1 James, C., Brammer, S., Connolly, M., Fertig, M., James, J. & Jones, J. (2010). The 'hidden givers': A study of school governing bodies
in England. Reading: CfBT Education Trust.
Effective governance is essential to the impact and success of
colleges across the UK. College Development Network is therefore
delighted to provide a foreword to the report of this major study
examining the processes and practices of college governing.
This project has been timely, innovative and insightful. The
governing of our colleges usually takes place away from public
observation but with committed and energised members of
governing boards aiming to make the best decisions for students,
college staff and the many stakeholders who depend upon the
success of the college. Being away from direct public observation
can make the processes and practices of governing seem overly
remote. The image of governance of any organisation, whether
a corporate business, a local sports club, or a college, can suffer from invisibility. This project, the
first of its kind to consider the processes and practices of governing in colleges, goes a long way to
make governing visible and, in so doing, provides some very valuable insights which can help us to
understand and strengthen the governing of colleges.
Governors (board members) have been termed 'hidden givers'.1 This study has uniquely used
video to capture the experiences and performance of governors in eight colleges across the UK,
opening up the practices of governing and illuminating the contribution of the chair, principal,
college senior staff, board secretary/clerk, and board members. It is a testament to the generosity
of the participating college boards that they have welcomed the researchers into the boardroom
and engaged with them so fully.
The study has already achieved considerable impact at individual, institutional, agency and
governmental levels. I hope this project report will be engaged with by all who are associated with
the governing of colleges. But of course, the findings are not just relevant to colleges. I therefore
commend this study to anyone with an interest in the work of governing boards in education
and the wider community.
Jim Metcalfe,
Chief Executive, College Development Network
FOREWORD