Thinking of becoming a governor?
Are you:
- Interested in the future of our children
- Willing to give some of your time
- Able to ask questions and put forward ideas
- Keen to make a difference
You don’t need any expertise – interest, enthusiasm and commitment are much more important.
Governors Roles and Responsibilities
- Governors are responsible for setting the future direction of the school through agreeing the school policies and the school development plan
- Monitor how well the policies are working
- Support and challenge the headteacher
- Report on the school’s achievements
- Agree the school budget and oversee spending over the year
- Respond to inspection recommendations
- Appoint staff
- Agree and monitor performance targets for the headteacher
There are several different types of governor:
- Parent governors – elected by parents or carers of pupils registered at the school
- Staff governors - elected by staff who are paid to work at the school
- Community governors – co-opted by the governing body to represent community interests
- LA governors - appointed by the LA
- Foundation governors (not in community schools) - appointed by the school's founding body, church or other organisation named in the school's instrument of government
- Partnership governors (foundation schools only) - replace foundation governors if the school does not have a founding body
- Sponsor governors - discretionary category appointed by the governing body from individuals who have made significant (financial) contributions to the school
- Associate members (not governors) – appointed by the governing body to attend committee meetings and/or full governing body meetings due to their particular skills or experience
- Co-opted governors – appointed by the governing body
How do I become a governor?
If you are interested, then please do make contact with no commitment.
- Speak to the head teacher of your local school
- Ask about vacancies for parent governors
- If you are a teacher then speak to the head teacher
- As a local resident you can ask the Local Education Authority (LEA) at the council offices about becoming an LEA governor. The authority will let you know about vacancies.
- Contact the Diocese of Leeds about church schools - Tel: 01274 - 407071
- Contact Bradford School Governor Service - Tel. 01274 439400, e-mail: school.governor@bradford.gov.uk
- Contact the National Governors Association - Tel: 0121 - 237 3780, Fax: 0121 - 2331323, e-mail: admin@nga.org.uk
Taken from 'Schools Need Governors' and 'Why be a Governor?' published by Bradford Council