ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the view that if a detailed job description to distinguish governors' responsibilities from those of their head teacher becomes necessary, then proper relationships may well have already broken down. The ideal model is one of partnership rather than of division of labour. One way of approaching what an effective relationship might be is to consider what skills head teachers of independent schools might reasonably be expected to exercise. When friction starts between head teachers and governors it is very easy to start talking about 'clashes of personality'. Governors can sometimes feel unsure and unsettled when faced by head teachers asserting that 'the internal management of the school' is their exclusive province. How head teachers balance their time is something which they might discuss with the Staffing sub-committee or similar. Some schools have had experience of appointing their head teachers and possibly other senior staff on fixed-term contracts, usually for about seven years.
