A guide to effective governance: Evaluation and assessment

So far in this series, we’ve explored the features of effective governance and governing body structures. In the final part, we will explore two aspects to governors’ evaluative role:

Evaluating governance: Self-review

The new governance guide (DfE, 2024) says that an effective governing body should review its own performance regularly. The governing body can evaluate the effectiveness of their governance through a combination of self-assessment tools, independent perspectives, and skills audits. Whatever form it takes, effective evaluation considers:

The National Governance Association (NGA) says that governing boards who conduct self-evaluation and regularly review their impact are more likely to:

Many governing bodies carry out informal self-evaluation such as setting aside a few minutes at the end of each meeting to reflect on decisions taken and the impact on students in the school or trust.