Why Nicky Morgan is wrong about parent governors
I'm not sure what experience Nicky Morgan has of school governance but in a speech made in February 2016 she said she that her husband is a governor. It is quite possible she has never even been to a governing body meeting.
However Morgan has some strong opinions about one type of governor. Parent governors are singled out for some harsh words by Morgan who suggests they should not be governors unless they have the right “skills”.
I was myself a parent governor for nearly ten years. I am now a “co-opted governor” selected for my skills. Just the kind of governor Morgan wants.
However a major reason I have these skills is because I have been a school governor and Chair of Governors for so long. Like many governors I have learned on the job. I also have experience from my professional work but the two things are complementary.
In rural areas in particular we are not exactly falling over professional types who want to give up their time to govern tiny primary schools. More than once I have heard comments such as “Oh I have to keep reminding myself these aren’t millions of pounds” when looking at the budget of a tiny primary school.
So growing governors through experience is essential to ensure we have enough skilled governors.
But this is not the only reason Morgan is wrong. Parents bring something else to the table that cannot be replaced by skills. They really know their schools, the local community and other parents. They have “on the ground” knowledge, information and experience that is invaluable for the headteacher and other governors.
Frequently they can act as an early warning system letting the school know about parental concerns before things blow up.
Of course it isn't always like this. Some parent governors are completely unhelpful. They can be only interested in what happens in their children’s class, gossip and leak confidential information, side with teachers against the management, undermine the school in the playground.
But all types of governors gone bad can be a problem. Staff governors might pursue a personal grievance. Local Authority governors can play party politics. Church governors might not care about educational standards so long as collective worship is happening.
The solution to this isn't governors who are so remote from the school and “professional” that they won’t cause any issues. This really is throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
More than once I have encountered parent governors who didn't think they had the right skills and felt inadequate. They didn't have “professional” jobs or university degrees and some of them felt that that school governance was really for those kind of parents. Middle class and well off.
However with support and training governors from varied backgrounds become more and more useful every day. Not only bringing the parent voice but also useful skills. Middle class professionals don’t have a monopoly on skills and we all had to learn them in the first place.
A good governing body needs a mix of experience, skills and knowledge. Parents have a huge stake in education and in their local communities. They frequently (as even Morgan admits) have relevant and useful skills.
Wise multi academy trusts will not use the “freedom” to ignore the voice of parents and will continue to see parental involvement in governance as something to welcome and nurture.
