8 October 2026
How can further education boards strengthen oversight, make better use of technology and create the conditions for effective challenge and decision-making? These were some of the questions explored at Anderson Quigley’s recent workshop, The Changing FE Boardroom: Risk, AI & Board Effectiveness, held in partnership with Kingsley Napley.
Bringing together perspectives from governance, legal practice, technology and organisational psychology, the session considered not only the formal structures that support effective governance, but also how information, behaviours and relationships influence what happens around the board table – three themes stood out.
Governance difficulties rarely emerge overnight. They can develop gradually through incomplete information, untested assumptions or departures from agreed processes.
A positive relationship between governors and executive teams is important, but it should also enable appropriate questioning and independent scrutiny. For governance professionals, this places a premium on clear board papers, timely information, appropriate escalation and accurate records of material challenge, responses and the basis for decisions.
Risk registers can play an important role when they go beyond listing risks and help boards understand the potential impact on strategic objectives, the effectiveness of controls and the assurance available.
A question to consider: Can your board distinguish between reassurance that a risk is being managed and evidence that the controls are actually working?
AI is increasingly capable of supporting some of the practical demands of governance. Potential applications include analysing documents, identifying inconsistencies, summarising information and helping prepare questions ahead of meetings.
However, its usefulness depends on the quality of the source material and the instructions provided – and its output still requires human judgement.
AI-generated summaries or draft minutes can omit important qualifications or produce statements that are not supported by the underlying evidence. Colleges also need to consider information governance and security, particularly when working with confidential or personal information, and ensure that any tools being used are approved within their organisation.
Perhaps most importantly, governance professionals bring context that may not be contained in the papers: organisational history, sensitivities, relationships and the significance of an unresolved issue.
A question to consider: Where could AI help your board or governance team prepare more effectively, and what checks would be needed before relying on its output?
Having the right expertise around the table is only part of the picture. A board can have highly experienced individuals and still struggle to hear different perspectives, reach decisions or change direction when circumstances require it.
The workshop explored how individual strengths – such as decisiveness, analytical thinking or collaboration – can have unintended consequences when they are overused or strongly represented within a group.
Skills audits can provide useful insight into the expertise available to a board, while appropriately selected and interpreted psychometrics can support development conversations. Their value, however, lies in helping individuals and boards understand and adapt their behaviour, rather than placing people into fixed categories.
The Chair has an important role in creating space for different contributions, but collective effectiveness is a shared responsibility. Board members need to listen, challenge constructively and remain open to evidence that may change their view.
A question to consider: What do your current meeting practices encourage – and which useful perspectives might you be missing?
These themes do not necessarily require new processes or additional standing agenda items. A proportionate approach may simply be to identify one area that would benefit from greater attention, agree a practical change with the Chair and relevant colleagues, and then revisit whether it has made a difference.
This might mean making the decision and assurance sought in board papers clearer, testing an approved AI tool using public information, or agreeing how alternative views will be invited before significant decisions are made.
Effective governance is ultimately about more than having the right structures in place. It is about ensuring boards have the information, challenge, behaviours and confidence to exercise effective judgement.
Our work with FE and education organisations includes board recruitment, external governance reviews, Chair appraisals and board development. These activities can help organisations consider both the expertise around the table and how effectively that expertise is being used. If your College is considering how its governance arrangements could be strengthened, we would be pleased to discuss how a focused review or development session could support your priorities – contact Helene Usherwood at helene.usherwood@andersonquigley.com.
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