The Crisis in Governance

This chapter focuses on the challenges experienced by governors in the three case study schools. It begins with a description of the survey questions asked of all governors in the schools. This gives an idea of the context within which each school’s governing board operates. It also unpicks what motivates each governor to carry out their role and their connection with their school. Further context is added through an analysis of the two academised schools’ Schemes of Delegation—the document which sets out who has which powers in a MAT. The chapter then draws from the two main sources of research data—minutes from each governing board’s meetings over roughly a three-year period and interviews carried out with a number of governors. Through this data, the extent to which each school is experiencing a crisis in governance is explored and how this has influenced decisions about joining a MAT.