Vacancies for school governors and trustees are at their highest since 2016

Schools in England are facing major challenges in recruiting school governors and trustees with 67% of governing boards reporting at least one vacancy

The new research, published by the National Governance Association (NGA) as part of their 2022 annual governance survey shows that vacancies are at their highest since 2016.

Governing boards are responsible for the strategic direction of a school or multi academy trust and their decisions impact hundreds, if not thousands of pupils. With the typical board consisting of nine or ten governors or trustees, the high vacancy rate means some boards may struggle to drive improvement and provide sufficient scrutiny and financial oversight.

The pandemic has made recruitment more challenging, with two-thirds of respondents (63%) reporting that they faced issues compared to 55% in 2019. Overall, NGA estimates there are currently more than 20,000 vacancies.

Chief executive of the Eynsham Partnership Academy Trust, David Brown, commented: “It certainly requires some creative thinking and we’re constantly looking for people who could take on governance roles and to also ensure we have the right mix of talents to be effective.”

The research found that the number of governors and trustees under 40 was just 6% – the lowest since 2015. Half of governors and trustees are over 60 years but just 1% were under 30 suggesting schools are missing the input from volunteers who have recently experienced school.

Anju Dhir, who became a school governor in her mid-thirties, believes governors need to be more visible to young people: “There are more governors 80 years and over than under 30. The issue is that young people simply don’t know what we do – or that we even exist. This is a huge waste of human capital, for both schools and our young people.

“Becoming a governor is an incredible way to develop your career and can start from as young as 18 – how many young people normally get to join the board? For governing boards having someone who has recently experienced our education system is invaluable. Governing has helped me to develop in my career, as well as being a satisfying way to give back to my local community.”

The research also highlights that only 6% of governors and trustees are black, Asian or minority ethnic volunteers . There was however, an increase of 8 percentage points in boards reporting that they are successfully recruiting members from underrepresented groups from 2021.