15 September 2020 Advisory group says that NLGs should be paid and eligibility for the role widened

The Department for Education has published the recommendations of the national leaders of governance (NLG) advisory group - these include widening the eligibility criteria for NLGs to include clerks and other non-chairs and payment for their time

The group says that the role should change to a paid role with a focus on supporting schools and trusts with 'significant need'

It also recommended 'substantial changes' to the eligibility criteria, including an extension to include governance professionals who are not chairs, such as clerks, and the removal of the requirement that NLGs can only be drawn from schools with a track record of strong performance

New standards should set 'clear expectations of NLGs and define the expertise required' whilst a 'robust two-stage' selection process is also proposed