Education: Extra curriculum: Some bodies are fitter than others

GOVERNING bodies have too many passengers who don't pull their weight, according to a new survey by the National Foundation for Education Research.

It is just as important for governors to be committed and keen as to have specific expertise, says the report. Heads, especially primary school ones, thought the responsibilities of the governing body were too great.

Governors are still predominantly white, male, middle class and well educated, says the report. Schools in poor inner-city areas have biggest recruitment problems. School Governing Bodies: Making Progress? by Peter Earley, pounds 10, from the NFER, The Mere, Upton Park, Slough, Berkshire SL1 2DQ.