School Governance - Why not be a School Governor?
School governors form the largest volunteer workforce in the UK with around
370,000 governor places nationally. About 10 -15% of these places are always
vacant, and the vacancy rate rises to 30% or more in some inner city areas where
many positions have been unfilled long-term.
The Government is committed to raising educational standards in the
classroom, and to increasing the role of parents and the local community.
Volunteers are needed to help all our children reach their full potential.
Schools are keen to attract people in the community who can bring energy,
experience and fresh ideas. Those who would make very good governors may be put
off because they think you need to be an expert. Not so - interest, enthusiasm
and commitment are much more important.
Governors should bring a range of experience and interests from many walks of
life. They will need to work closely with others to make good decisions, and to
make sure their decisions are followed up. It will help if you are a good
listener. You should make time to visit the school and spend time with the
staff, by doing this you will stand a much better chance of understanding how
the school works.
Every school has a governing body. It will include:
- Parents elected by other parents at the school
- Teachers elected by their colleagues
- A governor elected by support staff
- Local education authority governors
- A governor co-opted by other members of the governing body, and, usually,
the headteacher
- Representatives of churches (in some schools)
What do Governors do?
Governors work as a team. They are responsible for making sure the school
provides a good quality education raising educational standards in school is now
a key priority. This has the best chance of happening when there are high
expectations of what pupils can achieve.
Governors also promote effective ways of teaching and learning when setting
the school aims and policies. They do this together with the head, who is
responsible for the day to day management of the school. Heads are chosen by
governors - and most heads choose to be governors themselves.
They may also include representatives from the church, charitable trust or
business interests. Special schools may have health authority or voluntary
organisation representatives.
Governing bodies are responsible to parents, funders and the community.
Numbers vary depending on the school's type or size. Appointments are for four
years. The governing body's main role is to help raise standards of achievement.
It:
- is accountable for the performance of the school to parents and the wider
community
- plans the school's future direction
- selects the headteacher
- makes decisions on the school's budget and staffing
- makes sure the national curriculum is taught
- decides how the school can encourage pupil's spiritual, moral and social
development
- makes sure the school provides for all its pupils, including those with
special needs.
Governors are at the heart of how a school operates. It is important they get
things right. How they do their job affects the interests of pupils, staff
morale and how the school is seen by parents and others in the community.
Governors support and challenge heads by gathering views, asking questions
and deciding what's best for the school. They are not there to rubber stamp
decisions. They have to be prepared to give and take and be loyal to decisions
taken by the governing body as a whole.
So long as Governors act within the law they are protected from any financial
liability for the decisions they take.
A governing body is not a school fan club. It has a very important and
essential role to play. Governors are ultimately responsible for how the school
is performing. Following up OFSTED inspection reports is an extremely important
task. It is therefore essential that Governors have their finger on the pulse of
the school. They should aim to identify problems and tackle them in advance.
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