Working with Parents and Governors

Neil Roskilly, CEO

Why Work with Parents and Governors?

Badge of Office?

You’ll end up:

•Polarizing opinion

•Creating a dependency culture

•Fixing the guttering

"The key to successful leadership today is influence,not authority." Ken Blanchard

Why Work with Parents and Governors?

Simply put

… in good times, you can achieve more, and achieve it more quickly, and more easily, when working with and through stakeholders

… when times are more difficult, you have others who can shoulder the burden, be on your side and more readily forgive your limitations

“ensuring process support” (Katzenbach and Smith)

… the work of a lifetime can be dismantled in an instant

You....• Want the best for the pupils in your school• Feel happier carrying most with you

(conflict avoidance)• May want to effect change• Want to exercise your moral purpose• Feel the weight of responsibility - accountable to

stakeholders• Strive for self-security

Self-security

“Self-security will be a hallmark of the leaders and exceptional organizations of the future. Self-security in an individual or a system brings a high ratio of coherence. Leaders or organizations with self-security can push power and authority downstream and develop centers of innovation and excellence at all levels of the organization”.

Doc Childre and Bruce Cryer, “From Chaos to Coherence”

Stakeholders

?

8

Stakeholder dispositionsInvolvement

Against For

9

Stakeholder dispositions: examplesInvolvement

Against For

The enemy; takingevery opportunityto undermine yourefforts

Change champion;takes personal responsibility for ensuring success

Fence sitter;not engaged;waiting to seehow it goes

The cynic; firescheap shots to testyour resolve

Willing helper;anxious to lenda hand

Involvement

Against For

1 Head

2 Chair of Govs

3 Parents

4 Deputy

5 Admin staff

6 Gov body

7 Proprietor

8 Teaching staff

9 SMT

10 LA

11

Involvement

Against For+5-5

0

10

Dep. Head

Headteacher

ParentsChair of Govs

Govbody SMT

Admin 2

Full-timeteaching staff

LA

Key: Size of circle = degree of influence

Proprietor

12

Involvement

Against For+5-5

0

10

Dep. Head

Headteacher

Parents

Chair of Govs

Govbody

SMT

Admin

Full-timeteaching staff

LA

The Challenge – move everyone towards the top right corner

Proprietor

Identify dispositions and effect move BEFORE you try systemic change.– Stakeholder mapping useful SMT inset– Ensure you have common set of values – Identify closely who you INFORM, CONSULT,

ACTIVELY INVOLVE

Define the inclusivity of your leadership

Daniel Coleman, “Working with Emotional Intelligence”

Inspiring and Guiding Individuals and Groups is a competence. People with this competence:– Articulate and arouse enthusiasm for a shared

vision and mission;– Step forward to lead as needed, regardless of

position;– Guide the performance of others while holding

them accountable;– Lead by example.

Engaging at an emotional levelJon Katzenbach

“The power of emotional commitment”

John P Kotter “The Heart of Change”

Jim Collins“First who…then what”

Max DePree“Leadership is much more an art, a belief, a condition of the

heart, than a set of things to do”

Engaging at an emotional level

“Firms of Endearment”

(Sisodia, Wolfe and Sheth)

Firms of endearment (FoEs) endear themselves with stakeholders… create emotional value, experiential

value, social value and emotional value

“Customers want to be in love, and if they don’t find it, they’ll settle for price and convenience”

17

Understand the strength of relationships between stakeholders

Involvement

Against For+5-5

0

10

Dep.Head

Headteacher

ParentsChair of Govs

Gov body

SMT

Admin 2

Teaching staff

Key: Thickness of line = strength of relationship

Bursar (Clerk to Govs?)

18

Dealing with the “for and against” dichotomy

Against For +5-5 0

Coping mechanisms:

• Recognise and accept it exists• Define your attitude to it: assume positive intent• Do not lose sight of the context and strategic

StakeholdersParents

Teaching staff

SLT

Pupils

Chair of Govs

Governors

Teaching staffAdministration

staff

Proprietor

Deputy HeadLocal

Authority

School group

Other services: police,

careers, etc.

Alumni

School Governors

Working with stakeholders: governorsHow far do you agree with the following?

…many governing bodies exhibit structural weaknesses - of size (too large, or too small, for efficient functioning), of organisation (no committees, or too many), or of composition (too many ex officio figures, or former pupils, or even, sometimes, parents). There are problems of competence - too few governors seek, or receive, training in their responsibilities and functions; some are too busy, but many are not busy enough, in their attendance at school activities. And it is a fact, of course, that however often a governing body meets (most convene formally once a term), and however thoughtfully they arrange their business (most will have two or more specialist sub-committees), the activity of a modern school is too large and complex to be fully appreciated, let alone effectively controlled, by what is, in the end, a body of well-intentioned amateurs.

Michael St John Parker

Working with stakeholders: governors / proprietor

Absolutely key: 1. Clearly define responsibilities between Governors

and Head2. Ensure governance structure is fit for purpose

(school’s core activities, right expertise according to strategic aims, reflects composition of school - ethnic and gender)

Working with stakeholders: governors/ proprietor

Agree with your Chair of Governors / Proprietor:

1.General heads of agreement on Roles and Responsibilities

2.More detailed Matrix of Responsibilities3.Responsibilities for policies: H+S, child

protection, statement of school’s ethos and aims, admissions, discipline, exclusions, anti-bullying, finances, etc.

Working with stakeholders: governors / proprietor

General heads of agreement on Roles and Responsibilities – example:

“At X school, the Governors provide challenge and support for the Head, working closely to define, agree and achieve the strategic aims of the school. The governors delegate the daily management and leadership of the school to the Head”

Using a roles and responsibilities matrix (include the Bursar if you have one; use to review JDs)

Head Govs/ Proprietor

(Bursar)

Annual budget R DR

Staff appointments

R (<SLT) R (>SLT) R (non-teaching)

Curriculum R

Child protection

DR R

H+S R DR

Appointing Governors “Oh, I’ll ask my new neighbour as we had a barbecue with them last weekend. His wife is a financial wizz-kid in some city firm but she’s never around but I’m

sure that he will be able to come to the finance committee. Seems a good chap.”

An alternative:Gap analysis

“What expertise do we need to achieve our strategic aims over the next five years?”

Then advertise

Sources of help for working with Governors

• LA training• AGBIS – become a member• Governing documents:

– Trust deed;– Memorandum and Articles;– Standing orders, etc.

• Charities Commission: “The Essential Trustee”• If proprietorial: Council of Advisors?

AGBIS

“The Governing Body is responsible for determining the aims and overall conduct of the school. It sets and reviews the policies, plans and procedures that will ensure the best possible education for present and future pupils of the school, including the proper control of its finances”

“…is accountable for the discharge of its responsibilities to pupils, parents and staff”

The regulatory framework (ISI handbook)

1. “Particular weight is given to the governors’ or proprietor’s oversight of child protection, recruitment and to matters of health and safety.

2. “Proprietorial schools are judged by the same standards for effective oversight and duty of care, but the details need to be clear so that there is no confusion about the role of proprietors and senior managers, particularly if the same people exercise both functions”

An effective Governing Body is one which…

• Considers its own training needs (training budget)• Works as a team• Knows and visits the school• Recognises the importance of good relationships with

Head• Exercises effective time management and delegation• Effective meetings• Ensures the school’s strategic aims are reached

Working with stakeholders: parents

Recent inspection report – links with parents “outstanding”Parents feel very welcome in the school and are actively involved, both in supporting

a variety of activities and in the work and progress of their children, including open days, assemblies, concerts, matches and social events. The parents’ association, Polwhele House Society, is a strength of the school. A network of class representatives welcomes new families to the school, and provides contact and communication between school and parents. Committee members very successfully organise school events raising money for charity and for items for the school. Their activities have included a cheese and wine evening, Christmas bazaar, Easter egg hunt and family fun day.

Parents receive summaries every three weeks detailing their children’s achievements. Staff report on the progress of individual pupils in a clear, informative way twice each year with details of academic achievement and personal development.

Polwhele House – Head: Alex McCullough, ISI Inspection Sept/Oct 2009

Working with stakeholders: parents

Four areas for internal debate: 1. Parents as partners: the case for greater parental

involvement?

2. Role of formal instruments such as PTA, Parent Councils?

3. Parent satisfaction: would monitoring parental satisfaction raise standards?

4. Parent champions: how parents can otherwise support school improvement?

The “psychological moat”

Common: parents are invited in on festive occasions for a “show and tell”, but kept quite separate from the ongoing life of the school.

If so: parents who feel cut off are prepared to believe the worst and accept aberrations as the norm.

The need to invite parents as school partners “… is a fundamental role for all school leaders,” especially Heads

(Stoll and Fink)

Parents often have negative memories of their own schooling

So, you were the one who had your top button undone in the school photograph.

How do we engage parents?

Common (formal):

•Representation on governing body

•PTA (but just fund-raising?)

•Newsletters

More effective (at the learning level):

•Communicate effectively on child’s progress, curriculum

•Helping parents create right environment for learning at home

•Volunteering - recruiting and supporting parental involvement

•Decision-making - genuine parental involvement - parents’ council, focus groups

•Survey parental opinion

Common barriers

• Absent parents

• The “we pay you to get on with it” syndrome

• Silk purses…

• Parents’ historical curriculum and examinations legacy

(David Perkins: “the Trivial Pursuit Theory”)

• School’s cultural fear of parents:

“There are some teachers who seem to believe that the parents “are sending the wrong children”. As a friend has said, “parents are sending the best children they have!” (Stoll and Fink)

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

• School leaders’ fears of “parent power”

Union’s fears over parent power in private schools

PARENTS are pressurising schools to sack teachers over disputes regarding their children, it emerged yesterday. A conference heard that headteachers at fee-paying schools across the UK are “very sensitive” to complaints from parents who often pay fees of £20,000 per year.

John Richardson, national officer for independent schools at the Association of Teachers and Lecturers told the union’s annual conference in Torquay:

“There is a certain amount of pressure which comes from parents who have very high expectations for exam results from parents paying annual fees of £20,000 …” he said.

In one case, a teacher was called into the head’s office because parents had complained that their child had only scored 90% in an exam when they were expecting 95%

Conclusions - Heads working with Parents and Governors

“…WANTED FOR HAZARDOUS JOURNEY. SMALL WAGES, BITTER COLD, LONG MONTHS OF COMPLETE DARKNESS, CONSTANT DANGER, SAFE RETURN DOUBTFUL. HONOR AND RECOGNITION IN CASE OF SUCCESS."

Conclusions - Heads working with Parents and Governors

Morrell and Capparell (2001)

• Cultivate sense of compassion and responsibility for others• Once you commit, stick though the tough learning period• Do your part to create upbeat environment at work - essential for creativity• Broaden your social and cultural horizons, learning to see things from different perspectives• In rapidly changing world, be willing to venture in new directions to seize new opportunities and learn new skills• Find a way to turn setbacks and failures to your own advantage• Be bold in vision and careful in planning• Learn from past mistakes• Never insist on reaching a goal at any cost

• Learn to live with ambiguity

Conclusions – Heads working with Parents and Governors

“If I had not some strength of will I would make a first class drunkard”.

Ernest Shackleton

Cheers

Neil Roskilly, CEO