Who are Governors
Governors are volunteers who have an interest in young people’s education and :
- Are committed to devoting time and energy to the role, to achieve the best pupil outcomes
- Are confident, able to contribute to courageous conversations and express their opinions
- Are able to collaborate with other governors, school staff, parents, and the wider community
- Are able to challenge conventional wisdom and be open-minded about innovative approaches to problem solving
- Have the skills and experience required to contribute to the effective governance and success of the school
- Able to challenge the status quo appropriately, and not accept data at face value
Governors do not need a background in education, but must undertake new governor training and are expected to continue their development throughout their term of office.
What Governors do
The headteacher is responsible for the operational day-to-day running of the school, while the governors’ role is strategic. They are responsible for:
- Ensuring that their school has clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
- Holding the headteacher to account for the educational performance of their school and its pupils
- Overseeing the financial probity of their school, making sure money is well spent
- Ensuring all legal and statutory requirements are met
- Setting the school budget
- Ensuring that pupils have a broad and balanced curriculum, preparing them for their next steps
- Determining the mission, values and vision for their school
- Measuring their school’s impact and progress towards its objectives and evaluating all aspects of school performance
Becoming a Governor
- Once appointed, you will be able to attend governor meetings, offer your views on equal terms and contribute to the governing body’s decision-making making
- After one or two meetings, you will be able to decide which sub-committee suits your particular skills or that you wish to join
- You will automatically become a member of the National Governance Association, able to access its online training modules. and receive regular copies of its magazine
- Lancashire Personal Development Service also offer regular online and face-to-face training
- All training is free to our school governors
If you would like to be a school governor, or are interested in finding out more, contact the Governor Service central team at ECSGovernors.CentralTeam@lancashire.gov.uk.
Photo by Michael Fousert on Unsplash