Dr Lizzie Oliver, Director of Policy and Programmes, Trust Governance Professionals
"It is nowhere recorded that the rewards of public office include a quiet mind." - Hilary Mantel, The Mirror and the Light
Hilary Mantel's portrayal of Thomas Cromwell throughout her brilliant Wolf Hall trilogy delivers a compelling, if grisly, immersion into the world of a governance professional. Cromwell, often seen as a mere administrator, was in reality a master mediator and quiet strategist, navigating the complexities of Tudor politics with foresight, acumen and loyalty to a cause. His clerk's notebooks, held at The National Archives, are beautiful: intriguing records that, hundreds of years later, allow us to try to understand the machinations of the day and the occupations of their leader. As a study in stewardship, they are fascinating.
During my research career, I had the privilege of working with precious documents in the same archives, namely those of prisoners of war across Southeast Asia. In this 80th anniversary year of the end of the Second World War, I find myself increasingly reflective as to how these apparently disparate elements of my work intersect. Ultimately, the message is simple: groups brought together through whatever means need frameworks and rituals by which to govern themselves. And in doing so, they tend to look for steadfast guardians and trusted confidants who can help steer their course and record the journey as they go.
Despite the huge strides forward in recent years, the governance professional role remains chronically wedded to words such as 'isolated', 'misunderstood' and 'undervalued': characteristics that perpetually stunt its potential impact and leave these brilliant colleagues severely unappreciated. Indeed, they are words I have used too many times myself - most recently during the development of new eLearning in partnership with Governors for Schools.
But by holding onto these notions of loneliness and a lack of value, we are at risk of not leaving any room to celebrate the pivotal work this role carries out.
Holding the trust's mission and vision in careful balance through everything that they do, being a trust governance professional is challenging, complex, and a privilege. It comprises work that forms the basis for trust stewardship. As CST's Next-gen governance paper underscores, it is a fundamental role for driving progress and development within academy trusts. They are not merely custodians of compliance, but architects of strategic oversight and champions of sustainable, scalable, ethical practice.
Governance professionals ensure that the myriad elements of a trust's operations are aligned with its overarching goals. Acting as the linchpin between boards and the executive, they coordinate efforts across various levels of the trust to foster a cohesive and forward-thinking culture. It is a role that demands a deep understanding of multiple external regulatory frameworks alongside both the unique needs of the internal trust environment and the individual contexts within which each of its schools sit.
If you stop for a moment, you will realise that your governance professional is often that quiet person by your side through some of the most challenging moments in the trust’s story: providing consistent and knowledgeable support through the emotional labour of complex and draining complaints, exclusions and inspections. Sure, they keep track of the ‘musts’ and the ‘shoulds’, they nag until the papers are out on time or the internal audit actions are logged, and they file the necessary resolutions in the correct timeframes. But nowhere in the handbooks and the guidance does it prepare for the rest of the time they spend at all levels of the trust and its schools: confidentially listening, mediating and finding safe ways forward.
As Next-gen governance encourages boards to move beyond compliance to focus on strategic leadership, your governance professional will be instrumental in this shift: look to them and invest in their development. They guide your boards to not only meet statutory requirements but also to innovate and adapt to the evolving educational landscape. It is a delicate balance of maintaining rigorous standards while also encouraging creativity and flexibility amongst time poor, overwhelmed volunteers. Their trust-building function is essential in enabling you to create a collaborative and transparent governance environment.
They may not have the beautifully laid out parchments of Cromwell to show for what they do but speak to any governance professional for long enough and they’ll have a litany of stories of when their work was diminished (yes, ‘lady notetaker in the corner’). The narrative around governance professionals must and should shift to reflect the true nature of the role. Far from being isolated administrators, they are dynamic leaders who guard the frameworks that underpin the success and sustainability of academy trusts. Their contribution is not only impactful but also deeply human, shaping the work of our trusts in quiet but profound ways.
The CST Blog welcomes perspectives from a diverse range of guest contributors. The opinions expressed in blogs are the views of the author(s), and should not be read as CST guidance or CST’s position.
