A new school governance model being rolled out in the South West is helping headteachers cut back on admin and encouraging schools to work more closely together—but it may be cutting parents out of the picture.
That’s the warning from a major 19-month study by Plymouth Marjon University, which looked at the impact of “Hub Advisory Boards” (HABs) in a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) covering 26 schools across Devon and Cornwall.
The research found the HAB school governance model is helping MATs respond to a national crisis in recruiting school governors—an issue affecting 88% of trusts. It did this by recruiting fewer but more skilled governors. But while the model reduces workload, boosts efficiency, promotes consistency across the trust and enables better collaboration between schools in geographical clusters, it’s also weakening links between schools and the communities they serve.
“This report arrives at a critical moment for school governance,” said Emma Balchin, CEO of the National Governance Association. “It highlights a growing gap between central decision-making and the people it affects most—families.”
Key Findings:
- 90% of parents surveyed didn’t know who was overseeing their child’s school
- Only 18% understood how decisions are made under the new system
- 57% of school leaders said HABs were failing to engage parents and local communities
What are Hub Advisory Boards?
HABs are multi-school advisory groups that replace individual governing bodies. Instead of each school having its own local board, several schools are grouped together by locality or type, with each HAB feeding into trust-level decisions.
This model was designed to address the steep drop in skilled volunteers coming forward for school governance roles—especially in rural and coastal communities across the South West.
While the report highlights clear benefits, including reduced admin for headteachers and better sharing of resources, it also finds that parents feel increasingly “distanced and unheard.” One parent said: “It feels like decisions are being made somewhere far away, without us.” HABs also struggle to provide effective challenge and support to individual schools, and the advisory nature of HAB recommendations limits their authority to effect real change.
Governance at a Crossroads
Lead researcher Professor Tanya Ovenden-Hope from Plymouth Marjon University said the study reveals a “critical tension” between running schools more efficiently and protecting local voices.
“The future of school governance in MATs won’t depend on structure alone,” she said, “but on how well schools listen, communicate, and build trust with their communities.”
As academy trusts continue to expand across England, with many concentrated in the South West, governance models are under growing scrutiny.
Emma Knights, OBE, former Chief Executive of the NGA, added: “Hub-level governance is back in the spotlight due to recruitment challenges. Anyone considering a move to this model should read this report carefully.”
The full report will be launched Friday 18 July 2025 and is available at: https://www.marjon.ac.uk/educational-isolation/
