School Governing Bodies: Diversity

Baroness Blower Excerpts

Thursday 28th April 2022 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Baroness Blower]

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to encourage greater diversity on school governing bodies.

[Baroness Penn (Con)]

Volunteer school governors and trustees are critical in helping schools and trusts to perform well. Diverse perspectives and backgrounds on governing boards strengthen strategic decision-making in the best interests of all pupils. We provide practical support to help boards improve diversity through published guidance and, last year, invested £1.2 million in recruitment. There is more to do and we continue to encourage governing boards to be more representative of the communities they serve.

[Baroness Blower (Lab)]

I thank the noble Baroness for that response. Does she agree with me that all state-funded schools should have parent and community governors who reflect their locality? Employers and unions might work together to encourage people to put themselves forward. Indeed, they might support governorship by negotiating paid leave as necessary to carry out governing body duties and responsibilities.