Interested in becoming a governor?

OUR SCHOOL NEEDS YOU! 

VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES 

Why volunteer to be a school governor? 

School governors really make a difference to children’s education and make a significant contribution to local communities. They are the largest volunteer force in the country with over a quarter of a million serving state funded schools in England. 

Ofsted (the national inspection body for schools) has repeatedly noted that the most effective schools demonstrate effective leadership and management, this includes the local governing board. 

What do local governors do? 

The St Christopher’s Trust Directors are responsible for every school in the Trust and through a scheme of delegation entrust local governors with making sure that things are working well in each locality. The local governing body (LGB) has four main tasks: 

• Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos, and strategic direction for the school 

• Agreeing the aims and objectives for the school and the measures that indicate success. 

• Monitoring the performance of the school and its pupils against these measures. 

• Challenging and supporting - especially the Headteacher and school leadership team. 

This might involve engaging with staff, pupils, parents, and wider community to understand their experience/perspective of the work of the school, what’s going well and what could be improved. You may even get to discuss what you know about the school’s improvement journey with Ofsted who visit about every 3-5 years. The Trust School Improvement Leaders and other Trust officers are actively involved throughout, so you are well supported. 

Who can become a school governor? 

Anyone aged 18 or over can be a governor (with some exceptions) and you do not need to be a parent. The training available helps you to learn about current education practices and you will learn in the role too - it takes time to familiarise yourself with all the technical type language so be warned! Schools really benefit from having a range of skills and experience in their LGB such as finance, human resources, data interpretation, education, and property management as well as good old common sense and commitment to seeing the local community thrive. As a local governor, you bring your unique experience, perspective, and insights to decision-making in the interests of pupils and the school community. 

What do I do if I want to Volunteer? 

If you think this is something you might be interested in and you would like to support your local community, please email       old.clerk@stcmat.org