A Valuable Role?

Abstract

This article reports an experiment in which 35 senior executives from private and public sector businesses volunteered to be governors in English secondary schools. The research monitored and evaluated their progress over one year. These governors’ skills, objectivity and appreciation of the governance/management distinction were found to be valued by heads and chairs of governing bodies. Many of these governors accepted significant posts of responsibility during the year of their governorships, including chairmanships of subcommittees and one of the whole governing body. They were found to contribute so significantly because of their seniority, their personal qualities and skills, the quality time they committed to governorship and the effective way they managed their time despite the difficulties. The article concludes with implications of these findings for the future of business representation on school governing bodies.