- Being a school governor is a voluntary post and most people can apply to be one. Commonly, school governors are the parents of children currently at the school or parents of previous students who find it rewarding to stay in their posts after their children have completed their time at the school.
- School governors supply strategic management and direction to the functions of their school. This implies responsibilities which include promoting high educational standards, setting the core values of the institution, monitoring and setting long term plans for achievement, ensuring that budgets are optimally allocated and appointing senior staff, such as head or deputy head teachers.
- The Board of School Governors will meet if they are required to deal with an emerging situation. Additionally, in the United Kingdom they will meet once in each term with the Head Teacher in attendance and discuss and make relevant decisions concerning their responsibilities. The Board of Governors will also typically attend special events, such as sports days and school plays.
- The numbers of school governors on each board varies considerably. According to Essex.gov.uk -- a U.K. local government website -- these vary by between 9 and 20 people. Overall, there were between 250,000 and 350,000 school governors in the United Kingdom as at March 2011, with about 11 percent of posts vacant. As may be expected, these were predominantly in inner city areas. Some training is provided by local councils in the U.K. for people who have volunteered. This is accomplished via a welcome pack that includes useful information, including familiarization with key terms and abbreviations, as well as a one day induction course.
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -