Becoming a governor

 

Every school has a governing body with governors who work as a team. Governors are responsible to parents, funders and the community for making sure the school provides a good quality education. Governors also promote high standards of educational achievement. They do this together with the headteacher and other school staff who are responsible for day-to-day management of the school.

 

Making a Difference

 

Governors are people like you. As a governor you'll decide on the key issues which will help teachers to raise standards and to shape the future of the school. You don't need qualifications, just the desire to make a difference and a couple of spare evenings a month. New governors are often surprised at how their experiences can be used to help solve problems at their school. You don't have to be a specialist. Just think about the skills you use in everyday life.

 

Being a school governor can be one of the most rewarding ways of contributing to your local community,

As a school governor you have real opportunities to:


· Raise educational standards in your local school
· Help children achieve their full potential
· Identify and develop the school's management team
· Identify where the school can improve and help make it happen
· Improve the school's financial efficiency and effectiveness
· Engage parents and the local community to benefit the school
· Develop an environment which promotes learning
· Work as part of a team, towards a common goal
· Acquire new skills, new friends and a real sense of achievement
· Share in and celebrate the success of children, staff, teachers and the school as a whole.

 

Could You be a School Governor in Southville Infant and Nursery School?

 

· Do you want all our children to get the best from school?
· Do you have time to get to know the school, go to meetings and read papers?
· Do you want to put something back into your local community?
· Are you interested in people?
· Are you prepared to work as part of a team?
· Are you comfortable asking questions?
· Are you open to new ideas and ready to learn?
· Are you over 18 ?

 

School Governing Bodies are made up of members of the local community from all walks of life who work with schools in their spare time.


You can become a school governor by:

· Being elected by parents as a parent governor, if your child attends the school;
· Being elected by the teaching or non-teaching staff, if you are a member of the teaching or non-teaching staff;
· Being appointed by the local education authority;
· Being co-opted (that is, appointed) as a community governor by the other governors.


Help is at Hand

 

Being a governor means making yourself available for some evenings each term and occasionally during the day if possible. The amount of time varies widely, depending on how involved you become and what needs doing. You have a legal right to ask your employer for unpaid leave. Governors need to work closely with others to make decisions and make sure that your decisions are followed up. You need to ask questions, gather views and then decide what is in the school's best interests.

 

The governing body is a corporate body of which you are a part. Provided that you always take joint decisions with the rest of the governing body in good faith and in line with all the advice available, you will not be personally liable for those decisions.

 

Governors are not alone and there is plenty of help and support available. New school governors receive a nationally designed induction programme covering roles and responsibilities. Hounslow Authority runs training events to meet governors' needs.

 

If you would like to be a governor at Southville Infant and Nursery School please call into the office for more information and an application/proposal form.