‘Personal reflections on the governing of private schools: a case study’

This article will be published in a special edition of Management in Education (July 2013). The research has been conducted in conjunction with the British Educational Leadership, Management and Administration Society (BELMAS) Research Interest Group: Governing and Governance in Education

Much of what we understand about school governance is generally under-researched and there is almost no recent research undertaken into the governing of schools in the non-maintained, private or independent sector that are financed by the payment of fees. These schools broadly follow a model of governance that is similar to that of the maintained sector in their constitution, with some notable differences around how governors are appointed and their roles are conceived. This article aims to analyse the nature of independent school governance generally, focusing on a case study of a small private school located in the Midlands. The context of this school is a fairly unique one with governance being held accountable to non-executive Trustees who have overall control of the school operation, but who devolve that responsibility to the governing body. This article starts with a review of the current governance model in private schools, then looking in more depth at the characteristics of governance in this independent school. An analysis of the findings is then explored with some thoughts and conclusions around opportunities for further exploration into private school governance.

Much of what we understand about school governance is generally under-researched and there is almost no recent research undertaken into the governing of schools in the non-maintained, private or independent sector that are financed by the payment of fees. These schools broadly follow a model of governance that is similar to that of the maintained sector in their constitution, with some notable differences around how governors are appointed and their roles are conceived. This article aims to analyse the nature of independent school governance generally, focusing on a case study of a small private school located in the Midlands. The context of this school is a fairly unique one with governance being held accountable to non-executive Trustees who have overall control of the school operation, but who devolve that responsibility to the governing body. This article starts with a review of the current governance model in private schools, then looking in more depth at the characteristics of governance in this independent school. An analysis of the findings is then explored with some thoughts and conclusions around opportunities for further exploration into private school governance.