HEADS & GOVERNORS
NOT AN EASY BALANCING ACT! Richard Harman, the CEO of AGBIS, talks to David Moncrieff about the challenges which have confronted school governors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Independent schools, like every other business in the country, went through a tumultuous period in 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic; what have proved to be the particular challenges for school governors?
Probably the biggest challenge has been working out how best to support senior staff, who have been under the most enormous pressure, whilst at the same time fulfilling their duties as governors, company directors and in many cases charity trustees. Like everyone else, governors have had to move into ‘ oom world’, figuring out how to do governance effectively by remote means. I think some of this has been very effective whilst other aspects are problematic. How can you really know what is happening in school if you cannot visit the site? How can you replace those informal marginal conversations around a meeting that are often so important? 12 | schoolmanagementplus.com | Winter 2021
Finances have been a challenge for many, particularly around the question of fees for the summer term when schools were closed and everything moved online.The crucial thing about how schools handled this was communication; for better or worse, reputations were enhanced or otherwise. Governing bodies have had to become as nimble and exible in their own methods of working as they can. My advice to them has been keep an eye on your risk register (which will have changed since this time last year), remember that ‘cash is king’ – and don’t panic!
various associations have had good links to ministers and officials at the f , funnelled via the ISC staff. This has helped our voice get heard. These regular lines of communication have been beneficial to schools, even if much of the work happens ‘offstage’ and is therefore unseen.
Do you feel that the needs and concerns of the independent sector are properly considered by central government and education policy-makers?
‘More haste, less speed’, as the old saying goes. It is remarkable what can be done at pace under pressure but care still needs to
lthough it has been difficult at times to keep up with the changing government guidance through the pandemic (and I am not necessarily blaming them for that) we have been fortunate that our
How do you feel an effective relationship between governors and the executive leadership team of a school is best achieved when farreaching decisions have to be made at some speed?
COVID-19 has been ‘the great accelerator’
