Plymouth Marjon University study reveals strengths and risks of ‘hub’ governor recruitment model in academy trusts

Released: 31.07.25

A report from Plymouth Marjon University has shown that new school governance model being rolled out in the South West is helping headteachers cut back on admin and encouraging schools to work more closely together - but it may be cutting parents out of the picture. 

The major 19-month study looked at the impact of ‘Hub Advisory Boards’ (HABs) in a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) covering 26 schools across Devon and Cornwall. 

The research, carried out by Professor Tanya Ovenden-Hope, found the HAB school governance model is helping MATs respond to a national crisis in recruiting school governors - an issue affecting 88% of trusts. It did this by recruiting fewer but more skilled governors. But while the model reduces workload, boosts efficiency, promotes consistency across the trust and enables better collaboration between schools in geographical clusters, it’s also weakening links between schools and the communities they serve. 

Key Findings: 

• 90% of parents surveyed didn’t know who was overseeing their child’s school 

• Only 18% understood how decisions are made under the new system 

• 57% of school leaders said HABs were failing to engage parents and local communities 

What are Hub Advisory Boards? 

HABs are multi-school advisory groups that replace individual governing bodies. Instead of each school having its own local board, several schools are grouped together by locality or type, with each HAB feeding into trust-level decisions. 

This model was designed to address the steep drop in skilled volunteers coming forward for school governance roles - especially in rural and coastal communities across the South West. 

While the report highlights clear benefits, including reduced admin for headteachers and better sharing of resources, it also finds that parents feel increasingly “distanced and unheard.” One parent said: “It feels like decisions are being made somewhere far away, without us.” HABs also struggle to provide effective challenge and support to individual schools, and the advisory nature of HAB recommendations limits their authority to effect real change. 

Critical tension

Professor Ovenden-Hope said the study reveals a “critical tension” between running schools more efficiently and protecting local voices. 

“The future of school governance in MATs won’t depend on structure alone,” she said, “but on how well schools listen, communicate, and build trust with their communities.” 

As academy trusts continue to expand across England, with many concentrated in the South West, governance models are under growing scrutiny. 

Read the full report here https://www.marjon.ac.uk/educational-isolation/  

Plymouth Marjon is Gold-rated overall and Gold-rated for student experience in the latest Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), 2023. It’s also in the Top 3 in England for teaching quality and social inclusion in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025.