The National Governance Association is not a trade union; we are the expert organisation on school and trust governance in England. We represent the voice of the governance community, but we are not an organisation that shouts a lot. We are not rabble rousers.
In fact, only once in our 17-year history have we organised the lobbying of Parliament by those that govern. This was in 2019, as part of our Funding the Future campaign, when there was a coordinated coalition to raise awareness among MPs of the importance of properly funding schools and colleges.
Boris Johnson did announce increased funding shortly after he became prime minister that summer. It was an example of government listening to the sector and recognising that the strength of action by the sector meant something had to be done.
The pressures schools are under
Will we together be able to achieve that again?
We hope so because, while circumstances and times are different, raising awareness among MPs of the pressures faced by schools is just as important now as it was then. This is why the NGA will be joining with major education unions for a lobby of Parliament on Tuesday 20 June to raise the issues being faced, particularly education funding and the recruitment and retention of school staff.
School governors and academy trustees are telling us that while staff make great efforts to provide a good education for pupils, the challenges are increasing.
There is a perfect storm caused by families under pressure in the cost-of-living crisis, rising poverty, the risk of homelessness and more sickness, including mental illness.
All of this at a time when many other public services and charities for families have withered.
Meanwhile, Covid has changed attitudes towards school attendance and sometimes that sense of belonging as well, resulting in less learning for some pupils, often the most disadvantaged.
Furthermore, the number of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or mental health issues continues to rise, while access to external support services - such as mental health support, speech and language therapists, family support officers, educational psychologists, social workers and youth workers - to help schools tackle this has been dwindling for years.
Dwindling support
As these external services have dwindled, school leaders have found themselves on the front line, spending large amounts of time trying to support families and children. Many longstanding NGA members are telling us that they have never before seen this level of pressure on schools.
And all of this is set against the background of - and perhaps contributing to - the well-documented difficulties in recruiting and retaining school staff. The teacher shortage has, understandably, been talked about most but teaching assistants are finding they can earn more in retail. This cannot continue.
These issues are not easy to solve, but too much time has been wasted while the pressure on school staff has increased. Cross-party, longer-term thinking needs to come into play. Other difficulties are easier to diagnose and cure: buildings crumbling is clearly the result of under-investment.
Amid all of this are the clear financial pressures that schools face as they try to do more with less in the toughest of circumstances, and again this poses major issues for our members.
Governing boards sign off the budget, and many have concerns about being able to both balance the budget and reward staff next year.
There is an acrimonious debate as to whether the additional funding allocated to schools in last autumn’s Budget statement will provide for pay rises yet to be confirmed.
Almost all trustees and governors want to be able to pay their staff more, but many are quite worried about the prospect of finding the cash and others are alarmed at the prospect.
Time for action
Not every school or trust is affected in the same way - it depends on a whole range of issues. Context is key. The challenges are not spread evenly through our communities.
Governors and trustees know these circumstances. They know where the money goes, and they have been working with senior leaders for years to improve financial efficiency.
They know the tough decisions they have had to make in previous years - the ones they would rather not have made, the ones they believe diminished the education of their pupils.
Yet despite all of this, the great majority of our schools are doing a grand job educating children, providing joy, awe and wonder.
The system is still standing only because of the great efforts of all those within it, but the pressure is too great for this to continue. That is why NGA is asking governing boards, alongside their leaders and staff, to share their stories with MPs - their stories are powerful; their knowledge is powerful.
Their only vested interest is the mission of the school or trust, and their voice needs to be heard on behalf of pupils, now and in the future.
Emma Knights is co-CEO of the National Governance Association
To register for the lobbying of Parliament see the Save our Schools lobby page. If you are a trustee or a governor, please consider completing NGA’s 2023 Governance Survey - open until Tuesday 30 June
