Governors' role in generating income for schools

Learn how to help your school generate income and find some potential solutions for raising much-needed funds.

Updated
on 26 June 2026
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School types: AllSchool phases: AllRef: 4564
Contents
  1. Think strategically about generating income
  2. Be sensitive to any objections 
  3. Ways to generate income: hiring out the premises, grants and more 

Think strategically about generating income

The governing board's role is to work together with the senior leadership team (SLT) to develop a coordinated strategy for generating income. You can help your school avoid a scatter-gun approach to income generation, which is both inefficient and ineffective. 

Consider all of the factors below when you're creating your strategy to maximise profit and minimise risk.

1. Stay true to your vision and ethos

Think about your school as a business. Your vision and values are your brand. Make sure that any potential partnership aligns with that brand, so you don't harm your school's reputation.

Common sense should apply here. Before you enter into any arrangements with other organisations, make sure you know:

  • Exactly what they do
  • How they market themselves

Just as individual investors are encouraged to diversify, you shouldn't rely on just 1 single means of