Most people on this forum are likely to be Governors. I am sure we are all as one delighted that you have made us realise we are all wasting our time - how foolish of us not to notice that we've been hoodwinked for so long. We will of course now ensure the school is no longer run the way the Head has forced us to and instead try to find a random and embittered teacher for advice.

 

Or I could just say that The Governing Body can and typically does regulate the elationship. Were you thinking that another Body should over see Governors . . . . and another body oversee that

 

au contraire.... glad to hear it is not generally as our HT suggests.

R13

random and embittered teacher

What if teachers, random or otherwise, and not embittered in the least, are just a little surprised at the HTs disrespectful and mocking comments towards a group of caring people who have given up their time and effort voluntarily to form a relationship based on (supposedly)mutual trust for the benefit of the school?

You may have the perfect relationship which is wonderful. You may protest too much. I merely posed a question....

Good Karma - The answer is most definitely no. The GB sets the strategy for the school and your chair should not allow your HT to dictate in such a manner. And any HT who believes GB's simply rubber stamp should be sent for retraining on what their role really is?

montiagh

And any HT who believes GB's simply rubber stamp should be sent for retraining on what their role really is?

And bear in mind that the HTs view of the role of the GB may have been encouraged by your GB in the past having been so supine that all it did do was rubber-stamp the head's decisons.

Thank you montiagh and Rott Weiler for your professional replies, If the relationship is mutually beneficial then its existence will be protected, I cannot see how this situation will change as it seems the renewal of GB members seems to happen on a rolling basis with the HT saying shall we just have 'X' again as they are doing a good job? And they all say 'Yes', I have even asked as part of my CPD if could attend some meetings....you can guess the answer to that!

 I've worked as Head with two separate governing bodies and can honestly say that neither has been the least bit willing to 'rubber stamp' anything I wanted to happen.

It varies. Inevitably. There are, of course, governors who take their responsibilities as critical friends very seriously, However, it is naive in the extreme for governors generally to really believe that head teachers would ever risk delegating overseeing running of a school to the governors. Indeed there are more than a few governors who are effectively powerless to challenge heads who are perceived to have a "robust style of management" shall we say? It is no coincidence that despite protestations to the contrary from the great and the good, there are far too many cases of workplace bullying in our schools - a blight on our profession which is also, incidentally, all too often shared by nurses. For many governors who have experience of just one well-run school, this can genuinely be difficult to comprehend. For those of us with a wider experience, it is a sad indictment on too many schools. This is not to tar all GBs with the same brush. Some are indeed excellent. Others, however, have more in common with politicians and bankers. And I am sure that in schools where the governors DO do a good job their efforts are greatly appreciated by teachers, pupils and parents.

[edited by: iconoclastic at 20:14 (GMT 0) on 1-4-2012]

R13

Were you thinking that another Body should over see Governors . . . . and another body oversee that

 

There are actually several bodies who have precisely that power: Local authorities; Diocesan councils; ofsted; Department for Education. What this space and you may well see examples of how this happens in practice

[edited by: iconoclastic at 20:28 (GMT 0) on 1-4-2012]

Middlemarch

 I've worked as Head with two separate governing bodies and can honestly say that neither has been the least bit willing to 'rubber stamp' anything I wanted to happen.

MM Surely that could be just down to you and your madcap ideas? ;-)

Crispness

Middlemarch

 I've worked as Head with two separate governing bodies and can honestly say that neither has been the least bit willing to 'rubber stamp' anything I wanted to happen.

MM Surely that could be just down to you and your madcap ideas? ;-)

Mwahahahaha!

 

I know one GB that asked the Head to resign, no rubber stamping there.  The GB must challenge the Head, that is its job.  Having said that, if the Head is working effectively than the GB should be supporting as much as challenging.

staxis

The GB must challenge the Head, that is its job.  Having said that, if the Head is working effectively than the GB should be supporting as much as challenging.

 

Exactly so, Staxis.