The Department for Education decision to end funding for a governor recruitment programme in six months’ time has been described as a “severe blow to the education sector”.
Funding for the Inspiring Governance programme has only been extended to run until the end of September 2024 by the DfE, according to the charity Education and Employers, which runs the programme.
The National Governance Association (NGA) said October would effectively mark “the end of any government funding for school and trust governance”.
In an open letter to the education secretary Gillian Keegan, the NGA’s leadership accuse the Government of overlooking the contribution of governors and warn that this is “nothing short of a disgrace”.
Inspiring Governance was handed a new two-year contract in spring 2022 to provide governor recruitment support to schools and academies, and there was a hope that it would be extended for a further year in March 2024.
The news comes as school boards face challenges in recruiting governors.
The NGA said the end of the funding will mean governing boards “are left entirely to their own devices” because funding for governance recruitment, development and training will all have been removed.
NGA co-chief executive Emma Balchin said the end of this funding was “deeply concerning”.
“Governance is pivotal in upholding standards and driving improvement within our education system,” she said.
“Without adequate financial support to support sustainable recruitment of volunteers, governors’ and trustees’ ability to fulfil their responsibilities effectively is jeopardised.”
No more funding to recruit school governors
The Inspiring Governance programme helped volunteers interested in serving as governors connect with schools. The programme aimed to increase the number of volunteers looking to become governors and increase diversity on governing boards.
Writing for Tes, Ms Balchin added: “The ramifications of this lack of funding to support one of England’s biggest volunteer workforce are vast.
“Despite hollow assurances to the contrary, it undervalues and undermines the efforts of those currently involved in governance and worsens the recruitment crisis, potentially discouraging future volunteers due to a lack of support.”
Ms Balchin and co-chief executive Emma Knights have also written an open letter to the education secretary, calling for investment in governance.
In it they say: “With your decision announced today to remove the final piece of DfE governance funding from September - that for the recruitment of governors - you as a Government are no longer supporting in any way this enormous band of selfless people governing our schools and trusts. This has never happened before during NGA’s existence. You are taking them for granted.”
Dominic Judge, deputy CEO of Education and Employers, said the charity was delighted funding had been extended for six months.
“However, we are naturally sad that there will be no further funding beyond that date, as we know skilled governors really are such a crucial component for the effective oversight of our school system,” he added.
“Over the next six months we will be working with recruiters and our employer partners to place the many brilliant, diverse volunteers already on the platform.”
Tes reported last year how the government had decided to end its support programme for schools and trusts with “weak” governance.
The DfE hired the NGA to run the National Leaders of Governance (NLG) programme for up to four years in 2021, but the funding came to an end last year.
Governor vacancies
The NGA published its annual report last November, warning that a “heightened governance intensity is threatening sustainability, straining volunteers and hindering recruitment”.
The report also said that more than a quarter of all governance volunteers and a third of chairs were considering resigning due to the pressures of their roles.
In an NGA survey in 2022 two-thirds of school boards reported at least one governor or trustee vacancy, and more than a third reported two or more vacancies.
The DfE has been funding the Inspiring Governance programme since 2016.
Education and Employers said funding for the service had been reduced by 45 per cent from April 2021, and over the past three years it has increasingly used its reserves to help fund the service.
“Whilst this has enabled us to successfully meet our targets, this is no longer sustainable without continued DfE funding,” a spokesperson from the charity said.
Education and Employers said it would continue to make the case to the DfE for governance recruitment funding. The programme was on track to meet its targets by the end of the current period, it added.
James Bowen, assistant general secretary of the school leaders’ union, the NAHT said: “Teachers and leaders will be extremely concerned by the government’s decision to end funding for the governor recruitment service. Recruiting new governors and trustees was already a major challenge so it makes no sense at all to abandon one of the few initiatives aimed at increasing numbers.”
A Department for Education spokesperson:“We wish to thank Inspiring Governance for introducing many skilled and diverse governors to our schools and trusts.
“We recognise the important role that thousands of governors and trustees play in raising standards in schools and improving outcomes for children and will continue to champion the brilliant work that these volunteers do to make a meaningful difference for the children in their communities.
“We have recently published new governance guidance to support governors and trustees, making it more attractive to volunteer.”
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