We asked Stephen Bampfylde, Chair and Head of our Board Practice: Are there themes or trends, particularly amplified at a time of crisis, that are emerging across the Schools’ sector Board and Governor work which you and your team are undertaking?
Stephen says:
I think we have seen a number of particular changes since the beginning of this crisis. The most apparent of those, be it temporary or possibly more permanent, is the change in relationship and distance (beyond physical) between the Board and senior leadership team. For example, if you are on a Board and your organisation is in crisis you need much more frequent oversight: waiting a month for the regular update is simply far too long. We are seeing that in most organisations, planning horizons and Board or Governor calls have been pulled in dramatically: daily for some and certainly bi-weekly for others.
It is absolutely vital that Boards and Governors are reassured about the approach the school is taking and have a clear view of any risk it is under. They need to maintain focus on organisational strategy and its operational implementation, however, the strategy itself has become one of day-to-day, week-to-week or month-to-month survival as opposed to looking longer-term. For many Boards, it is here that operational and strategic implementation meet most acutely and where far greater collaboration and communication with senior school leadership is required.
Overall, there is a huge sense from the Board of needing to know more than ever. These are extraordinarily challenging times and the support from the Board is vital, however there is also a danger of cutting across the freedom of operational responsibility which Heads and their senior teams should have to run the school institution and its interaction with its community.
As we move forward in this current climate, it is important to assure senior teams that this modus operandi is temporary and not forever, but how temporary we cannot say right now. The pressures facing senior leaders in schools have been increasingly challenging, but those are amplified by about 300 per cent currently! They are trying to keep a balance of operational control with the social, pastoral and care, as well as the wider health care and safety measures required.
For those senior leaders across all schools the support of the Board is essential to share that pressure. How Board members, and the Chair in particular, can support the Head and their team without getting in the way is what I am seeing Boards wrestling with most significantly at the moment.
