The value of school governing for comms professionals
Sometimes you get involved in something and it’s only when you look back that you realise the full impact of the choice. When I became a school governor I was keen to support my local school and to use my 20 plus years’ experience in communications to provide some practical help. However, I underestimated how being a school governor was going to be a great opportunity for me to develop as a communications professional.
As communications professionals there’s a considerable amount we can offer as a member of the governing team, but it’s also invaluable for your own learning and career development.
Board level experience
Schools are complex organisations managing public money and responsible for the education of many children - a typical primary school may have a turnover of two million, a staff of 30 and hundreds of pupils. Although very different in their purpose to commercial companies, the responsibilities for governors and trustees are quite similar to those of a board and focus on strategy, risk and finance, and overall performance.
For comms professionals, governing offers volunteers a role that provides experience of working at board level. It’s an opportunity to sit on the ‘other side of the table’ and has certainly helped me to broaden my understanding of the priorities and information required by boards. Also, if you are keen to take on non-executive roles, governing is great preparation for becoming ‘board ready’.
Working with senior leaders
One of the unique features of communications is that even in quite junior roles we can find ourselves briefing a senior leader or board member. Understanding things from their perspective is useful, and governing provides this insight – what information they might need, how they might feel, etc.
A key aspect of the governing role is to hold the headteacher and senior leadership team to account and to constructively challenge their thinking. Similarly, in communications where we sit between the organisation and its publics we may need to provide counsel that is not widely held in the organisation, or popular. These can be challenging times for comms professionals but experience as a governor or trustee can provide greater personal authority and confidence in these discussions.
Value to your organisation
At Tes, many staff have an education background or volunteer in the sector in some way. Currently about five per cent volunteer as school governors, which is part of our wider corporate social responsibility strategy. We’re an education business so giving back to schools by encouraging our staff to govern particularly resonates. However, the skills and experience you can gain from governing benefits any organisation. The National Governance Association lists many: strategic leadership, budget control, staff recruitment (governing boards recruit the head), problem solving, teamwork and, of course communication.
Personally, I’ve learnt a great deal about how to ask questions. This may sound straightforward, but understanding how to challenge the headteacher in a constructive, but robust way is a key element of my role as a governor. I’ve also honed my expertise in data analysis, an essential skill in comms today. For those earlier in their comms careers, governing offers an opportunity for you to move away from tactical work, and apply your expertise strategically.
I’d wholeheartedly recommend becoming a school governor or trustee, as well as providing valuable expertise to the school through your skills as a comms professional, there is so much you will gain. More broadly, for the whole profession governing can develop senior strategic skills. For instance, since 2017 the CIPR’s State of the Profession study has reported that lack of board representation for comms is a challenge, and I feel it’s a similar picture at c-suite. This is due to a number of factors, but certainly for many, getting relevant experience to be eligible candidates for board roles is challenging. Becoming a governor is one way we can reverse this and hopefully see more comms professional taking on senior c-suite and board level appointments.
This short animated video from the National Governance Association explains the crucial role school governors and trustees play in children and young people’s education.
Katy Gandon is Director of Communications at Tes and school governor of a large primary school in London. For more information about governing visit the National Governance Association – Be a school governor or trustee website.
Featured image by monkeybusinessimages on iStock