Press Release: Governors urged to sharpen focus on diversity and inclusion

School governing bodies across England need to sharpen their focus on diversity and inclusion issues, according to a new survey to mark the third annual National School Governors’ Awareness Day (NSGAD).

More than 60% (62%) of governing board members who responded to the survey by event organisers Strictly Education said they had discussed inclusion this academic year, yet just 18% said they had a designated inclusion governor and more than half (56%) said that their governing body didn’t reflect the diversity of their school community.

The findings come on the eve of the third annual National School Governors’ Awareness Day, which is being held online this Thursday (29 February).

Steve Barker, head of governance at event organisers Strictly Education and a governor of more than 30 years’ standing, said: “It is encouraging to see that more than two thirds of governors and trustees have discussed inclusion this academic year. This is a positive start but of course tells us nothing of the depth or impact of those discussions. I hope that National School Governors’ Awareness Day will prompt governors, trustees and their boards to sharpen their focus on a range of aspects of inclusion.

“With just under a fifth of responding governors confirming their board has a designated ‘inclusion’ governor this indicates that this is an area for potential development. It’s not a mandatory role but given the diversity of school communities in 2024 and the challenge to ensure policy and practice champion the principles of equality and equity for all, this would be a good way forward.

“It is also clear from the survey that governing boards have still some way to go before they reflect the diversity of school communities. This is a priority for our event partners Governors for Schools.”

The survey was carried out earlier this month and attracted more than 500 responses.

NSGAD’s key theme is the governance of inclusion and features a packed programme of presentations and workshops, including a keynote from writer, broadcaster and campaigner Fiona Millar on how governance should navigate the complex and multi-faceted inclusion agenda.

Steve Barker added: “Governing boards should be seeking assurance from their schools that inclusion is considered and reflected in all policies and procedures in their schools and trusts. Inclusion means all children and young people, all staff and all members of the school community.

“Governors and trustees need to think about their context and the composition of their communities in terms of not just protected characteristics (under the Equality Act of 2010) but also those pupils from deprived backgrounds, those at risk of harm, those whose families are subject to economic hardship and all other groups of pupils within their schools and trusts. Governance also has a duty of care for all school staff and we should be reflecting on how inclusive policy and practice are of each and every member of staff too.”

If you would like to know how Strictly Education can support your school's journey to inclusivity and discover our range of governance services, call 0330 123 2549 or email enquire@strictlyeducation.co.uk