Governance News & Insights
The policy, practice and people stories that matter for school governors, MAT trustees, clerks and local authority leaders — curated by the OneGovs team and delivered straight to your inbox each week.
School governance news
Sector briefings and practical guidance for boards, chairs and governance professionals.
School governance: weekly sector briefings — what boards should be tracking now
6 min read
A practical round-up of the policy, funding and accountability stories that should be on every governing board's agenda this term.
Read moreClerking standards and practice in 2026: what 'good' looks like
7 min read
Minute quality, action tracking, statutory deadlines and the move to digital governance platforms — a practical benchmark for clerks and governance professionals.
Read moreRecruiting and retaining governors and trustees: a practical playbook
6 min read
Skills audits, succession planning and competency-based recruitment — what works for chairs and governance professionals in 2026.
Read moreMAT insights
What's working — and what's not — across multi-academy trusts in England.
Trust capacity and governance at scale: the next phase for MATs
7 min read
How larger trusts are restructuring central governance teams to manage scheme of delegation pressure and academy committee oversight.
Read moreEffective governance in MATs: NGA guidance and what it means in practice
6 min read
The National Governance Association's guidance on members, trustees and committees — translated into practical board actions.
Read moreTrust quality descriptors in practice: a self-evaluation guide
6 min read
How trust boards are using the DfE's trust quality descriptors — strong governance, school improvement, workforce, finance and operations — to self-evaluate.
Read moreGovernment recommendations
Statutory guidance and DfE/ESFA expectations every board should be assured against.
Governance Handbook & Competency Framework: a board-level primer
6 min read
The statutory and recommended duties of governors and trustees, and how to self-assess your board against the DfE's competency framework.
Read moreKeeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE): the board's annual checklist
5 min read
What every governor and trustee must read, assure and evidence — without exception.
Read moreAcademy Trust Handbook (ATH): the rulebook trustees cannot ignore
6 min read
The annual rulebook for academy trust financial management and governance — what trustees are accountable for, in plain English.
Read moreUpcoming changes
Policy and regulatory changes on the horizon — what to track and when.
Ofsted inspection reform: report cards and what they mean for governors
6 min read
Single-headline grades have been replaced with a report card model. What boards should be doing now to brief governors and prepare leaders.
Read moreSEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan: a multi-year governance priority
6 min read
Continued implementation of the SEND and AP Improvement Plan — what to track, what to challenge, and what to evidence.
Read moreCyber security standards for schools: a board-level risk register item
5 min read
DfE's digital and technology standards are tightening expectations on cyber resilience, MFA and incident response — here's what trustees should be asking.
Read moreCurriculum and assessment review: what to expect for governance
5 min read
The statutory curriculum and assessment review is feeding through into policy. What governors should expect, and how to prepare.
Read moreLocal authority insights
For LA governor services, school improvement teams and maintained school boards.
Local authority governor services: the changing role in a trust-led system
6 min read
As more schools join trusts, LA governor services are repositioning around clerking, training and statutory maintained-school support. Worth benchmarking your offer.
Read moreSchools causing concern: LA powers, RDD interface and what governors need to know
5 min read
Refresher on local authority intervention powers in maintained schools, warning notices and the interface with Regional Directors.
Read moreWorking Together to Safeguard Children: implications for school governance
5 min read
How the latest Working Together guidance continues to shape LA, school and trust collaboration on safeguarding governance.
Read moreGet the weekly governance briefing
One email, every week. The MAT, LA and DfE updates governors and leaders need to know — with plain-English commentary. No spam. Unsubscribe any time.