Becoming a Governor
Becoming a Governor
Local governors are people who want to make a positive contribution to children’s education. It is an immensely rewarding role that allows you to be involved in raising standards within school.
In addition to being over 18 years of age, governors need a strong commitment to the role and to improving outcomes for children, the inquisitiveness to question and analyse, and the willingness to learn.
Parent governors are elected by parents of children attending school at the date of election, co-opted governors are appointed by the local governing body and staff governors are elected by staff members of the school.
Time commitment
Initially, you should expect to spend the equivalent of around 8 to 10 days per year (15 to 25 hours a term) on your governing body responsibilities. For many governors, this might comprise three evening meetings per term, with the pre-reading; one link visit and writing a resulting short report; attending a school event such as an assembly; reading around their link subject or keeping up to date on school governance; and responding to some emails.
Expenses
Being a school governor is an unpaid role. Governors may receive out of pocket expenses in line with the governor expenses policy. Payments can cover incidental expenses, such as travel, but not loss of earnings.
Training
All local governors are expected to undertake training to support them in their role. Local governors do not pay for training. All governors are automatically registered for the National Governance Association Learning Link virtual training to enable governors to have flexibility in the time when they chose to undertake training.
You can find out more about the role of a governor on the National Governance Association website.
Local governors have a strategic role and do not deal with the day to day running of the school. Any questions of this nature should always be directed to school staff in the first instance.
If you are interested in becoming a local governor at Over Hall Community School and would like an informal chat about the role, please contact Debbie Tomkinson, Governance Director, at debbie.tomkinson@cheshireacademiestrust.co.uk
