Understand what comes before joining as a Governor and where the school is going, in terms of education, children, facilities, etc.
Covers all key stages of education; infants, primary, secondary
Process:
Position advertised, possibly asking for specific skills
Application process
Successful application
Progression to chair
Aims
To understand role of the governor and governance in school
Understand the Department for Education's vision of robust and effective governance in every school and every trust
Foreword
Governance has never been more critical to the education of our nation's young people. As ministers for the School System, they see first hand the impact and governance professionals. The governance duty is to drive relentless ambition for the young people served by our schools system, whatever the circumstances - Department for Education Governance Handbook, 2020
Governance is relevant now more than ever during COVID-19; there is an obvious digital divide between children with access to school and work, through technology. Also relates to a lack of funding from the government
The Main Aim of the Governing Body
Oversee and be accountable for the financial performance of the school, making sure money is well spent
Hold headteacher and leadership accountable for the education performance of both the school and the pupils
Have a clear, strategic direction ensuring clarity of vision and ethos
Who can be a School Governor and why?
School governors make a valuable contribution to children's education, opportunities and futures
Anyone over age of 18 can volunteer, there is no requirement to have an understanding of the education system
Schools need the skills, knowledge and experience from a range of professionals including education, finance, human resources, marketing, law, property and management
What may you be involved in?
Use own experience of school and beyond to support conversations
Develop and utilise own skills at board level
Make a contribution and commitment to your community
Support and challenge to ensure improvement for pupils and staff, using your perspectives, insights and experiences to drive decision making, for a potentially big range of pupils, of all backgrounds and academic levels
Potential Experiences
Performance review of the headteacher
Managing the budget
Engaging with staff, parents and school community
Sitting on panels including pupil exclusions and complaints
Addressing issues, disadvantages pupils, SEND, staff workload and recruitment
Data, interrogate the data and challenge