Kirsty Williams, Cabinet Secretary for Education
This was published under the 2016 to 2021 administration of the Welsh Government
A consultation on proposals to revise and consolidate the school governance legislative framework will be launched today.
There are around 23,000 school governors in Wales who give their time, experience and expertise voluntarily to help raise standards in our schools. I greatly value all the work governors do to improve educational outcomes for our children.
However, the existing school governance model has been in place since 1996 with few changes. School governing bodies do not have the flexibility to adapt themselves to meet the specific needs of their schools, and no consideration need be given to appointing governors for the skills or expertise they can offer.
In June this year I set out my intention to consult on reforming the school governance legislative framework in a way which would retain the current stakeholder model while placing a stronger focus on skilled governing bodies. This included giving governing bodies the flexibility to make their own decisions about their constitution and membership.
I also spoke of the crucial part played by parents in effective school governance and my intention that they continue to have a central role in the governance of our schools.
Today we are launching a consultation on our proposals for the reform and consolidation of the school governance legislative framework. The consultation, which will run for 14 working weeks and end on 17 February 2017, is available at:
https://consultations.gov.wales/consultations/consolidation-and-revision-school-governance-regulatory-framework-wales
I am keen for as many people as possible to respond so that together we can have stronger, more effective school governance and improved educational outcomes for our children.