Sarah Chung
Doctoral Researcher
Research Topic
Primary school governor training: exploring the fitness for purpose of the content and mode of delivery in England.
Research Supervisors
Dr Celia Greenway and Dr Nicola Smith
Research summary
School governance has clearly moved away from the initial concept of well-meaning volunteers who ‘managed’ schools. With the ‘stake-holder’ model of governance, filled by ‘well-meaning’ but ultimately untrained volunteers, being condemned by prominent government figures, governing bodies have been heavily encouraged to develop themselves through placing skilled professionals at the core of the governing body. The move towards a skills-based model of governance, in conjunction with the increased autonomy of schools and amplified powers for governing bodies, raises questions of whether or not a governing body can rely solely on governors who have been deemed to have the most appropriate skillset, or whether additional training would still be required.
It is the intention of this research to explore the type of governing training currently available and the role it plays in producing an effective governing body.
Research interests
- School governance
- Educational leadership
- Teaching
- Mentoring
Qualifications
- BA (Hons) English and Archaeology (UWL) - 2000
- PGDip Practical Archaeology (UoB) – 2002
- PGCE – Primary (UWA) – 2004
- MA (Distinction) School Improvement and Educational Leadership (2017)
Biography
Sarah qualified as a primary school teacher, specialising in English, in 2004. She has worked throughout Key Stages 1 & 2 as both a class-based teacher and supply. After becoming a governor at her children’s school in 2015 she developed an interest in educational leadership and decided to pursue an MA in School Improvement and Educational Leadership at the University of Birmingham. The MA supported her development as a governor and her later roles as Chair and Vice-Chair of governing bodies in the West Midlands. In 2018 she was awarded a CoSS Scholarship and began her PhD journey within the School of Education, exploring the role of governor training.
Publications
Harrison, T., Greenway, C., McLinden, M., Chung, S. (2021), ‘Bringing Our Research Into Teaching: A Guide For Academics in the College of Social Sciences’, University of Birmingham (HEFi).
Chung, S (2019), 'The burden of responsibility', Images of Research 2019/2020, p 28.
Blewer, S., (2005). Animal bones: Birmingham Warwickshire Archaeological Soc Trans 109. Vol 109, pp. 50-51. In Smith, L., ‘A 13th-century Moated Site at Knowle Hall, Warwickshire’, Transactions, Birmingham and Warwickshire Archaeological Society, 109 (2005), 39-53.
Blogs
Chung, S. (2022) ‘PGR: Parent grappling with research?’.
GovernorHub (2021) ‘Does governor training help governors do better?’.
Chung, S. (2020) ‘Virtually the same – communal productivity at home’.
Conference Presentations
Morris, R., Perry, T., Chung, S., Till, R. (2022) – ‘Trying out teaching: Examining a new approach to tackling the teacher shortage in England’, Teacher Education Advancement Network (TEAN): Online Conference, 2022.
Chung, S., (2021), ‘Primary school governor training: exploring the fitness for purpose of the content and mode of delivery in England’, 3-minute research showcase, The Postgraduates in Education Support Network (PESN), 2021.
Chung, S., (2021), ‘Primary school governor training: exploring the fitness for purpose of the content and mode of delivery in England’, School of Education Doctoral Research Conference 2021, University of Birmingham, 2021.
Chung, S., (2021), ‘Primary school governor training: exploring the fitness for purpose of the content and mode of delivery in England’, School of Education Annual Research and Scholarship Conference 2021, University of Birmingham, 2021.
Chung, S., (2017), ‘Are Governors Prepared? The Effectiveness of Governor Training in England’, School of Education Doctoral Research Conference 2017, University of Birmingham, 2017.
Conference Committees
Committee Chair:
‘Hindsight, Foresight, and Shaping the Future of Education’, School of Education Doctoral Research Conference, University of Birmingham, 2022.
Committee member:
- ‘Re-booting, Re-energising and Re-invigorating’, School of Education Doctoral Research Conference, University of Birmingham, 2021.
- ‘The Power of Play Reboot’, Children and Childhood Network, University of Birmingham, 2021.
Journal Roles
General Co-Editor - Ad Alta: The Birmingham Journal of Literature.
Source of Funding
University of Birmingham CoSS Scholarship.
Contact