Becoming a Governor

As a Governor with us you will help plan the strategic direction of the school, make sure public money is well spent, and hold school leadership to account. You will ensure there is supportive challenge and robust debate of the issues that really matter, which in turn leads to better educational outcomes for children. Whatever your professional background, your skills could really help enhance and further develop our academies and we would love to hear from you.

Some of the things you would be involved in are;

• Working with the Headteacher on the strategic planning and management of the school, including agreeing and monitoring key policies.
• Ensuring that pupils receive high quality education and that the management of the school reflects this aim.
• Discussing and approving targets for improvement.
• Assisting with the Appointment of the Headteacher (as and when needed).
• On occasions, making difficult decisions about individual pupils or staff.
• Monitoring the overall performance of the school
• Making sure the National Curriculum is taught.
• Deciding how the school can encourage pupils' spiritual, moral and cultural development.
• Making sure the school provides for all its pupils, including those with additional needs.

The minimum commitment is attendance at 6 x 2-hour meetings per academic year (2 per term) with some pre-reading of around 1.5 hours required for each.

You will also be asked to help with ad hoc committees when needed and to take a Linked Governor role, in which you would work more closely with the school, once per term, on one particular area - reporting back to the AGC.

In return you will get;

• A chance to develop transferable skills in strategic management, skills that are very valuable in a wide variety of workplaces.
• The opportunity to work with our team of Governors and Staff on developing and improving our schools.
• The satisfaction of directly contributing to the community.
• A sense of achievement in making a difference to children’s lives.
• Training to develop an understanding of governance and specific education management issues.

Everyone on Board - Increasing Governing Board Diversity

Around a third of young people in schools are from an ethnic minority, and are mostly under 18. Yet, the people leading schools generally do not reflect the diversity of the school community. Directors (Trustees) and Governors make decisions about the future of schools; they decide how funding is spent, support and challenge executive leaders and guide what children learn and the values they live by. These decisions influence the direction of the school and ultimately shape young people’s opportunities to achieve their full potential. According to the National Governance Association (NGA) annual school governance survey, only 4% of governors and trustees come from an ethnic minority, whilst 10% are aged under 40 with 1% aged under 30. This has been the case for two decades. Please click here to find out more.

Why become a Director (Trustee) or Governor?

It is important that the people making decisions about schools reflect the communities they serve. By joining a governing board, you can:

• Bring a different way of thinking – being part of a group of people that have different insights and experiences ensures balanced conversations, gives a voice to groups that may not otherwise be reflected and means that biases, barriers and stereotypes do not go unchallenged. Your perspectives will ensure that the choices made consider every child’s needs, and that collective decisions are made in the interest of all pupils.
• Be a role model – if young people see people like them in roles across the school, including on governing boards, this will give them confidence in what they can achieve and raise their aspirations. As part of the leadership team, governors and trustees are also a role model to everyone in school including staff and senior leaders.
• Give your local community confidence in its schools – having a diverse governing board provides a connectedness between a school and its community. It shows that the governing board is making an effort to understand the lives and context people from across the community, making pupils, parents and families that the school is there to serve feel included and valued.

“In my community, young people often have low aspirations. Seeing me, a young governor from an ethnic minority background can really inspire them and change their perceptions of what they can achieve.” – Jordan Holder

• Provide insight on issues faced by young people – being much closer in age to pupils and having recent experience of the current school system, you will be able to offer a much-needed insight in to the lives young people are living. You’ll understand the opportunities they have, the challenges they face, their aspirations, and things that are going on in the world that are impacting them now and in the future. This will help ensure that the education provided by schools meets the needs of pupils and helps to prepare them for the life beyond school.
• Help create a culture of inclusion – being part of a diverse and inclusive governing board is vital in setting the culture and being a catalyst for change for diversity to thrive at all levels throughout the school.
• Gain skills to grow yourself – there are lots of skills and experience to be gained by becoming a school governor or trustee. This is a strategic, board level role where you are involved in lots of conversations and collective decisions – regular disciplines covered include finance, human resources and communications whilst plenty of softer skills can be utilised. This experience is particularly valuable to young people and people from ethnic minorities who may face challenges in progressing their career.

The ‘Everyone on Board’ campaign features six governors sharing personal experiences on the importance of becoming governors

Your skills, experience and insight is hugely valuable in supporting schools and shaping the life chances of young people. There are over a quarter of a million people volunteering as school governors and trustees undertaking this responsible yet rewarding role making our schools the best they can be.

“Education is so powerful and one of the biggest tools for social mobility, so people making decisions about education need to be the best and the brightest so, by rights, should be diverse. I strongly believe that everyone should do their bit to make things better and that people that want to see change in education should roll up their sleeves, get involved, and be part of making that change happen.” – Yinka Ewuola

If you would like to express interest in becoming a Governor or get to know more about the role, please contact;

Deborah Moss, MPCIPD, MSc, Senior Governance Professional, Lydiate Learning Trust, E-mail: d.moss@lydiatelearning.orgMobile: 0785 314 0551

 Please note that we always carry out pre-appointment checks including with the Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) to ensure you have clearance to work with children and young people.