Making sense of school governing in England: Sources of information and challenges [Comment les school governors anglais donnent du sens à leur action : enjeux et sources d’information]

Changes to the English education system which have led to greater financial and curricular autonomies for schools along with increasing numbers of academy chains and federation trusts have combined to create a very complex environment for school governance. Drawing on previous studies into working identities in the public sector, this study investigates the ways in which school governors are making sense of their environment, and therefore are professionalizing their role. Using qualitative data from interviews with 30 governors, combined with quantitative data drawn from an ongoing project into governor identities, this paper looks at the myriad sources of information governors are using in order to make sense of their role. The study then appraises the challenges that they are facing, in a context of school reforms that place profound emphasis on education as a market; in the longer term, this may affect recruitment and retention of governors