An extraordinary quarter of a million people volunteer their
time and skills to oversee state schools in England in the interests of pupils.
It is an important thing which they do on behalf of the rest of us, ensuring
the country’s schools are as good as they possibly can be. They come together
in governing boards that set the vision and ethos for schools and trusts.
They
make important decisions about staffing structures, what limited funding is
spent on, as well as recruiting, supporting and challenging headteachers and
executive leaders.
School Governance as we currently know it in the UK, has been
around for just over 40 years and plays 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
Being part of a Governing Board will give you
experience of working at strategic level and the opportunity to learn and
practice skills that have direct relevance to employers. These include:
-
Strategic leadership
- Budget control
- Data analysis
- Staff recruitment
- Building relationships and networks
- Effective teamworking
- Communication
- Problem solving
Influencing/negotiation
It will also introduce you to aspects of education
which will help inform your understanding of teaching and learning and other
related areas. These include:
- SEND
- Teaching
and Learning
- Teaching
pedagogy
- Exclusions
- Admission
- Policies
- Whole-school
attainment and progress targets
- Ofsted
inspection
It’s important to note that as a Governor, you are
not involved with the day-to-day running of the school, that is the role of the
Headteacher/Principal and their Leadership team. It is expected and encouraged
to visit the school, meet the students, teachers and parents and be a visible
member of the Governing Body. This will help you to understand your school and
the community in which it serves.
Last year, the National Governance Association published
their
Governor
Volunteer and Board Practice School and Trust governance in 2022 which
gathered the views of over 4000 governors and trustees. The report seeks
to understand what it is like to be involved in school and trust governance in
2022 and draws on longitudinal data that NGA has collected in the previous 11
years of the survey.
So, what is it like to be a School Governor and what makes
some people want to get involved? Let’s hear from Dr James Frater – a School
Governor in North West London.
“As someone with
Caribbean heritage, it was especially important to me to become a governor
because we are oftentimes underrepresented in these spaces, whilst too many
students - particularly those with Caribbean heritage - aren’t having their
needs met by the schools they attend. The role allows me to not only be
involved in the decision-making, but also allows me to advocate for different
underserved communities at a strategic level. As a result, I hope, the
decisions we make better meet the needs of the school and the local community.
More broadly, it is a
great way for me to serve my local community and help to positively shape the
experiences of the young people within it”.
To understand more about the
history of School Governance, have a read of
The
recent history of school governance has been one of an accelerating decline in
democratic accountability. If you are interested in becoming a
School Governor or would like further information, please check out
Inspiring Governance.
