Read the Facts

Please click on a question below to reveal the answer

• Q1Who can be a governor?

  Volunteers do not have to be parents, nor do they need experience of the education system. The most important qualification is a desire to help give children the highest possible standard of education. Particular skills gained from life or business experience can also add value.

• • The most important quality is a desire to help give children the best possible start in life. Of course if you have certain skills, such as a background in finance, this can often be advantageous but whatever your skill-set, provided you can work as part of a team and are willing to contribute, you can make a difference.
  • Anyone aged 18 or over, who is legally resident in the UK and not disqualified from being a school governor under the School Governance (Constitution) (England) Regulations 2003. These are printed in full on the SGOSS Application Form. New governors may be requested to undergo a Criminal Records Bureau check to ascertain suitability within these regulations.
• Q2What does the role of the school governor entail?
  • The full governing body normally meets about 4 times per academic year. The committees that support the governing body usually meet twice a term, so 6 times per academic year. Governors spend an average of 6 to 8 hours per school month on related activities including the meetings and preparatory reading.
  • The governing body is answerable to parents and the community. The core responsibilities can be summarised as:
  • •    providing strategic management
    •    acting as a critical friend to the school
    •    ensuring accountability
    •    promoting high standards of education and achievement
    •    planning the schools’ long term future
    •    setting the school’s aims and values
    •    appointing senior members of staff including the Head Teacher
    •    budgetary allocation and control
    
    
  
   
• Q3What makes a good school governor?
  • The most important quality is the desire to make a difference to children’s lives through education. In addition to this, attributes that make a good school governor include:
  • •    The ability to work as part of a team.
    •    A desire to help the local community.
    •    An external perspective.
    •    A willingness to change assumptions.
    •    The time to get involved.
• Q4Why should someone volunteer as a school governor?
  • In total there are approximately 300,000 governor places in state schools in England - the largest collective of volunteers in the country. They help guide the future of millions of school children.
  • School governors perform the most important voluntary role in education.
  • At any one time, however, around 40,000 governor places are vacant and schools with vacancies are proportionately disadvantaged. By volunteering as a governor you can help secure a positive outlook for future generations.
  • In addition, volunteers can benefit through developing transferable skills. As a governor you can build on your team working skills; network with a variety of different types of people; gain experience in different fields such as project management, finance, marketing, administration and so much more.
  • The reality is that, as the school gains, you gain too!
• Q5When do governor meetings take place etc?
  • There are no set times for meetings.  Each governing body is different.  However, meetings are usually held in the late afternoon or early evening.
• Q6.Am I entitled to time off from work for governor duties?
  • Many employers appreciate that governors not only contribute, but also learn new skills that are useful in their place of work. 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. It is always worth checking with your Human Resources department for the up-to-date policy.
• Q7How long does it take to become a school governor?
  • The time between application and appointment averages six months. Some people are appointed more quickly than others because this depends on:
    
    The timing of the governing body or Local Authority appointment meetings.
    The time of year as applications take longer to process during the period July-September when schools are closed.
    How flexible you can be about the location and type of school you are willing to be a governor in, remembering that there are 5 times more primary schools than secondary schools.
• Q8Where can you be a governor?
  • SGOSS operates throughout England and finds governors for schools from infant and nursery through to senior schools. In some circumstances it can help place governors in Further Education colleges.
  • The need for governors varies enormously across the country. To find out where there are vacancies, please go to the vacancy search section of the website where you will find the details of the Business Development Manager for your area who will be happy to give you more information.
• Q9What are the personal benefits?
  • Being a governor is an enormously challenging and rewarding opportunity.
  • A sense of satisfaction through knowing children will benefit from your efforts.
    The opportunity to develop new skills and to strengthen existing ones.
    The opportunity to work with new people from different backgrounds.
    The opportunity to gain awareness of the education system.
  • Using strategic planning and problem solving in areas such as finance, site management, human resources, marketing, pupil welfare and curriculum development, every governor is guaranteed to broaden their skills and knowledge in some way. As all decisions are made with the consensus of the whole governing body there is also the opportunity to utilise softer skills such as teamwork and communication. All of this can be enhanced through training offered by Local Authorities.
  • For more information on what other individuals feel about the role, please take a look at the volunteer’s section in the case studies pages.
• Q10Is there any training offered?
  • Local Authorities provide training and support for new and existing governors. This is normally free of charge for individual governors. All new governors are recommended to attend the governor induction program, which is essential in helping them to understand their role. 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. Local Authority Governor Services departments also provide guidance documents, briefing papers, newsletters and advice.
• Q11How are governors appointed?
  • As a volunteer you will need to fill out an application form which we can provide, or you can apply online. Your completed form will be processed by the relevant Business Development Manager, who will seek to match you with a school or college that fits your stated requirements. The more flexible you can be, the more opportunity you will have of finding a vacancy.
  • Once a suitable opportunity becomes available, you will be put forward to the school. We recommend at this stage that you visit the school to assess whether the school is right for you and vice versa. If you and the school are happy, a place will then be offered and your term as a school governor will begin.
• Q12What are the different types of governor?
  • A governing body comprises representatives from the school staff, the Local Authority, the local community, parents and in some circumstances members of churches and other interest groups.
  • The different categories of governor are as follows:
  • Community Governors: appointed by the governing body to represent the community. A community governor does not need to have any previous experience or knowledge of education, nor do they need to have children.
    
    Authority (LA) Governors: appointed by the Authority that maintains the school and in some cases these appointments are made on a party political basis. SGOSS is able to advise on the particular situation in each area.
    
    Parent Governors: elected onto the governing body by other parents from the school and usually parents of children in attendance at the school.
    
    Staff Governors: elected onto the governing body by staff at the school.
    
    Foundation Governors: appointed by the organisation that set up the school such as a parish, to represent their interests. Further information on foundation governors is available from SGOSS.
    
    Associate Members: appointed in an advisory capacity by the governing body to enhance the experience or expertise of a committee. Associate members can attend full meetings but do not have voting rights.
• Q13.What is the legal position?
  • Governing bodies are established by law as corporate bodies. Responsibility for actions and decisions lies with the whole governing body and not with individual members. Governing bodies are covered by Local Authority insurance arrangements. All governors receive a copy of the Guide to the Law for School Governors to help them understand their role as a school governor.
• Q14What is the application process?
  • Once you have completed and submitted your application, your details are added to the SGOSS database and a copy of your form will be sent to the Local Authority (LA) or an appropriate school in the area of your choice.
  • You will receive acknowledgement of your application from SGOSS and this will usually be followed up with an acknowledgment from the relevant LA or school. Please note some LA’s might request that you complete an additional form.
  • SGOSS will then remain in contact with you, and look to provide as much information as possible on the progress of your application, at least until you are in contact with a school.
• Q15What happens if you are unable to attend a meeting?
  • Governing bodies need people who are prepared to make the necessary commitment but understand that governors are volunteers and may not be able to attend all the meetings. As long as adequate notice is given to the Chair, this should not create a problem.
• Q16.Can I claim expenses?
  • Governing bodies have the power, and are encouraged, to establish schemes for paying allowances to governors to cover expenses necessarily incurred in performing governor duties. The situation will vary by school. Such expenses are drawn from the school budget and the majority of governors do not claim.
• Q17Can you be a governor at the same school as your spouse or partner?
  • Yes: there is no reason why couples should not be elected to the same governing body, however, this is obviously up to the school in question.
• Q18Can you be a governor at the school your child attends?
  • Yes, probably, though not necessarily as a parent governor. As a parent of a child of school age, you can also be a parent or community governor at a school which your child does not attend.
• Q19How long are you expected to serve as a governor for?
  • The ideal term of office is a minimum of 4 years - this will enable you to get to grips with the role and give you sufficient time to implement the changes and decisions you have been involved with. However, should your circumstances change for whatever reason; you are entitled to resign from the post early.
• Q20I’ve not yet been placed as a governor but have moved house. What should I do?
  • It is important that you notify SGOSS of any change of circumstances, change of contact details, etc. If you’ve moved areas we will inform the relevant local authority that you’re no longer available, and send a copy of your application to your new local authority. If you want to wait until you’ve settled in before being considered for a governor place, let us know and we’ll put your application on hold until you’re ready.
• Q21What happens next?
  • If you would like to become a school governor then SGOSS can help. Fill out our application form and we will work with the Local Authority and schools in your area to find a school governor vacancy for you. You can volunteer near work or home but we do appreciate some flexibility so that we can widen our search to several schools, giving you the best possible chance of finding a suitable vacancy.

If you are interested in volunteering to become a school governor or would like to find out more, contact one of our experienced team on 0207 354 9805 or info@sgoss.org.uk. Or: