ISBA BURSARCAST // 21st Century Governance, what does it mean? ft Sam Coutinho (18th July, 2025)

In this week’s ISBA Bursarcast, we guide you through a packed bulletin of sector-wide updates, including significant changes to RSHE guidance, a draft of Keeping Children Safe in Education 2025, and a roadmap for the Employment Rights Bill—the biggest overhaul of employment law in decades. We also cover new compliance guidance on early years funding, scam warnings, data breach protocols, and lessons from recent HSE prosecutions.

Plus, our guest this week is Sam Coutinho, a leading voice in school governance and independent education risk consultancy. Sam joins us to reflect on the key challenges faced by school governors over the past year—from navigating political uncertainty and financial pressures to supporting senior leaders with sensitive, strategic decisions. 

We explore how governance is evolving, what governors need to know about collaboration and mergers, and why now more than ever, investment in governor training is critical.

Tune in to get ahead on:

• RSHE statutory reforms and what they mean for curriculum planning
• Legal pitfalls around employment contract changes
• Redundancy obligations and suitable alternative employment
• Governance trends: risk management, parental communication, and board development
• Why agility, emotional intelligence, and robust financial oversight are defining traits of today’s governing bodies

🎧 Released every Friday at 4pm
 📚 Don’t forget to explore the ISBA Reference Library for full guidance documents mentioned in this episode.

Contact the podcast at [email protected]
Tune in to the ISBA Bursarcast Podcast for a comprehensive exploration of the latest in independent school finance, legal developments, and their direct relevance to UK-based institutions.

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Independent schools vary widely in terms of their size, pupil population, location, provision and practice. Documents are offered as guidance only, in order to help schools prepare their own in a way that suits their own circumstances and reflects the needs of their own community, and the ISBA and our partners who have assisted in the production of the documents accept no liability for any claims or losses arising from their use. Before using documents from the ISBA library, and particularly after adapting them, schools should take specific legal advice

The ISBA Bursarcast is a RAFIKI STUDIO production

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