School Governor - Volunteers
About us
'Come back to school & make a difference'
Luton Council is looking for volunteers to apply as school governors.
Being a school governor or trustee is a challenging but hugely rewarding role. It will give you the chance to make a real difference to young people, give something back to your local community and use and develop your skills in a board-level environment. You will also be joining the largest volunteer force in the country: there are over a quarter of a million volunteers governing state funded schools in England.
School Governors provide a strong link between the school and the local community, and an independent view to support the school on long term development and improvement.
Luton Council has an online form to complete and will forward onto the most relevant school to fit your skills and experience.
About the job
Salary: Voluntary
Hours per week: As Scheduled, Part time
Being a school governor means being interested in getting the best education for the pupils at the school. Governors can become involved in a range of school matters, which can include recruitment, finance and curriculum.
Governance boards of maintained schools and academies are made up from various types of governors, all with different skills and experience. Some are elected posts and for others the appointment is made by the board. To fill a parent vacancy you will need to have a pupil at the school. Staff posts are only available to those who work at the school.
The governing board provides strategic leadership and accountability in schools.
It has three key functions:
Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent
Holding the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils
Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
About you
Governors and trustees should be committed to their role and to young people; confident in having courageous conversations; curious with an enquiring mind; able to challenge the status quo to improve things; collaborative to
build strong relationships; critical to improve their own work and that of the board; and creative in problem solving and being innovative.
Anyone aged over 18 can be a governor or trustee (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. Life experience is one of the best skills that a school governor can have!
The average time commitment is five to eight hours per month, although it will vary depending on the needs of the school and the role. This includes meetings, background reading, school visits & training. As well as full governing board meetings, many schools have various committees and link governor roles which you may like to contribute to – this depends on each individual school.
Like magistrates or members of a jury, 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 trustees – this is normally 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.
So why not use your experience, or gain some experience for your future.
Full details and application forms can be found by clicking here
