Governors play an important role in the leadership of schools. To find out what that role is, exactly, a recent #ukgovchat asked: “How do governors create and embed strategy, vision and ethos for their school?”

@FionaSloyan replied: “We asked staff, parents and pupils for words to describe what they wanted the school to be.”

@mgacsm joined in with a pragmatic response: “It’s a complex process - you need to understand and analyse policy landscape, balance aspirations with resources staffing, budget.”

“A vision,” @BarkerLeadership countered, “doesn’t have to be constrained by resources: it’s an aspiration to aim towards.”

But how should governors involve stakeholders in the process? According to @WirralGov, “Consultation with whole school community: children, midday assistants and staff.”

@5N_Afzal suggested more of a tiered approach: “We had invited the school leadership team. Now we will consult more widely with staff, parents and students.”

But do the strategy, vision and ethos of the governors themselves need to change? @mm684 thinks external pressures mean they do. He tweeted: “Strategy adapts all the time. Often it’s politics or Ofsted which shapes it.”

Will Martin

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