University of Bristol School Governance Network Bristol 2026

Key Points

• The University of Bristol has launched a new School Governance Network to recruit University staff to local school governing boards
• School governors in England are unpaid volunteers, forming the largest volunteer force in the country with over 250,000 volunteers governing state schools
• Michelle Graffagnino, Senior Lecturer in Education and Micro-qualifications Lead at the University of Bristol, finds it “ludicrous” that schools require governing bodies to operate but rely entirely on volunteers
• Bristol faces stark educational disparities: progression to higher education drops to just 8.6 per cent in Hartcliffe compared to Bristol’s 25 per cent average
• In a nearby affluent area, Clifton shows 100 per cent higher education progression—nearly 12 times Hartcliffe’s rate
• The University supports staff governance engagement by providing up to 18 days of paid absence per year for public duties
• One staff member as a school governor organised a climate conference for over 50 schools
• Another staff member helps secondary students gain work experience otherwise completely inaccessible
• The network aims to centralise University knowledge and target support where need is highest in Bristol
• State schools in England must have a governing body to function, but these are almost entirely made up of unpaid volunteers

Bristol (Bristol Express News) June 15, 2026 – Bristol is full of opportunity, but is it dictated by postcode? In the city where educational disparities remain stark, a new University of Bristol School Governance Network aims to connect University staff with local school governing boards to tackle educational inequality that sees higher education progression drop to just 8.6 per cent in Hartcliffe compared to Bristol’s 25 per cent average.

Why Does Bristol’s Higher Education Progression Drop From 100 Per Cent in Clifton to Just 8.6 Per Cent in Hartcliffe?

As reported by the University of Bristol’s official outreach page, the new network aims to support recruitment of University staff to local governing boards to facilitate meaningful connection between the University and wider local education community.

Research by the University of Bristol first highlighted this educational divide in 2018, finding that less than one in ten young people (8.6 per cent) in Hartcliffe go on to higher education, compared to 100 per cent in Clifton.

According to Office for Students statistics cited in University of Bristol news, in over half of Bristol’s wards students achieve necessary GCSE grades for higher education but do not take on this opportunity.

In Hengrove specifically, only 14.3 per cent of students access higher education, yet based on GCSE results, 22.2 per cent have the ability to.

How Can Unpaid School Governors Make a “Tangible Difference” When Governing Bodies Are Required But Volunteer-Only?

State schools in England must have a governing body to function, but these are almost entirely made up of unpaid volunteers. As reported by the University of Bristol, over a quarter of a million volunteers are governing state schools in England, making them the largest volunteer force in the country.

‘I find this strange,’ says Michelle Graffagnino, Senior Lecturer in Education and Micro-qualifications Lead at the University of Bristol.

As reported by the BBC in June 2026, Michelle Graffagnino, who leads the micro-qualification, grew up nearby and says she once ruled out applying to Bristol herself: ‘I grew up in [Hartcliffe]’.

‘Without a governing body, a school cannot run, but a governing body relies on volunteers… which I just find a bit ludicrous,’ Graffagnino states.

What Tangible Impact Have University Staff Governors Already Made in Bristol Schools?

As a school governor, one staff member put on a climate conference for over 50 schools. Another helps secondary students get work experience otherwise completely inaccessible.

According to the University of Bristol’s School Governance Network information, the University supports staff to engage in school governance by providing staff with up to 18 days of paid absence per year to engage in public duties.

The UoB School Governance Network aims to centralise this wealth of knowledge and target this support where the need is highest in Bristol.

The new Network aims to provide a Bristol-specific space for governors and educators to come together, share challenges and co-create solutions to affect long-lasting positive change in the local community.

Why Do Secondary Schools in Disadvantaged Bristol Areas Not Offer A-Levels or BTECs Required for University Entry?

As reported by University of Bristol research in October 2018, one of the main barriers facing young people in the city’s most disadvantaged areas—largely in the south, east and north west—is that the vast majority of secondary schools located in these areas do not offer A-level or BTEC qualifications, which are required for university entry.

Post-16 centres and colleges are concentrated in limited geographical areas, resulting in lack of choice for young people, while lack of decent public transport exacerbates the situation.

Children from more disadvantaged areas are also less likely to receive good advice about access to higher education and related careers, according to the study.

How Does the School Governance Network Partner With Governors for Schools to Recruit University Staff?

Through partnership with Governors for Schools, the University provides local schools and colleges with high-quality governance by recruiting University of Bristol staff into local school governor positions.

As stated on the University’s support page, Governors for Schools specialises in governor recruitment and support to help find the right governor.

Schools can advertise their own governor vacancies to University of Bristol staff via Governors for Schools. Interested staff can visit the SharePoint site for full details on becoming a governor.

According to the National Governor’s Association, over a quarter of a million people volunteer their time and skills to oversee state schools in England in the interests of pupils. Governance is a voluntary role and therefore not paid.

What Role Does Postcode Play in Determining Whether Bristol Children Access Higher Education?

As reported by The Times in September 2025,were teenagers are ten times more likely to go to university in hotspots, with 85 per cent of school-leavers from Harpenden in Hertfordshire heading to university compared with 8.7 per cent from Hartcliffe, Bristol.

Some 85 per cent of school-leavers from Harpenden head to university—the highest in the country—compared with 8.7 per cent from Hartcliffe, the lowest.

Of the five areas with lowest progression rates from school to university, three are in the Hartcliffe & Withywood ward in Bristol and two are in Havant in Hampshire.

As reported by the Office for Students in November 2021,intra-regional disparities are often more substantial than those between regions: 77.6 per cent of young people in Westbury Park, Bristol, had experience of higher education, while six miles away in Hartcliffe, that figure is just 8.7 per cent.

Where you live continues to impact whether you go to university and then go on to find graduate-level employment, according to the Office for Students insight brief

Background: The Development of Bristol’s School Governance Network and Educational Inequality Research

The University of Bristol School Governance Network represents a formal institutional response to educational inequality research the University itself first published in October 2018.

That research, titled “Tackling Bristol’s ‘educational inequality crisis’,” revealed for the first time the dramatic disparity in higher education progression across Bristol wards.

The 2018 University of Bristol report documented that progression to higher education varies sharply across the city, dropping to 8.6 per cent in Hartcliffe compared to Bristol’s 25 per cent average.

The same research found Clifton in West Bristol achieved 100 per cent progression—nearly 12 times Hartcliffe’s rate.

Michelle Graffagnino, now Senior Lecturer in Education and Micro-qualifications Lead, has personal connection to the issue.

As reported by the BBC, she grew up in Hartcliffe and once ruled out applying to Bristol University herself. She now leads the Hartcliffe and Withywood Micro-campus for the University.

The National Governor’s Association reports that over 250,000 volunteers govern state schools in England, forming the largest volunteer force in the country. State schools must have governing bodies to function, yet these rely entirely on unpaid volunteers.

The University of Bristol partners with Governors for Schools, a specialisation in governor recruitment and support, to recruit University staff into local school governor positions. The University provides staff up to 18 days of paid absence per year for public duties including governance.

Prediction: How This Governance Network Development Can affect Bristol Families, Students, and Local Educators

The School Governance Network could directly affect families in Hartcliffe and other disadvantaged areas by increasing the quality of governance at their local schools.

With University staff bringing expertise to governing boards, schools may improve strategic direction and financial performance oversight. This could eventually address the barrier where most secondary schools in disadvantaged areas don’t offer A-levels or BTECs required for university entry.

Families currently seeing only 8.6-8.7 per cent of young people progress to higher education could benefit if University staff governors help schools develop post-16 qualifications or improve transport connections to existing colleges.

The 18 days of paid absence University provides staff for governance means staff can commit meaningfully rather than treating it as peripheral volunteer work.

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For Secondary Students Seeking Work Experience

Students in secondary schools affected by University staff governors could gain access to work experience otherwise completely inaccessible.

One staff member already helps secondary students get such work experience. For students in areas where post-16 centres are concentrated in limited geographical areas, University-connected governors might help develop partnerships creating local opportunities.

Students less likely to receive good advice about higher education access could benefit from governors with University connections who understand Russell Group university requirements.

The Advancing Access programme, a collection of 24 Russell Group universities including Bristol, provides CPD resources for teachers—University staff governors could facilitate this connection.

For Local Educators and School Governors

Bristol educators gain a Bristol-specific space to come together with governors, share challenges, and co-create solutions.

The network centralises University wealth of knowledge and targets support where need is highest. Governors currently working as unpaid volunteers—the largest volunteer force at 250,000+ people—gain access to University expertise and resources.

Educators in disadvantaged areas where children lack good higher education advice could benefit from University staff governors’ expertise.

School governors holding headteachers to account for every pupil having best possible education now have University-trained individuals potentially on their boards.

For Higher Education Progression Rates City-Wide

If the network successfully targets support where need is highest, Bristol’s 25 per cent average higher education progression could improve, particularly in Hartcliffe’s 8.6 per cent ward. The network’s aim to affect long-lasting positive change addresses the root problem: where you live impacts whether you go to university.

However, significant barriers remain: post-16 centres concentrated geographically, lack of decent public transport, and most disadvantaged-area secondary schools not offering A-levels or BTECs.

Governance changes alone may not instantly resolve these structural issues, but University staff governors could champion partnership board establishment with schools, academy trusts, colleges, and universities.