Interested in becoming a Governor?

Who can become a Governor?

School governors are one of the largest groups of volunteers in the country, giving their time, skills and experience to help schools provide the very best education for their pupils.

You don’t need to be a parent or an education expert to become a governor. We welcome people from all walks of life who can bring different perspectives, experiences, skills and fresh ideas to the local governing committee. Governors may be local residents or have links with community organisations, churches or businesses. What matters most is that you have enthusiasm, commitment and a genuine desire to make a positive difference to children and young people.

From time to time, we may look for governors with particular skills or experience to complement those already represented on the governing body.

Governors must be aged 18 or over and will be required to complete the appropriate suitability and safeguarding checks.

Good governance is all about working together, asking the right questions and supporting the school to be the very best it can be.

What we're looking for:

Enthusiasm and commitment
An interest in education and the local community
A willingness to listen, learn and contribute
Different perspectives and life experiences
The ability to work positively as part of a team
A desire to help children achieve their very best

What does a Governor do?

Local Committee Governors play an important role as the Trust's eyes and ears within school, working alongside and supporting the Executive Headteacher whilst monitoring attainment, attendance, and wider school progress, providing valuable feedback to the Trust Board.

Governors take an active and enthusiastic part in the life of the school. In addition to fulfilling legal duties and responsibilities, examples of our involvement include

Visiting school as Link Governors
Attending assemblies
Watching performances
Attending other events such as school fairs

A Governor does NOT:

Write school policies
Undertake audits of any sort - whether financial or Health & Safety.
Spend much time with the pupils of the school - if you want to work directly with children, there are many other voluntary valueable roles within school
Fund raise - this is the role of the PTA - the governing committee would consider income streams and the potential for income generation but not carry out fundraising tasks (obvs school specific, LB doesnt have one so wouldnt be on their page)
Undertake classroom observations to make judgements on the quality of teaching - the governing committee monitors the quality of teaching in the school by requiring data from the Senior Leadership team and from external sources.

What is expected of a Local Governor?

In order to perform the role, governors are expected to:

Attend all meetings, and read all the papers prior to the meeting
Attend induction training and regular relevant training
Get to know the school by visiting occasionally during school hours
Act in the best interest of the pupils of the school
Behave in a professional manner as set out in the Governors Code of Conduct

How much time does it take?

A term of office for a local Governor is normally 4 years
You need to be able to give some time to go to meetings and read the paperwork. We hold a local governing committee meeting 5 times a year. 2 meetings in the Autumn term and 1 meeting in Spring and 2 meetings in the Summer term. Meetings last around 2 hours and take place in the school day
Governors are also allocated a link role connected to our school improvement plan and visit the school to get to know and understand how the school works and to monitor their allocated area
Governors may also be called on from time to time to sit on a recruitment panel or an HR panel
Under Section 50 of the Employment Rights Act 1996, if you are employed, then you are entitled to ‘reasonable time off’ to undertake public duties; this includes school governance. ‘Reasonable time off’ is not defined in law, and you will need to negotiate with your employer how much time you will be allowed.

How do I find out more?

Please contact our Governance & Compliance Manager, Suzy Beecher at s.beecher@kingswaycommunitytrust.co.uk or via the school office.