Key Voices #87 - Governance: challenge, chairing and COVID-19

This week we talk to Pete Crockett,  Retired Headteacher and Governor and  Linda Unternahrer, Senior Content Editor at The Key about a number of topics to do with governance. We discuss how governors can balance both support and challenge during COVID-19 and what holding senior leadership teams to account looks like at other times.  We also think about ways in which how governors can support senior leaders with difficult issues, yet ultimately avoid getting too involved in operational decision making.    We consider how governance is changing, in some ways for the better, in this period of enforced remote governance.  Pete shares his thoughts on what makes a great chair, and we discuss practical ways boards can increase their diversity, including recruitment and how accessible they make governance to new joiners.    We close by thinking about priorities for boards in the short term, including headteacher wellbeing and looking after themselves.    You can read Pete’s blog 7 C’s for Chairs of Governors here  Pete is also involved in ‘Headrest’ a free telephone wellbeing service for headteachers, you can learn more about it here