The Department for Education is looking into whether it can measure the performance of governors, it has been announced.
The department has advertised for organisations to put together a feasibility study to examine whether it is possible to identify and collect metrics to monitor the quality of governance in schools.
It comes after the National Audit Office recommended the department improve its understanding of quality governance.
But the DfE says there are “currently limited sources of information which allow us to know whether the quality of governance is improving”.
The document adds: “The DfE and our expert advisory group on governance understand what equates to good governance in schools, but do not have a robust way of measuring it cost effectively or understanding the prevalence of high quality governance across the education system; and whether this is changing over time.”
The project aims to identify whether it is possible to design metrics that show this and can be collected in a statistically representative way.
Ideas floated in the document include experts running external reviews to provide a rating for the quality of various governance aspects or a survey completed by the headteacher and chair of governors.
The National Governors’ Association said it welcomes the department’s interest in the issue, but did not want to comment further.
As a governor for 40 years I concluded that really effective performance and accountability is only possible via financial incentives for at least Chairs together with elections by local people. If there is cash for police commissioners why not for education?
First thing is to understand what the object of the monitoring is ie what you want to do with the results? Then you can decide what it is you want to try and measure and then how you might do it.
Where does Ofsed fit into all this?
Happy to come and chat