Read the Facts

Anyone who is aged eighteen or over and not disqualified under the School Governance Constitution Regulations (England) 2007 or 2012 is eligible for the role.  A copy of these regulations can be found on our application form. You do not need to be a parent or have any particular qualifications to become a governor, enthusiasm and a desire to make a difference are the most important qualities a volunteer can have.  

Governors perform the most important voluntary role in education and a full and diverse governing body can be a source of enormous strength to a school.  Volunteering as a governor is a great way to contribute to your local community, meet new people and improve the lives of local children. You will develop transferable skills and learn more about the education system whilst putting existing skills and experience to good use.

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
• Acting as a ‘critical friend’ to the Head Teacher
• Monitoring and evaluating the school’s progress
• Budgetary allocation and control
• Planning for the long term future of the school
• 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 health and safety. 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.

There are several different groups responsible for appointing governors, although once appointed all governors essentially perform the same role.

 

• Community governors are intended to represent the community served by the school and are appointed by the governing body itself.
• Authority governors are appointed by the Local Authority of the school. Depending on the area, appointment of authority governors may be made on a political basis.
• Parent governors usually have children at the school and have been elected to join the governing body by the parent body. If it is not possible to fill a parent vacancy this way the governing body may appoint parents of children at other schools.
• Staff governors are elected on to the governing body by staff at the school.
• Foundation governors are appointed by the organisation that set up the school, for example, the local church.
• Associate members are appointed in an advisory capacity by the governing body, but have no formal voting power.

Governors spend approximately 6-8 hours per month on the role. Allowing for participation in a sub-committee of the governing body, this will include 2-4 meetings per term and some preparatory reading.  Governing body meetings are held in term time only.  

We work with Local Authorities across England and therefore there are opportunities nationwide. All types of schools will have a governing body, although Infant and Primary schools tend to have higher vacancy rates.

The vacancy situation changes frequently and varies from region to region so it is not possible for us to publish specific vacancies online. Once you have applied our team is on hand to provide you with up to date vacancy information and find the best school for you. Click here to apply

On the application form you can specify a particular school, type of school, area or travel requirement and we will work within these parameters. Not every school will have a vacancy and so the wider your criteria the easier it will be for us to place you. The final decision always lies with you.

The application process is exactly the same for Academies or Free Schools, just note Academy or Free School in the “School Preference” section of our application form. To find out more about Academies and Free Schools contact our team.

You can fill out the online application form or you can contact us and we will send you a hard copy.

An area manager will then enter your details into our database and be in contact about the next steps of your application. The application process varies depending on the area you are interested in, as does the time it will take to find you a suitable position. However, each Area Manager operates as a point of contact to keep you informed of progress and will work to place you as soon as possible.  

Governors, together with magistrates, members of local councils, and members of certain other statutory authorities, have the right to reasonable time off work for their public duties – although this may be unpaid. Many employers appreciate that governors contribute to their local communities and learn new skills, therefore it is worth checking with your HR department for an up to date policy.

All new governors are recommended to attend the governor induction programme, which helps with understanding the role and the function of the governing body. Schools should also have their own in-house induction – and some operate a buddy-governor system. Local Authorities also provide a wide range of further training opportunities to enable governors to develop and enhance their knowledge and skills.