Being a Governor
What do Governors do?
The governing body is there to both support and challenge the school, to make sure it is run well and provides the best possible education for all its pupils.
The key responsibilities of the governing body are to:
- Promote high standards
- Set Targets for Pupil achievement
- take general responsibility for the conduct of the school
- Manage the School budget
- Ensure that the curriculum is balanced, broadly based and in line with the national requirements
- Report on pupils achievements
- Oversee staff management
Governors do not interfere in the day to day running of the school; they are not teachers and they are not school inspectors.
What’s involved in being a governor?
School governors are volunteers and they comprise the biggest volunteer organisation in the country. Governors are motivated by the desire to enable children in their community to attain the highest possible achievement. Most governors work outside the education sector and this enables them to bring a diversity of skills and experience to the governing body
Each governor is a member of one or more of three committees: Finance and Personnel, School Improvement and Curriculum, and Buildings. Governors attend a meeting of the full governing body and a committee meeting each term, and other meetings as required. Meetings are usually held in the evening or at the beginning or end of the working day.
Central government direction and initiatives change frequently and governors need to keep abreast of these. Governors expect to attend regular training to keep their knowledge up to date. There is a lot of documentation associated with being a governor.
Governors also make planned visits to the school and take part in school events.
Interested in school governance?
Most governors are appointed for a fixed term, typically four years. Staff and parent governors are elected, and other governors are appointed by the Academy Trust, when a vacancy arises. There are no pre-requisite skills or qualifications for becoming a governor, just the ability to listen, think and act in the best interests of the school as part of a team . There is plenty of training available and new governors are expected to attend an induction course to give them all the information they need.
More information on becoming a school governor can be found here: Central Bedfordshire becoming a school governor
More information about the role of a school governor can be found here: Central Bedfordshire being a school governor
