DfE drop National Leaders of Governance (NLGs) 

The Department for Education (DfE) used the National Governance Association (NGA) to run the National Leaders of Governance (NLG) programme but it has now said the scheme will be wound-up when the current contract comes to an end in October 2023.

The NLG programme has been running for a decade and was reformed last year to include a wider range of experts paid to undertake reviews of governance to improve the quality of governance boards in schools and trusts.

A DfE spokesperson said: “Strong governance remains a core pillar of the department’s vision for ensuring quality in the school system and we are grateful to the National Governance Association for delivering the National Leaders of Governance programme.

“We will not be continuing with the contract beyond its current term. The department has had to take difficult decisions over how taxpayers’ money is spent, and should only step in where support is most needed.”

Emma Knights, chief executive of the NGA said: “Their (NLGs) work has been praised by local authorities, diocesan bodies and the DfE’s Regions Group, all of whom have commissioned NLGs to undertake reviews and support work. It has been a great example of how practitioners from within the sector can add to its knowledge and standards of practice.

NGA has said it will continue to offer reviews as part of its consultancy service.