Become a school governor

Want to make a difference in your community, and develop your own professional skills? By volunteering as a school governor or trustee, you can do both.

About the role

As a governor, what will I do?

The governing board has a strategic role with three key functions:

• Approving the budget and overseeing the financial performance of the school to make sure money is well spent
• Appointing and holding the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils
• Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction

As a governor you will not be involved with the day-to-day running of the school. Governors normally attend meetings in the evening, read and comment on reports and occasionally visit the schools to see first hand the impact of their work.

What’s in it for me?

Being part of a governing board will give you experience of working at a strategic level and the opportunity to learn and practice skills that have a direct relevance to employers. These include:

• Strategic leadership
• Budget control
• Data analysis
• Staff recruitment
• Building relationships and networks
• Effective team working
• Communication
• Problem-solving
• Influencing/negotiation

What does being a Governor look like?

All governors are usually allocated a link role also. Every school is different how they manage this, and it often changes every year because the school development plan changes. Link role governors monitor different aspects of the school work in line with their strategic (future planning) role. Most schools have the following link roles;

• Safeguarding – all aspects of safety are of paramount importance, including child protection, safer recruitment practices, training of staff and teaching the children. Making sure all our policies and practices are up-to-date.
• Health & Safety – such an important issue, whilst part of safeguarding, often a link role in its own right. This is about the fabric of the building, to ensure its safety and the people that enter it.
• Pupil Premium 
• Mathematics
• English

A link role monitoring visit will be needed termly – probably an hour to prepare, an hour to meet and an hour to write a report after this. Sometimes these visits can be on-line, but it is essential that you see the school ‘in-action’ sometimes. You will have a governor mentor to support you with your first few visits, and to help you write up the report.

Just as importantly, your involvement and commitment to a local school could make a massive difference to the future of young people and our community. Your input will help the school to improve and its children to get the best education possible.

So – how much time?  Probably anything between 12 – 15 days a year. Most of this will be evening meetings, but some of it will be in the day. You will get plenty of notice about what you are needed to do and when. And you will be fully supported.

Are you still interested?

Contact our current Chair of Governors - Shen Hasekilerden at shasekilerden@bonneygrove.herts.sch.uk for an informal chat. Thereafter, Shen will give you further details of how to apply and what legal aspects apply. 

Thank you for your interest of being at school governor at Bonneygrove Primary School.