Why volunteer to be a school governor?
· School governors make a valuable contribution to children’s education, opportunities and futures.
· Being a school governor is a challenging but a hugely rewarding role. It will give you the chance to make a real difference to young people and give something back to your community.
· Schools need governing boards that have a balance and diversity of knowledge, skills and experience to enable it to be effective.
· Use your skill set to make a positive contribution to your community.
Who can become a school governor?
Anyone aged 18 or over can be a governor (but there are some exceptions) and you do not need to be a parent. There is no requirement for you to have an understanding of the education system, just the necessary skills, character and time to contribute. There is plenty of training available. Schools need and benefit from a range of professional knowledge on their governing board including education, finance, human resources, legal, property, estates management and organisational change.
What will be expected of me?
· The average time commitment is six to eight meetings per academic year, although it will vary depending on the needs of the school and the role. Background reading and school visits will also play a part of your role. As well as full governing board meetings, we have various committees and link governor roles which you may like to contribute to.
· School governors and trustees have a right to reasonable time off work for their public duties, although this may be unpaid. Your company’s HR department will be able to tell you about its policy.
· Each school sets a term of office for its governors and our term is for four years. Many people choose to serve multiple terms, however, as a volunteer you can resign before your term is finished if your circumstances change.
· Each individual governor is a member of a governing board, which is established in law as a corporate body. Individual governors may not act independently of the rest of the governing board; decisions are the joint responsibility of the governing board.
· Governance is a voluntary role and therefore it is not a paid position.
How to apply
If you are interested in a new challenge and would like to now more, please contact our clerk to Governors;
Mrs Tomson
01202 471410 clerk@clc.dorset.sch.uk