The outgoing Conservative government was poised to launch a national school governor recruitment campaign before the general election was called. Emma Knights, co-chief executive of the , said she hoped the new government would continue with the proposal after years of lobbying finally paid off. An NGA survey in 2022 found that two-thirds of school or trust governing boards had at least one vacancy as the number of empty posts hit a six-year high. Speaking at the Festival of Education on Thursday, Knights said her organisation had been 鈥渟aying to the government, 鈥榶ou can’t just leave this to schools and trusts to have to sort themselves. You’ve got to help a bit.鈥欌�� She said the government had run high-profile recruitment campaigns for magistrates and the Territorial Army, but 鈥渢he whole time I鈥檝e been at NGA there鈥檚 been no national marketing鈥�. 鈥淭he last government said to us that they had found some money to do that. And then they called the election early. 鈥淲e were actually having conversations about how it would work, what would be the themes, where would the volunteers go. A national, proper, out-there [campaign], not relying on little people like us in the sector.鈥� Ministers ‘found some money’ Knights said lobbying began in 2021 following the release of an NGA report on increasing participation. 鈥淓ver since then, we banged on and banged on and banged on. I can’t tell you how many discussions we’ve had with the civil servants about it.鈥� A breakthrough came in the spring, after the NGA wrote to education secretary Gillian Keegan to brand her decision to cut funding for the Inspiring Governance recruitment scheme a 鈥渄isgrace鈥�. At the next meeting, academies minister Baroness Barran told the NGA 鈥渢hat she had found some money鈥�. The NGA was not told how much, only that it would be 鈥渆nough to run a good national campaign鈥�. Officials were considering basing it on the DfE鈥檚 teacher vacancies platform. Inspiring Governance, which cost 拢1.38 million over a two-year contract, will end in September after the Conservative government pulled the plug as part of a savings drive to fund last year鈥檚 teacher pay deal. The scheme has recruited more than 8,500 governors since 2016 鈥� a third of whom are from an ethnic minority background, and many for schools with 鈥渉igh needs鈥�.