School governors play a vital role in helping the headteacher and staff to ensure our children get the best from their time in school. They are the largest volunteer force in the country and have an important part to play in raising school standards through their three key roles of setting strategic direction, ensuring accountability and monitoring and evaluating school performance.

Governors need no formal qualifications or particular skills, but they do need to have time to dedicate to their role, to make good decisions and to make sure their decisions are followed up. Together with the headteacher they set the future direction for the school and perform a number of key duties, some of which are outlined below:

• Help to set the school aims and values, and plan the school’s long term future
• Promote high standards of education, welfare and achievement
• Make decisions collectively on matters such as performance targets, school policies and the school’s development plan
• Monitor the impact of policies and oversee the use of the school’s budget
• Report to parents on the school’s achievements and respond to inspection recommendations
• Hear appeals from pupils and staff and consider complaints
• Provide the headteacher with support and advice, drawing on their knowledge and experience
• Ask searching questions and respect the headteacher’s position as professional leader of the school
• Prepare reports and provide feedback to the Governing Body about key school issues, such as your own designated curriculum responsibility
• Be available to attend a full Governing Body Meeting and a sub-committee meeting each term
• Attend local authority training when appropriate to support you role

Governors meet at least once every term and all parents are welcome to attend meetings and listen to what is said on request to the Head teacher, Chair or Clerk.  They have legal duties and responsibilities and can only act as a ‘Body’; they cannot act individually, unless the Governor Body has delegated a particular power to an individual Governor. The minutes of Governors meetings are kept in school for anyone to read upon request.

The Governing Body consists of several sub-committees.  These are as follows:-

The sub-committees meet at appropriate times throughout the year.

The Governing body includes:-

• LEA representatives – Elected by the LEA
• Teacher and Staff representatives – Elected by school staff
• Parent representatives – Have a child in the school and elected by parents of the school
• Community representatives – Usually member of the local community and business.

Being a school governor is demanding but rewarding and a good way of putting something into your local community. If you were to become a school governor you would be one of twelve people who make up our governing body. We are eager to attract parents and other people in the community to become governors; people who can bring energy, experience and fresh ideas to the role of organising and managing a school.

Parent Governors are elected for a 4 year period, as are all other Governors.  They have equal status in the work of the Governing Body and have voting rights.  They bring the views of the parents to the Governing Body but they speak and act as individuals.  They should not be thought of as delegates of the parents, they do not vote for all parents in general.  Parent Governors should be aware of ways of encouraging parental interest in school and should become actively involved in drawing parents into school.  This school positively encourages parental involvement and Parent Governors can be an important element in developing Parents in Partnership.

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