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Jonathan Ellam

Jonathan Ellam

jonathan.ellam@hfleducation.org
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Jonathan Ellam
Three adults, one of them is smiling while the other two are out of focus

School governance is a team game!

Published
19 May 2025
In this blog I’ll explore what we mean by a team game and (cue some understandable groans!) I am going to use the analogy of football to see where the similarities lie and, how as boards, we can learn from the ‘beautiful game’!
Read more
Woiman looking at laptop

Embracing flexible working – a governor’s guide (Part 1)

Published
10 February 2025
This, and our next blog, will be focussed on supporting governors and trustees to explore the concept, challenges and benefits of flexible working in schools with a follow up focussed on taking action to embrace flexible leadership models when recruiting a headteacher.
Read more
Woman talking with other adults

School governance – what’s the focus?

Published
17 December 2024
The answer is simply everything that matters. There’s such a multitude of challenges for schools and boards currently that to divine what to focus on can be a challenge in itself. In this blog we will try to capture some of what’s currently bubbling away for governors and trustees.
Read more
Women talking

Governance – Mission (Im)Possible!

Published
21 October 2024
The current challenges facing schools, and therefore by default governors and trustees, may at times feel hard to prioritise and manage. In this blog we will try to support with ensuring the impossible feels a bit more possible.
Read more
Adult people looking to the left of the image

Strengthening governance – the importance of self-evaluation

Published
16 July 2024
Effective school governance plays a major part in ensuring that schools and academies are accountable to all stakeholders, well managed and focused on achieving the best possible outcomes for all their pupils. One method of checking this is with a self-review of your governing body/ trust board. A self-evaluation enables board members to assess their performance, review governance practices, and ensure they remain on track with their strategic priorities.
Read more
Wooden alphabet blocks spelling out 'risk' arranged vertically next to a metal ruler on a yellow and white background

What’s on your risk radar?

Published
22 May 2024
As guidance for both the academy and maintained sectors on risk management becomes clearer, and further aligned, we will look beyond the traditional SWOT analysis, used by many to identify risk, to the much wider scope of a risk register and ‘emerging risk radar’ underpinned by PESTLE analysis.
Read more
Children using mobile phones

To ban or not to ban mobile phones (in schools)?

Published
25 March 2024
What follows is neither an endorsement of the new DfE guidance or a criticism of its aims and scope but rather a piece to hopefully stimulate discussion by boards so that a new perspective can be brought to bear on this thorny topic.
Read more
group of adults in school

Safeguarding – it’s non-negotiable

Published
14 February 2024
This blog touches upon recent developments in safeguarding including an update from Ofsted on its approach to inspection and looks in more detail at the school Single Central Record (SCR) and the collective responsibility of governors for safeguarding.
Read more
School governors

Valuing your vice chair of governors

Published
18 October 2023
According to the recent NGA Annual governance survey 77% of boards are struggling with recruitment and retention, up from 50% in 2015. There’s no corresponding data on succession planning but suffice to say this is having a knock-on effect on boards ability to recruit and/or plan succession to the Chairs role and as importantly the Vice chair role.
Read more
Adults conversing with eachother

Are you planning to make some new (academic) year’s resolutions?

Published
17 July 2023
As another academic year draws to a close this is an opportunity to consider different ways of working for the new academic year, new thinking on our approach to the various challenges that lie ahead and to reflect on what worked well and areas for improvement from the past year.
Read more
Underground train pulling into station

Governors and the disadvantage gap

Published
24 May 2023
Closing the gap between the disadvantaged and their peers is an ongoing challenge for many schools. One of the many damaging impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic is to widen the gap.
Read more
Group of people in a meeting

Cherish your Chair!

Published
29 March 2023
The experience of being Chair of the school or academy board can best be summed up by the three letters AOB – despite the best laid plans it’s the unexpected items that make the job challenging, unpredictable and occasionally exciting and rewarding.
Read more

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  • About us
    • About HFL Education
      • HFL Education Board of Directors
      • HFL members information
      • Corporate social responsibility
    • Meet the team
      • HFL Education Executive
      • Education Services team
      • Business Services team
    • Join us
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
      • Anti-racism statement
      • Gender, ethnicity and disability pay gap
    • Latest news
    • Blogs
      • Assessment
      • Early Years
      • EdTech
      • English
      • Equality and diversity
      • Foundation subjects and curriculum design
      • Governance
      • HR and recruitment
      • Leadership and management
      • Maths
      • School business management
      • Science
      • SEND
      • Technology and MIS
      • Wellbeing
    • Term Times
    • Press and media
    • Contract services
      • Contract services - academies
      • Contract services - maintained schools
  • Early Years
    • Early Years support for schools
    • Early Years PVI services
      • Baby training e-learning
      • Childminder services
      • EYFS e-learning induction programme
      • PVI Essentials consultancy packages
      • PVI multiple provider services
    • PVI and schools training
    • ESSENTIALWRITING for Early Years
    • Supporting Smooth Transitions
      • Transition level of need - schools
      • Transition level of need - childminders
    • Early Years Quality Standards (EYQS)
    • Evaluate the Effectiveness of your Early Years Provision (EEEYP)
    • Safeguarding Audit
    • Keynote speakers and trainers
  • School improvement
    • Reading fluency
      • Year 1 Reading Fluency Project: Foundational Fluency
      • Key Stage 1 (KS1) Reading Fluency Project
      • Key Stage 2 (KS2) Reading Fluency Project
      • Key Stage 3 (KS3) Reading Fluency Project
      • Key Stage 4 (KS4) Reading Fluency Project
      • Collaboration with the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF)
      • KS2 Reading Fluency Project: Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) funded trial
    • Primary
      • English
      • Maths
      • Assessment
      • Foundation subjects and curriculum design
      • Languages
      • Science
    • Secondary
      • Secondary school effectiveness
      • English
      • Maths
      • Making Fluent and Flexible Calculators - Education Endowment Fund (EEF) part-funded trial
      • Languages
      • Science
      • GCSE English, maths and science and maths 'A'-level remote revision support
    • Post 16
    • Wellbeing
      • Anti-bullying
      • Behaviour and attitudes to learning
      • Herts Voices
      • HFL Education Wellbeing Quality Mark
      • Online safety
      • Race equity and anti-racism
      • Relationships Education, including RSE, RSHE and PSHE
    • Special Education Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND)
      • SEND support for mainstream schools
      • Eastern Partnership UK (SEND)
    • Special Schools and Educational Support Centres
    • Underserved learners
    • Leadership and management
      • Headteacher coaching
      • Leadership and management support
      • Small Schools' Programme
      • The Great School Framework
      • School and trust surveys
  • Business services
    • Business management services
    • Complaints
    • Financial services
      • Financial services for academies
      • Financial services for maintained schools
      • HFL Finance and MIS Framework
    • Governance
      • Supporting governing boards
      • Clerking services
      • Governance consultancy services
      • Governor training
      • Modern Governor
      • Governors in Hertfordshire
    • GDPR
      • GDPR Data Protection Officer and toolkit service
      • GDPR health check
    • Recruitment service
      • Leadership recruitment
      • Teach in Herts
      • HFL Supply Framework
    • HR service
      • HR advisory service
      • HR Business Partner service
      • HR consultancy
      • Mediation service
      • Investigation service
      • Restructure and organisation design service
      • TUPE support service
      • 360-degree feedback service
      • Insights Discovery
      • HR training and L&D
      • Staff absence insurance
      • Financial planning and support for staff
      • Occupational health service and employee assistance programme
    • Management Information Systems (MIS)
      • Making the most of your MIS
      • HFL MIS Framework
      • HFL Finance and MIS Framework
    • Technology in schools
      • Create and implement a digital strategy
      • Technology in schools service desk
      • HFL Broadband
      • EdTech in schools
  • MATs
  • Training
  • Events
  • Shop
    • All resources
    • Assessment
    • Early Years
    • EdTech
    • English
    • Mathematics
    • Religious education
    • Science
    • SEND