School governing bodies review: reference group 2: 25 March 2026

• Rocio Cifuentes, Children’s Commissioner for Wales
• Lisa Taylor, Church in Wales
• Dr Lowri Jones, Estyn
• Jeff Fish, Swansea LA / Chair of Governor Support Officers’ Group
• Cerys Furlong, Chair of Governors, Fitzalan High
• Trystan Edwards, Headteacher, Ysgol Garth Olwg / Ministerial Headteachers Advisory Group
• Sue Walker, Director of Education, Merthyr Tydfil LA / Association of Directors of Education in Wales
• Peter Knight, Cardiff-Menevia, representing Catholic Education Service
• Emyr Harries, Education Infrastructure, Governance and Finance, Welsh Government (Chair)
• Claire Horton, School Governance, Organisation and Admissions, Welsh Government
• Wendy Westlake, School Governance, Organisation and Admissions, Welsh Government
• Sian Jones, Safeguarding in Education, Welsh Government

The Group was updated on recent engagement activities with previously identified stakeholders. These included workshops, round-table discussions and presentations. 

Work is underway to gather views from learners, aligning this with work the Children’s Commissioner for Wales is carrying out in the same area. Digital options to support governing body functions are also being explored, including the potential integration of existing online platforms.

The Group discussed approaches to engaging those large groups affected such as governors, staff, learners and parents. It was agreed that broader engagement would be more effective at a later stage, once clearer information and options are available. In the meantime, it would be necessary to manage expectations. Therefore, smaller, targeted focus groups from within these audiences could be useful, in the first instance.

A related review of complaints handling was discussed. Given the role of governors in complaints processes, a dedicated session on this topic will be the subject of a future meeting.

The Group shared feedback from discussions held since the previous meeting, with the aim of identifying new issues and potential follow-up actions. Overall, the review’s scope and purpose were reported to have been positively received.

Engagement at a local level highlighted the importance of ensuring that the perspectives of rural, small and Welsh-medium schools are adequately represented. Feedback from faith-based school settings indicated that governing bodies are generally seen as effective enablers, but there are challenges in recruiting certain categories of governors.

Concerns were raised about governors’ confidence, their ability to provide constructive challenge, the time required to manage responsibilities, and the emotional demands of decision-making, all of which can impact wellbeing and lead to challenges with recruitment and retention. Wider professional discussions noted inequalities in the ease of recruiting governors across different communities and explored the idea of tiered or specialist governor roles. Models of collaboration across diverse school contexts were referenced as potentially informative.

Finally, concerns were raised about a lack of clarity between different bodies regarding authority and responsibility in employer arrangements. It was agreed there is a need to clarify roles and better support governing bodies, particularly in schools facing challenges.

The Group received an update on the related safeguarding review, highlighting the importance of maintaining alignment between both reviews and keeping safeguarding central to discussions. Ongoing links between the two reviews are being maintained as part of day-to-day activity.

The Group reviewed key issues and recurring feedback emerging from recent discussions, structured around the review’s main themes. There was agreement that aligning governance roles more closely with those of other public bodies could be beneficial, including consideration of remuneration. However, the full impacts of any such proposal would need to be properly considered.

Examples were shared of governance models where a strong sense of shared identity and collaboration exists across schools, enabling the sharing of skills, collective accountability and mutual support. These approaches were seen as fostering confidence and belonging among those involved.

The importance of high-quality support for governors was emphasised, particularly effective administrative and clerking arrangements, and the value of external support in helping governors understand and fulfil their roles.

Three broad governance models were introduced to structure further discussion:

• one closely aligned with an existing international approach
• one based on grouping schools together into “clusters”
• one involving minimal change by reducing governor workload

It was recognised that all potential models would require further detailed analysis of risks, benefits and impacts, and would likely require legislative change, though there may be scope to pilot approaches.

It was agreed that future meetings would include presentations on relevant cross‑border professional networks and collaborative school leadership models that may offer useful insights. In addition, further work will be undertaken to review academic research on school governance, including international perspectives, drawing on existing research expertise to inform the Group’s discussions.