Restructuring your staff: your board's role

Learn how to challenge and scrutinise restructuring plans as part of your role as a governor/trustee. Find important questions to ask, and get tips for supporting your school leaders through the process.

Last reviewed on 21 October 2025
School types: AllSchool phases: AllRef: 5114
Contents
  1. How to use this article
  2. Your board is only involved in strategic changes
  3. Make sure you challenge any restructuring plans
  4. Ask operational leaders to draft a plan
  5. Scrutinise the proposed new structure
  6. Questions to ask
  7. Approve the decision 
  8. Support your senior leaders

How to use this article

This article is aimed at governors in maintained schools and trustees, as they're generally involved in strategic oversight. It's unlikely that local governing bodies (LGBs) will play an active role in restructures, but check your trust's scheme of delegation to make sure.

We've outlined a common approach to planning and deciding on restructures, but follow your school's/trust's, or local authority's (LA) specific policy if it’s different from what's explained here.

Your board is only involved in strategic changes

It's helpful to understand whether a restructure is operational and is the responsibility of your school leaders, or strategic and requires the involvement of governors/trustees (see what operational and strategic changes look like in the table below).

  Operational changes Strategic changes Scope Sit within the staffing budget and allocation, and focus