National Governance Association

Every year, thousands of governors, trustees and now, for the first time, governance professionals, take part in NGA's Annual School and Trust Governance Survey.

Why does it matter?

Because this isn't just another survey. It's the largest governance survey of its kind and has helped shape national conversations, inform government consultations, strengthen NGA's policy work and ensure the voices of those governing schools and trusts are heard where decisions are made.

Over the past 16 years, more than 60,000 people have contributed their experiences and insights, creating a unique evidence base that helps us track long-term trends and advocate for the support governing boards need.

If you haven't completed the survey yet, please take 15 minutes to have your say. Your views help shape the future of governance.

Read Megan Tate's blog to find out more about the impact of the survey and what's new for 2026: https://www.nga.org.uk/news-views/directory/listening-learning-and-looking-ahead-the-annual-school-and-trust-governance-survey-2026/

📈 What should good performance management of executive leaders look like? https://www.nga.org.uk/events/improving-performance-management-of-your-ceo-or-headteacher/

Join us on Wednesday afternoon for an in-depth webinar on performance management, featuring practical advice on how to support your executive's personal development, wellbeing and workload.

NGA's Head of Consultancy, Rosemary Lovatt, will introduce our new executive performance management toolkit and services to help boards get this right.

This will be an unmissable session for chairs and anyone sitting on the CEO or headteacher performance management panel.

Book your place 👉 https://www.nga.org.uk/events/improving-performance-management-of-your-ceo-or-headteacher/

Explore our executive performance management support 👉 https://www.nga.org.uk/exec-performance-management

This , we want to say a huge thank you to the thousands of school governors and trustees who volunteer across the country.

Every day, these volunteers give their time, expertise and commitment to help shape the future of children and young people through strong school and trust governance.

In fact, the estimated annual contribution of governance to the education system is worth £1.04 billion, demonstrating the immense value that governance volunteers bring to schools, trusts and communities.

Your dedication, challenge, support and leadership make a real difference, and at NGA, we're proud to support, champion and celebrate everything you do.

Thank you. 💙

NGA’s 2026 Annual School & Trust Governance Survey is now open!

Our survey is the largest of its kind and provides a vital evidence base on what is happening in school and trust governance. The findings help shape national conversations on education policy and leadership, with previous insights feeding directly into our discussions with government on funding, SEND, inspection reform and workforce challenges.

Governance contributes more than £1 billion in value to education every year through nearly two million hours of voluntary expertise and professional support. It is essential that these voices are reflected clearly in national debates.

For the first time, we are explicitly inviting governance professionals alongside governors and trustees to take part, ensuring a fuller picture of governance across schools and trusts in England.

We encourage governors, trustees and governance professionals working with or supporting governing boards to take part and share within their networks.

The survey takes around 15 minutes to complete and is open until Tuesday 30 June.

Everyone who completes it can be entered into a prize draw to win a £500 book voucher for their school or trust.

Take part here: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/R1JGKO/

🎉 Explore the future of school governance and celebrate NGA's 20th anniversary at our National Governance Conference in July. https://www.nga.org.uk/events/national-governance-conference-for-schools-and-trusts-2026/

Hundreds of governors, trustees, governance professionals and school leaders have already registered for our flagship event on Friday 10 July at The Vox in Birmingham — a special celebration of 20 years of NGA championing effective governance.

The conference will feature keynote sessions, practical workshops, networking opportunities and expert-led discussions focused on the issues shaping education today.

Whether you are new to governance or an experienced chair, trustee or governance professional, this conference offers practical insight, fresh thinking and valuable networking opportunities to support your role.

You’ll hear from leading voices in education governance, including:

🗣️ Emma Balchin, Chief Executive, NGA
🗣️ Dame Christine Gilbert CBE, Chair of the Ofsted Board
🗣️ Evelyn Forde MBE, leadership and school improvement expert
🗣️ Casey Bailey, former Birmingham Poet Laureate

📅 Friday 10 July
🕘 9:45am – 4:30pm
📍 The Vox Conference Venue, Birmingham, B40 1PU

Book your place (free for NGA members!) 👉 https://www.nga.org.uk/events/national-governance-conference-for-schools-and-trusts-2026/

National Governance Conference for schools and trusts | National Governance Association Join NGA for the highlight of our annual events calendar, where governors, trustees, and governance professionals meet.

📈 Real performance doesn’t improve in a once-a-year appraisal.
shift from an annual appraisal meeting to a continuous, strategy-led approach focused
As the CEO role becomes more complex, the way we manage performance needs to evolve.

We're excited to launch NGA Consultancy's new executive leader performance management support service later this month.

Our consultants will help your board shift from an annual appraisal meeting to a continuous, strategy-led approach focused on the growth of your executive leader.

Explore our consultancy services 👉 https://www.nga.org.uk/training/directory/executive-leader-performance-management-support

One week to go until NGA’s Annual Governance Survey launches.

Every year, this is our biggest and most important piece of insight into what governance really looks like across trusts and schools. It’s where governors, trustees and this year, for the first time, governance professionals, tell us what’s working, what’s not, and where support is needed most.

It only takes 15 minutes to complete, you can save your progress and come back to it at any time and it directly informs how we represent and support the sector nationally.

Plus, everyone who completes the survey is automatically entered into a contest to win a £500 voucher for your school or trust!

Keep an eye out next week. We’d love you to take part.

Executive performance management in schools and trusts needs a rethink.

Too often, it becomes a once-a-year process focused on accountability, paperwork and pay decisions, rather than continuous development, strategic leadership and wellbeing.

Our latest blog explores why annual appraisal alone is no longer enough in a system facing increasing complexity, accountability pressures and leadership challenges. It also sets out a different approach to executive performance management that is more strategic, supportive and sustainable.
Worth a read for chairs, trustees, governors and executive leaders thinking about what effective leadership oversight should really look like.

Read the blog here: https://www.nga.org.uk/news-views/directory/executive-performance-management-time-for-change/

Just in case you missed it. Strong governance already exists across many trusts. The challenge now is consistency.

Our new report, Governing in 4D, explores what it takes to move from pockets of excellence to a clear, shared standard across the system as it evolves.

It sets out a practical model of governance that is both strategically coherent and rooted in the communities trusts serve, alongside standards drawn from where governance works well and where it falls short.

This isn’t about adding complexity. It’s about clarity of roles, stronger connections between layers of governance, and ensuring every trust has the foundations in place to succeed.

Read more: https://www.nga.org.uk/news-views/directory/nga-calls-for-consistent-governance-standards-across-trusts-in-new-4d-report/