School Governor
Governors for Schools
Governors work to ensure high standards of achievement for all children and young people in the school by: setting the school's vision, ethos and strategic direction.
Do you want to be inspired by the impact of education? Schools across Somerset are looking for skilled volunteers to support education by becoming school governors. What will you be doing? Governing bodies are responsible for the strategic management of a school and will make decisions about a wide range of issues. The core responsibilities involved are: • Ensuring accountability • Providing support and challenge to the schools senior leadership team • Monitoring and evaluating the school’s progress • Budgetary allocation and control • Shaping plans for school improvement and overseeing their implementation • Setting the school’s aims and values • Appointing senior members of staff including the Head Teacher The governing body is usually split in to a small number of committees, each responsible for one area such as finance or pupil achievement. These committees will meet separately from the main governing body to discuss relevant issues in more detail. Discussion is then fed back at a full governing body meeting. A school governing body is made up of representatives from the school, the parents, the local authority and the local community. What are we looking for? You don’t need any specific skills or experience to be a school governor. You must be over 18, but you don’t need to be a parent or have experience working in education. Often, it’s the outside perspective you can bring that a school needs. Professional experience in areas such as HR, finance, law, or project management are all useful to a school. But soft skills such as leadership, communication, and problem solving are also great additions. What difference will you make? Governors make decisions that affect schools for years to come. Our recent impact survey found that our volunteers bring £9.9 million worth of value to schools each year, and 9/10 volunteers would recommend being a governor to a friend. As a governor, you can visit the school to gain an understanding of the culture and ethos and to get the most out of the role. You’ll also have the opportunity to meet children, parents, and teachers, and see the impact of your work first-hand. What's in it for the volunteer? Volunteering as a school governor is a challenging but rewarding role. As part of the governing board, you’ll: • help schools overcome challenges to ensure a bright future for children in your community • work collaboratively with people from different backgrounds, challenging your own perspective and broadening your network • gain experience outside of your job description and skills you can bring back to work Before you apply You will need to complete an application form and will have an interview with the school. DBS checks will be taken up when placed at a school. Our recent survey found volunteers spend an average of around 7 hours a month on governing duties. the term of office for a governor is 4 years. Governing boards meet 1-2 times per term. Governors usually attend around 6 meetings a year, most of which are held in the evenings. being a school governor is a commitment and a responsibility, but offers you the chance to see first-hand the impact you can make in improving education for children in your community. Will require criminal record check Will require references Governors for Schools exists to improve educational standards so that children and young people have the chance to realise their full potential. We believe the key to improving school performance is effective governance. By finding, nurturing and supporting a committed network of governors we help to drive systematic change in how schools operate. We have been connecting schools across England for over 20 years, and expanded our service into Wales in 2020, with skilled and committed volunteers, supported by our business and university partnerships. Today’s schools are highly autonomous and expected to manage their budgets and internal policies. A large secondary school may have over 100 staff and a budget in excess of £7m. School Governance is a unique volunteering opportunity through which employers and employees can develop relevant business skills. School Governors work in partnership with Head Teachers and the Senior Management Team to help deliver the best possible education, and help children realise their expectations and aspirations. The pace of change in education is so unrelenting that it is almost impossible NOT to gain new experiences and skills in a new environment. The latest proposed changes to education are predicted to make the school governor role more important than ever, with governors a hugely important part of the “Big Society”. Better educated and motivated children are more likely to find employment and less likely to behave in an anti-social fashion. Everyone benefits - the individuals, their families and their communities, yet at any one time there are 40,000 vacant governor places in schools in England & Wales, and those with above average numbers of vacancies are proportionately disadvantaged. Governors for Schools exists to improve educational standards so that children and young people have the chance to realise their full potential.
Trusteeships & Committees
Basic IT skills - internet & email, Bookkeeping & Finance, Building & Maintenance, Evaluating & Reviewing, Good IT Skills, Managing People, Negotiating, Organising & Planning, Reading & Writing, Research, Communications, Interpersonal, Team Working
We need skilled professionals to volunteer as governors who have various skills such as Finance, HR, fundraising, IT and tech, Health and Safety, Safeguarding, SEND knowledge, marketing, Premises, Law and Legal and many more. The average governor spends 5-7 hours a month on their role.
As well as being an excellent opportunity to use your skills to support your community in a meaningful way, many governors also report gaining valuable professional experience, by giving them the opportunity to develop a variety of skills, participating in board-level decision making and developing community networks.
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Schools across the county and country!
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