KS2 teacher AND parent governor - do I have time?

[Tobermory]

Am a teacher in a junior school, work 4 days with management responsibilities so pretty full on.

My DD1 starts school in September, she currently attends the attached nursery 5 mornings per week. They are looking for a parent governor and am thinking about it. Ww live out of area so already removed from school geographically and childminder does drop off 4 days a week so I don't have that much contact. I would, however, like to be more involved and play an active role in the school my children attend and parent governor seems like a good way of going about it.

But do I have time?

How much time/demands will realistically be involved?

Anyone have any experience of this combo?

[bubbles1112]

Hi, I work 3 days a week and have 2 dd's. I am a parent governor. To be honest it doesn't take up too much of my time. I attend a meeting on a monthly meeting and have had a few extra meetings in the day with the head specific to my role (safeguarding) as a governor. We have governors who are retired so can be more available for stuff governors are required for. I think it's acknowledged that must of us work, have kids, are busy and are volunteering our time and that's ok!
Go for it!

[IndigoBell]

A parent govs not much time. Go for it!

[Tricia247uk]

Sorry, but no, I don't think you will have the time.
Good teaching is physically and emotionally demanding and the role invariably means that you do a lot of school work outside directed time. I'm a headteacher, and I expect my teachers with or without management responsibilities to be fully involved with school initatives. Governorship is equally demanding on a person's time these days-Ofsted, LAs and schools expect governors to be pro-actively responsible for various areas. As an employer, I would worry about your work/life balance; you do not want to reach a situation whereby you miss deadlines or are not spending time with your family or become ill. I do not know how long you've been teaching or been employed in your current contract, but you do have a young family-I would wait awhile and concentrate on your family and job (class/school).

[RustyBear]

Does the nursery have a separate governing body from the school? Because if it's the same one, you couldn't be a parent governor at the school you teach at, though you could be a staff governor.

Not sure that Tricia has a valid argument - all schools have staff goverrnors, and many of them are parents too, I don't think it automatically means they are less effective in their job or as a governor.
One of our staff governors is currently an HLTA, mum to two teenagers and training to become a teacher and doing an excellent job in all her roles.

[easterbunnyhopsback]

I work 5 days a week, am KS leader and teacher governor. It involves three meetings each term, with some added visits for non-teacher governors.
I think it would be a good way of finding out the quality of leadership, expectations and standards of dd's school. It would be an interesting comparison for you as well.
I like being a governor - I think our governors have good intentions and work very hard (something never recognised by our members of staff BTW). Being a teacher governor, it is also very interesting to hear the playground rumbles from the parent governors!

[DanFmDorking]

I have no experience of that combination but in general terms:-

Being a Governor varies slightly from school to school. The main thing is ?time and commitment?. You should think of the Governor meetings as meetings that you must attend and arrange your social/work life around them. You should attend the training sessions that your Local Authority provides.

School Governors are the biggest volunteer organisation in the UK. We estimate that it takes up about 35hrs per year although, of course, it depends on how involved you want to be.

I have respect for Teacher Governors because as well as being at the school early they often have to stay late in the evening for the Governor meetings.

[Lookandlearn]

Up to you. It isn't possible to say whether you have time without considering the demands of the rest of your family. We have decided that for the time being I won't take on much because dp has time consuming job in terms of evenings and weekends so me doing a teaching job with the level of responsibilty of Pre children wouldn't work. So i've scaled back to the point of doing two days supply/tutoring per week, and a couple of voluntary roles, from considering deputy head jobs pre children. But that's also factoring in our lack of local grandparents and our ability to handle stress. Plenty of people would manage fine. You know how much there is leftover in terms of energy in your current set up so of there's space and you want to do it then you'll be fine.