The Accountability of School Governing Bodies

The notion of accountability has been central to the reforms which have been introduced in education since the Education Reform Act 1988. Government reforms have devolved key responsibilities from local education authorities to governing bodies within schools in England and Wales. Whilst these bodies are now accountable for many aspects of education provision, it is not clear how this works in practice. The aim of the paper is to identify the nature of the accountability of school governing bodies. The research will involve interviews with members of a range of these bodies to determine both how they perceive themselves to be accountable and how it operates in reality. Conclusions are drawn on the nature and effectiveness of governing body accountability.