School Governors, who are we and what do we do?
School governors are people from the school’s community who want to help the school to provide good children’s education.
Our Governing body is made up of a variety of people,
- from parents, who have been elected by other parents at the school,
- some staff members, elected by the staff of the school,
- some people put on to the Governing Body by the Education Authority because of their interest and experience in helping to run schools,
- some people co-opted as Governors because of special skills or interests the school would like to have.
What do Governors do?
Governors help the school to raise standards through three key roles.
- They set the strategic direction of the school, meaning they help the school to decide what the overall ethos of the school is going to be, and place resources where they will help achieve this.
- Governors ensure accountability at the school; as Governors we have to answer to the parents, the children, OFSTED and society for the effective education at the school.
- Governors must monitor the schools progress and evaluate how effective it is, so they can make changes to keep the school going in the right direction.
Being a school governor can be really rewarding as you have the opportunity to:
- raise educational standards in the school and help children achieve their full potential
- identify and develop the school's management team
- identify where the school can improve and help make it happen
- improve the school's financial efficiency and effectiveness
- engage parents and the local community to benefit the school
- develop an environment which promotes learning
- acquire new skills, new friends and a real sense of achievement
- share in and celebrate the success of children, staff, teachers and the school
How do we do this?
The Full governing body meet twice each term to discuss issues affecting the whole school. We get reports from committees on their individual areas of responsibility.
The Committees are made up of small groups of Governors to look at particular areas.
- The Buildings and Resources Committee to look after the buildings and playground, and health and safety at the school.
- The Finance and Personnel Committee watch the expenditure and staffing matters at the school.
- The Curriculum and Publicity Committee are responsible for what the children are learning, and how we get the good news at the school out in to the wider community.
Individual Governors can take on particular areas of responsibility that they are interested in. We have link Governors for each subject that the children take, and a Governor to look at special needs of children. The governors visit the school to assess needs, identify problems, develop solutions and monitor improvements. They have to report back to continually develop the whole governing body's understanding of the school.
The governing body is responsible for the strategic development of the school, not its day-to-day running.
We are not experts in education or in management or any particular field. Our strength is in asking the “stupid” question – Why are we doing that? Why are we doing it that way?
Sometime you need someone who asks that question to help you see there may be a different way of doing something you have been doing for a long time.
Would you like to join the Governing Body?
You do not have to have children at the school to become a school governor. In fact one of the keys to successful governing bodies is having a governors with a variety of backgrounds and experience. You do have to be over 18.
Please come and talk to Val Lineham, the Headteacher, or Jan Roberts, the chair of governors; they would be delighted to hear from you.
Did you know, Governors are the largest volunteer force in the county? |