While Northern Ireland (NI) society continues on its journey away from conflict, schools remain largely segregated on a religious basis. A modern curriculum equips students for the world of work, focusing on the development of transferable skills (McGuinness, 2012). NI has long experienced a strong accountability agenda driven by the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) creating a climate of ‘performativity’ among school governance. On 01 April 2015, the school support agency, the Education Authority (EA) became operational. While it was planned that it would provide a more cost effective model for the delivery of education services, the current economic situation presents funding challenges creating turbulence for governing bodies (Shapiro and Gross, 2012). The aim of this research is to generate new understandings of the severity of the impact of different problems that governors encounter, and develop a theory of Empowerment for relevant governance officers. The issues in NI remain sectarian, and while the societal conflict of previous decades has abated, schools remain segregated. The sample will be Officers from the controlled (largely protestant sector) and from the maintained (Catholic sector); the latter having achieved success within an education system with a gender and a sectarian achievement gap (Goeke-Morey, 2013). We will read and analyse the data through Turbulence Theory (Gross, 2014) allowing categorisation of the impact of the interplay between the various Officers and the Governing Bodies ranging from light to extreme. Light turbulence includes ongoing issues with the school. Moderate turbulence relates to issues requiring innovative solutions. Severe turbulence is found in cases where the whole enterprise seems threatened. Extreme turbulence would mean serious danger of the destruction of the institution. We will take a social constructivist approach to the case and collect narrative biographies of 15 officers in governance using semi-structured interviews (Denscombe 2007). The research will conform to the Ulster University ethical Code of Conduct. To address the aims we ask three questions. First, how do the relevant Officers in governance understand their interplay with policy and the Governing School Body? Second, how does this empower them to influence academic outcomes and the cultural relevancy of the curriculum? Third, how do they understand the role mentors, and/or advocates play to support their navigation through the governance structures? Finally, to what extent do they believe a cultural change of empowerment is required within existing governance systems for equity, peace and renewal?

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