Head teachers and school leaders regularly call us to discuss how they can work best with their governing bodies. The reasons for their call can range from situations when they encounter professional differences and subsequent difficulties working with particular governors through to circumstances where they believe they are being treated unfairly and unreasonably held to account. Difficulties can also occur when governors stray into operational matters that are typically the domain of the head teacher or school leader; governors should focus on the strategic direction of the school, the school’s overall performance and its financial stewardship.

This paper sets out a framework for school leaders to put in place effective governance arrangements with the support of their employers. While the nature of this particular paper is geared towards maintained schools, the broad contents amount to what NAHT considers best practice and can, therefore, apply to all school settings.

The aim of this paper is not to get into the absolute detail of governance for members; instead, it seeks to highlight what we consider the principal resource documents that school leaders must and should rely on to review and shape effective governance arrangements at their school.