Governors: A college's biggest supporters

According to the National Governance Association, a governor has three key functions: to oversee the financial aspects of the establishment, to hold the headteacher to account, and to ensure the clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction. The role is essential in ensuring that colleges are stretched and challenged and that students receive the best possible education. But this description overlooks one crucial function of the job: to be the college’s ultimate supporter.

In 2021 CAPA College is one of the top performing Department for Education funded Free Schools in the UK. As a specialist Creative and Performing Arts College, it is home to over 250 of the country’s most talented young performers, attracting students from across the North of England, achieving phenomenal 99% A*-C results and propelling young people into professional careers as performers, artists, designers, digital innovators and creative entrepreneurs.

But the route to success hasn’t always been smooth sailing and the staff and governors of CAPA College are no strangers to adversity. In 2016 CAPA College (part of Enhance Academy Trust) successfully applied to open as a Free School. The excitement of preparing to open was short-lived, as just six months later the site of CAPA College’s permanent home was claimed by the Department for Transport for HS2. It was, quite simply, horrendous. It quickly resulted in staff without jobs and students without a college.

With no budget, no staff and no bricks and mortar, the role of a governor was surely redundant? Try telling that to our Chair (Elect) of Governors, Lou O’Brien. Lou’s support for CAPA College was unwavering. Alongside the leadership team, Lou worked tirelessly to ‘fight’ for CAPA College. Together they secured thousands of letters of support; even MPs discussed the plight of CAPA College in the House of Parliament. They emerged victorious. In September 2018 CAPA College Free School opened the doors (in temporary accommodation) to its first cohort of students and held the inaugural meeting of its full, dynamic, and diverse governing body led superbly by Lou.

The College was once again plunged into tempestuous waters in December 2019 when, without warning, the building contractor developing the College’s permanent home went into administration. This was, of course, soon followed by the Covid 19 pandemic. The College refused to be beaten. With Lou at the helm, CAPA College’s team of governors rose to the challenge once more, providing unwavering support and leadership - not only strategically, but quite literally ‘hands on’ by helping with everything from removals to painting and renovating spaces.

CAPA College governors routinely go above and beyond to support the College and its students. They are the first to celebrate the College’s achievements - they never miss a performance or opportunity to see students shine - but they are also always the first on deck in stormy seas. This energy, tenacity, passion, and ‘can-do’ attitude then flows throughout the whole College.

As one member of staff declared, ‘The best part of CAPA College is the team ethos. Governors and leadership know and care about all staff and students. The vision and passion of the governors and leadership is infectious and permeates throughout the whole of the organisation’.

Is governing about challenging and striving for the highest expectations? Yes. Unequivocally. But it is also about championing your organisation, taking the rough with the smooth and always striving to be the anchor in a storm.

Top Tips (from Lou O’Brien, Chair of Governors at CAPA College)

1. Team, team, team. No one person can fulfil the many and varied roles and responsibilities that an effective Governing Body must carry out. Every person around the table has to buy into the determination to ensure that every student and member of staff at the College is given the very best opportunity to achieve, be it having the requisite funding; the provision of a safe and healthy working space; or ensuring that the teaching enables the very best learning.
2. Having a ‘can do’ attitude. There have been so many hurdles to overcome for everyone involved in education for as long as memory serves! The challenge is to accept those hurdles and find a way to surmount them to reach the end result by other ways and means.
3. Building relationships of trust is crucial. An understanding of different personalities and roles enables a culture of open communication. We’ve had our ups and downs, our tears and laughter, but we respect each other’s strengths and deal with each other’s weaknesses (or as we say in education - areas for development!!). What unites us is an unwavering desire to provide the VERY best for everyone involved at the College, whatever it takes.

Sarah Williamson is Head of Marketing and Admissions at CAPA College in Wakefield, and Lou O'Brien is chair of governors. Earlier this year, the college won the SFCA Governance award for their work. This is the latest in a series of blogs from the award winners explaining how they achieved their success.