The Governance MOT: Why Every Board Needs a Check-Up

How do you know your governance is truly effective?

An external review of governance (ERoG) can provide the independent challenge, assurance and insight needed to move beyond assumptions and identify opportunities for improvement.

We'll dive into the role and value of external reviews in helping boards and governance professionals understand when, why and how they can strengthen governance effectiveness. Drawing on Department for Education guidance and practical experience, we'll explore what an ERoG is, the benefits it can deliver, and how to commission a review that provides genuine insight and value for money.

During the session we will be covering the following:

• Understanding what an External Review of Governance involves and the expectations set out in DfE guidance.
• Exploring how ERoGs provide independent insight to strengthen governance effectiveness and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Learning when a review is most valuable and the key indicators that suggest one may be beneficial.
• Discovering how to commission an effective review, secure meaningful outcomes and turn recommendations into lasting improvements.

Steve Barker

Steve brings over 30 years of experience in school and trust governance across all phases of education, combining national sector influence with hands-on leadership at board level.

As Judicium’s Governance Expertise and Partnership Lead, Steve plays a central role in shaping high-quality governance support for schools and trusts. A current Chair of Trustees in an academy trust, Chair of an infant school governing body, and Member of a ten-school multi-academy trust, he understands first-hand the realities and pressures facing boards today. He is a former Ofsted Lay Inspector and was appointed as a National Leader of Governance (NLG) and NLG Advocate by the National College for Teaching and Leadership. As part of a select national group, he helped develop and pilot the External Reviews of Governance programme, leading the first-ever review in 2013, and previously served on the Department for Education Advisory Group on Governance. A prolific writer and facilitator of governance training for over two decades, he supports boards nationwide through training, advisory work and thought leadership.