It was announced today that schools no longer have to have parent governors and I actually think that's a great idea. I have been a governor at a school in the town where I work for nearly 10 years now. I'm not a parent there I was "recruited" by one of the LA governors who also happens to be a colleague of mine. She asked me to stand for election due to some very specific skills I have regarding analysing and interpreting data.
In the last few years I've found that out role has changes massively and we are expected to have more of a director role in schools, and with that has come a massive increase in workload and expectations. It is no longer possible to turn up at a meeting and stay quiet - governors are al, expected to be critical friends and hold the SLT to account. This is something that my school has developed over the last few years, and that has been helped by being able to recruit people to the Board who have professional experience and skills.
The days of the governing board being composed of crusty old men and housewives is well and truly over and has been for some time. As well as my skills handling data, we have accountants, solicitors, teachers, HR experts and business owners and senior public sector managers. Our last OfSTED inspection rated leadership (which includes governance) as outstanding and we were complimented for our ability to understand the issues of the school and community and hold the head to account.
My point, after rambling on for ages, is that the government is right -we need to look at the skills that a governing board needs and not just concentrate on selecting people from certain categories. If parents have those skills, the great, they will not be excluded - but to say that their only "skill" is that they have a child at the school is wrong and not to the good of the school or the children.
AIBU?
To actually agree with the Tories about something....
zeezeek · 17/03/2016 19:27
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