How to show your board's impact on school improvement

Get to grips with how your governing board can show its impact on school improvement. Do this by being clear on your school's objectives and using evidence such as feedback from stakeholders and governing board meeting minutes.

Last reviewed on 19 February 2024
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Contents
  1. School improvement is part of the first core function of governance 
  2. Be clear on your school's objectives and progress
  3. Use evidence to show the board's impact
  4. Publish governing board minutes online

Boards must be committed to continuous school improvement that gives pupils the best possible outcomes. It's one of the key features of effective governance, as outlined on page 13 of the Governance Handbook

School improvement is part of the first core function of governance 

Governors are responsible for ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategy

Your school's vision is what will lead your strategic decisions and ultimately drive school improvement. 

Your board will:

  • Set high-level improvement objectives 
  • Gather evidence (such as through school visits or using pupil progress data) to assess throughout the year how the school is progressing towards the objectives
  • Use the evidence to support or challenge the senior leadership team 

Ofsted inspects governance as part of the 'leadership and management' judgement 

Inspectors will want to know how governors/trustees fulfil their role as strategic planners and drivers of school improvement.

Understand their role and carry it out