Governance in the early 2000s was largely understood through the lens of individual governing bodies. Volunteers joined as parents or members of the local community, motivated by a desire to support the education of children in their area. Recruitment was relatively straightforward: one school, one board, one vacancy at a time. Today, governance looks very different. In addition to maintained school boards, it spans multi-academy trusts, local governing bodies, committees and college corporations. Where responsibilities are distributed across multiple layers and organisations are larger and more complex, expectations of governance continue to grow. Many governance professionals have ensured their organisations have adapted brilliantly, thinking carefully about board composition, succession planning and volunteer development. As a charity, we have evolved too. Our recent change from Governors for Schools to Boards for Education reflects the changing landscape. We now support schools, trusts, colleges and charities to take a more strategic approach to attracting, developing and retaining governance talent. But if governance is to keep pace with the system it now serves, we must be just as ambitious about how we build our boards as we are about what we expect them to achieve. In trusts, governance needs people to work effectively across different levels. Trust boards are responsible for strategy, oversight and accountability across multiple schools. Local governors and committee members provide valuable insight into how decisions are experienced within those schools and communities. They often have first-hand understanding of issues such as attendance, safeguarding, behaviour, parental engagement and local priorities. Under pressure At a time when relationships between schools and parents can be under pressure, local governance also provides an important connection between education organisations and the communities they serve. It offers visibility, local knowledge and a valuable perspective that helps inform decision-making at every level. The question is not whether one layer of governance is more important than another – it’s how all layers work together to provide effective challenge, support, and oversight (The National Governance Asociation’s Governing in 4D framework captures this well). One of the most encouraging developments in recent years is a growing recognition that skills alone are not enough. Understanding what motivates people to volunteer is equally critical. Many volunteers are driven by making a meaningful contribution to education and supporting their community. Consistently, more than 50 per cent of our applicants talk about community engagement. Others, particularly young people, want to develop strategic leadership experience and professional networks (36 per cent of our recruits last year were under 35). When boards understand motivations, they’re better able to recruit and retain people who are likely to contribute long term. This is echoed in the government’s recent “time off for public duties” review, which recognises the importance of enabling people in work to contribute to community governance roles such as school and trust boards. Because, despite persistent recruitment challenges, thousands of people continue to step forward each year. Retention Retention is especially important as governance structures become more interconnected. Organisations need people who can contribute at different levels, perhaps beginning on a local governing body before moving into committee or trustee roles. Strong boards understand that succession planning should not begin when someone leaves. We’re seeing more schools, trusts and colleges take this long-term view. Rather than focusing solely on immediate vacancies, they ask broader questions. What skills and perspectives do we need across our governance structure? What motivates our volunteers? How do we create pathways for future chairs, trustees and committee members? How do we ensure governance reflects the communities we serve? These conversations help organisations move beyond recruitment as an administrative task and towards governance as a strategic people function. Governance has changed dramatically over the past two decades, and it will continue to evolve. The key challenge is ensuring all parts of the system work together to provide effective oversight, challenge, and support. That requires a shift in mindset. Recruitment cannot be purely reactive, and governance structures must be designed around the current realities of education rather than the system that existed 20 years ago. The boards that succeed will be those that take a long-term view: building diverse pipelines of talent, investing in governance capability and recognising that strong governance is fundamental to delivering better outcomes for learners.