The role of school governor is something of an anomaly.
Having an effective and committed school governing body (SGB) is an essential component in the smooth running of any school; yet school governors are, for the most part, unpaid ‘lay people’ without necessarily having any experience of education, or of how a school functions beyond distant memories of their school days.
It is particularly this latter point that makes the provision of an accessible guide to school governance such a necessity – and it is why the ISASA handbook, A Guide to Effective School Governance (first published in 2012), has been through two editions and numerous reprints, and remains an essential point of reference for all school governors.
A third edition of this book is now available with the main stimulus for the new publication arising from the need to update the contents in line with the King IV Report. The four King Reports on Corporate Governance, (from 1994 to 2016), provide an important and hugely influential set of principles and guidelines on how organisations in South Africa should be run. (All companies listed on the JSE are, for example, obliged to comply with King principles and guidelines.)
While produced primarily to provide guidance on the running of companies, the principles of good governance within the King Reports are applicable to all organisations, including schools, and are internationally recognised.
The text of this new edition has been thoroughly revised, restructured and updated with new material – which includes new and revised graphics and cartoons – and new appendices which offer templates for various school policies.
As before, the ‘user-friendliness’ of the book is enhanced by the ‘Focus’ sections at the start of each chapter and a ‘For reflection’ section at the conclusion of each chapter. Where specific principles from King IV are being referenced, they are highlighted in the text and a helpful, one-page summary of the King IV Principles and Practices is provided early on in the book.
The new edition has an updated design – but still features the open page layout of the previous editions with wide margins, highlighted quotes and cartoons to break up the text.
The book draws on a range of sources with reference to international and South African experience.
A Guide to Effective School Governance is intended as a practical guide for school governors and begins by establishing the principles of good governance in schools. An absolutely key point here is that school governance is a collective function, and no individual board member has governance authority; the only single person authorised to speak on behalf of the SGB as a whole is the chair.
The hugely variable sizes of schools means that there will be major differences in how the SGB functions (e.g., the level of formality required and the number of governing body sub-committees etc.), but relationships are key to the successful running of any school.
This receives considerable emphasis within the book which devotes an entire chapter to ‘Responsibilities and relationships’ where it considers the role of the chair, the relationship between the chair and the head, other board members and the head, the head and the bursar, relationships with parents etc. It is axiomatic that the successful functioning of all of these relationships is of fundamental importance to the overall health of the school.
Another key role of the SGB is the subject of the next chapter: the appointment of a new head. This chapter gives a detailed account of the processes to be followed and the pitfalls to be avoided in making a successful appointment.
Again emphasising the practical aspects of being a school governor, the penultimate chapter highlights various problems that can arise in school governance, and goes on to provide insight and possible solutions to avoid problems.
The case studies in this third edition remain unchanged from before and, although a little lengthy and convoluted, still have relevance. If consideration is given to a future edition, it would be worth revising and extending the case study section. Other (new) appendices to the book present templates for framing a range of school policies, from a sample Code of Conduct to a suggested, New Governor Induction Process.
A final appendix, ‘Governance during a national disaster’ draws on lessons learned from the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of lockdown on schools. While we might think of this as having been a once-in-a-lifetime event, there are nevertheless valuable insights that can be gained from reflecting on how schools coped with a crisis situation.
Taken together, the revisions and updates in this third edition enhance its relevance and usefulness as a practical guide and reference tool for school governance. Every head, bursar and school governor should have a copy.