If your risk report is a dense spreadsheet that governors struggle to interpret, it may be giving the appearance of oversight without creating much real challenge or assurance.

In this second episode on school risk management, John continues the conversation with Nick Websdell, Head of ERM Services at Barnett Waddingham, part of Howden. This time, the focus moves from identifying risk to reporting it well: how schools can present risk clearly to governors, connect risk to resourcing and regulation, and embed risk oversight into normal leadership and governance routines.

The discussion explores why one-page, visual risk summaries can be far more effective than long Word or Excel registers, especially for non-executive stakeholders who need to understand, question and prioritise quickly. John and Nick also look at the limitations of traditional risk registers, which often struggle to show the “spider’s web” of relationships between risks, controls, resources, obligations and consequences.

What we cover

• Why risk reporting needs to support governor challenge, not just provide information
• How one-page visual summaries can help boards understand the risk position quickly
• Why Word and Excel risk registers can become linear, duplicated and hard to maintain
• The importance of showing connections between risks, controls, resources and regulatory duties
• Why governors need visibility of the resourcing behind key risks
• How regular reporting and an annual risk refresh workshop can strengthen ownership and assurance

Practical takeaways

• Use a consistent one-page risk summary so governors can see the school’s risk position clearly and challenge appropriately.
• Give governors enough drill-down detail for assurance, but avoid overwhelming them with unnecessary operational complexity.
• Connect risks to controls, resources and obligations so leaders can judge whether the school has the capacity to manage them.
• Build risk into routine decision-making, rather than treating it as a separate annual governance exercise.
• Run an annual risk refresh workshop to validate the biggest risks, clarify causes and consequences, and agree ownership.

Key idea

Good risk reporting is not about producing a longer register. It is about helping governors and senior leaders see what matters, understand what sits behind it, and make better decisions as a result.

Links

More from Barnett Waddingham: https://www.barnett-waddingham.co.uk/

More from Howden: https://www.howdengroup.com/

Downloads

Download the one-page risk management action plan on the website: https://theeducationperiscope.com/

More support

For focused consulting and support for the Independent Education Sector, contact John via:

John: [email protected]

Podcast: [email protected]

Website: https://theeducationperiscope.com/

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