If your relationship with your governing board isn't working as well as it could, it probably isn't new. Most difficulties in board–headteacher relationships build slowly over time - through small misunderstandings, untested assumptions, and habits that once felt manageable but no longer are. You might notice it in small ways: meetings that feel effortful rather than energising, decisions that take longer than they should, or a sense that you're managing the board rather than

Governance doesn't fail because people lack knowledge or skill. It fails when the conditions for honest conversation don't exist. We've built an industry around governance training. Workshops on strategic oversight. Manuals on role boundaries. Thousands of templates for better questioning techniques. All valuable, certainly. But also insufficient. Because here's what I've seen happen repeatedly: A board armed with the best frameworks and clearest role descriptions still strug

In all your leadership training - your NPQH, your courses, your professional development, all of it - how much time was spent on this question: "How do I build and maintain a healthy, productive relationship with my governing board?" If the answer is "not much" you're not alone. Most headteachers I work with tell me exactly the same thing. And isn't that extraordinary? When you think about it? Whether you are a headteacher or CEO, this single relationship - the one between yo