‘Accountable Leadership’ but what does this mean? To be accountable is to be “liable; called to account; answerable”. A synonym is “responsible”. … to truly be accountable requires action from the authority holding you to answer for your actions or lack of actions.
So here’s our starter for ten in relation to accountability and working relationships between Governors, MAT Leaders, Headteachers and the Senior Leadership Team.. ask yourself if:-
- We always recruit the right Governors who are forward thinking with the right skills and experience to support the school?
- Our Governors and leaders positivity correspond with Ofsted, and lead us towards consistently achieving or working towards ‘Outstanding’ status?
- Our Governors have the right skill set and commitment to assist in our transition to Academy status and/or quality collaboration within a MAT?
- The Governors are leading the school in a partnership with the Head?
- The Governing Body works effectively as a Team?
- Our middle and senior leaders engage effectively and on a regular basis engage with governance? They understand the governance role and how they can confidently report to Governors?
- We always provide clear reports providing headline information and data enabling Governors to understand and ask you the right questions?
- Governors receive the right level of information they need to challenge and support the Head and Senior Leadership Team?
- All parties know what the school is doing well and what it needs to do better?
- All parties feel able to understand and interpret school data and are confident to ask the relevant questions?
- Everyone is confident in making the right financial decisions and ensuring that spend is aligned to the school key priorities?
- You measure the impact of that spend?
- Everyone knows if they are doing a good job… or otherwise?
If these key points resonate with you and you want to make substantial and sustained improvements or changes then we can help. We can help you develop your school governance and leadership through “Accountable leadership” on-site training, please contact us on 01924 827869 for more information.