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Become a school governor

To be a school governor you must be over 18 years old and no formal qualifications are needed.

Everyone has experience and skills to offer, so an effective governing body has people from different backgrounds with a mix of skills.

A good governor has:

  • common sense
  • the ability to work in a team
  • an interest in education and a commitment to the school
  • patience, energy, enthusiasm and some spare time
  • a willingness to listen, learn and to spend time in school
  • a willingness to undertake training.

Apply

Register your interest and search for school vacancies in your geographical area.

The role

The governing body is responsible for making sure the school improves each year. It sets the direction and make sure the school is meeting its targets, whilst allowing the headteacher and teaching professionals to manage the school on a day to day basis.

Governors attend meetings where reports about the school's progress are discussed, they test information received by asking questions and make sure the school spends its budget wisely against the priorities shown in the school plan.

Whilst every governing body is different, it is likely that most governors will:

  • work within a structure that gives every governor a role in the governance team
  • learn how the school evaluates its own strengths and weaknesses
  • understand how the weaknesses or areas for development become targets in the annual school plan
  • share decision making to ensure that the school budget supports the delivery of the targets in the school plan
  • receive reports, make focused visits to the school, study results, and participate in other activities to enable them to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the school
  • support the school, act as representatives of the school and provide a link between the school and the community.

Many governing bodies also evaluate their own performance and identify areas of development and complete training to make sure they continue to work effectively as a team.

Governor support

We provide support and training to all our governors. We have regular conferences and support information available.

Find out what support is available.

If you have any questions email governorservices@theeducationpeople.org.