Education Secretary Michael Gove’s recent comments about school governors might have grabbed a few political headlines, but they also helped shine a light on a key aspect of our education system, which frequently gets overlooked.

In a speech to headteachers of academy schools, the plain-speaking Mr Gove said “good schools need good governors” and attacked “local worthies” who take up the role, because they see it as a “badge of status”. He also reminded delegates that under the new Ofsted framework inspectors will be looking at the issue of governance, and more importantly how well the governors hold headteachers and senior staff to account.

For far too long, governors have been the unsung heroes of school life and have provided a vital link between staff, parents and the local community. Did you know there are more than 300,000 school governors in the UK? That makes them the largest single group of volunteers in the country. If the Government is serious about devolving power to a local level and engaging communities, then perhaps ministers should look no further than their own local governing body.

But governors, like teachers and headteachers need help and support to carry out their roles properly. They need to be informed about both how their own school is performing, and how it compares to other schools in the area, similar schools nationally and against national and international comparisons. If you think there is too much information out there on this subject, imagine what it must be like for someone who is not in the sector and has given up their evenings to get their head round this stuff!

Governors also need to be kept up to date with the changing landscape of education in the UK.  Whilst teachers might be gearing up for the raising of the participation age to 18 by 2015, governors need to know what impact this might have on their institution, their students and their funding.

In the past two years Learning Plus UK has helped support more than 1 million learners in over 350 schools and colleges across 67 local authorities with analysis tools like our Datadashboards and online Grade Predictor. Although the Datadashboard is principally designed for teachers and headteachers to make sense of all the performance data around them, they can also be a handy tool for governors who are keen to find out how their school is doing as well.   Our revamped Autumn Datadashboard will provide key performance information quickly after the A2 and AS results comes out.  It will be a key strategic tool for driving improvement and planning the school year.  Governors will find it full of useful information which helps them support education leaders in deciding which courses andprogrammes are best for which students.

So, if you are currently receive one of our Datadashboards, why not share it with your governors; if they have any questions about the data do encourage them to get in touch with us at the office. Don’t forget to get your hands on the new Autumn Datadashboard – lots of easily accessible information for you and your governors to help get the new term off to a flying start!

And if you have any suggestions about how we can tailor our reports more effectively for school governors, then also let us know. We’re keen to work with you to help drive up standards.