How to become a Governor
A school Governor’s role is to act as an independent source of both challenge and support to the school. The day to day leadership and management of the school is for the Headteacher and the senior leadership team.
Governors are required to contribute to the work of the Governing Body in:
- keeping the welfare and education of the students at the heart of everything we do, and ensuring the school maintains its position of being rooted in the local community
- developing and monitoring the strategic plan and year on year targets for the school
- ensuring that the best and most efficient use is made of our capital assets and our revenue funding
- supporting the senior leadership team and holding it to account
- ensuring that the quality of our communication with parents, carers and other stakeholders is responsive, transparent and professional
Governors are accountable to each other and to the entire school community.
Individual Governors are expected to:
- get to know the school – its needs, strengths and weaknesses
- work collectively and co-operatively as a member of a team
- speak, act and vote in the best interests of the school
- respect all Governing Body decisions and support them in public
- observe confidentiality where necessary
- act within the framework of the policies of the Governing Body and legal requirements
- commit to undertake appropriate training and development
- learn and interrogate financial and performance data
The amount varies but Governors are expected to:
- Attend meetings of the Governing Body – there are four per academic year with additional strategy meetings as agreed, usually held at 7 pm
- Attend and participate in sub-committee meetings, for example in the areas of student progress and achievement, finance and resources and personnel. This will involve three to six meetings per academic year
- Participate in panel meetings, hearings or appeals in relation to student behaviour, complaints or staff matters. These will take place during the school day
- Specialise in particular aspects of the school’s work, for example safeguarding, special educational needs or financial control, or as a “link” Governor for a particular subject area
- Be regularly in school in your role as Governor, monitoring school development and attending school events
- Attend appropriate training for Governors
- Carry out necessary ‘desk based’ preparation for all the above
Who are we looking for
We want to recruit Governors who share our vision and passion for the continuing success of the school and have the capability, commitment and capacity to be effective. We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds. Knowledge of current educational policies and provision is not essential. Experience of serving on boards or committees is helpful.
Skills required
- Interpersonal skills and team work
- Ability to work within a framework of collective decision-making acting in the best interests of the school
- Communication skills
- Ability to express ideas in a clear manner and to listen actively to the views of others
- Planning and organisational skills
- Ability to establish an effective course of action for self and others and to set realistic goals and targets
- Analytical and problem solving skills
- Ability to analyse information, identify issues, obstacles, and opportunities and develop and implement effective solutions
- Strategic perspective
- Ability to take a broad view of issues and assess their long term impact
- Leadership
- Ability to demonstrate behaviour and skills that motivate and inspire confidence in others
- Experience
- Working on boards or committees
Terms of Commitment
The expectation is that all Governors make a formal commitment to the school, and as such, all Governors would be expected to sign the terms of commitment letter. Governors are also required to complete a skills audit.