parent governor process

[knat]

i've been approached by the head to become a parent governor. I understand i have to fill in an application form and then its a process of being accepted.Anyone been through this and what it entails.
Also how much work does it entail. I've spoken to someone at school who is a governor and she says its not too much work and its very interesting.

My dd is autistic and the head particularly wants a voice in relation to this on the governors.

[Beckyc2812]

You should deff become a governor if you have the time esp as you have a dd with special needs. Our Governors have full meetings about 5 times a year and sub committee meetings 3/4 times a year. They last about 2 hours and are very interesting. I have learnt so much and feel like i am contributing not only to my sons education but of all those in his school. It is very rewarding :-)

[squeakypop]

I did this 12 years ago, so this may no longer be the process.

I had to fill in a form and include a personal statement about why I wanted to be a governor/why I thought I would be a good governor.

In most cases, there are not normally more candidates than places, so it is generally a shoe-in. However, when I did it, someone else volunteered at the same time and we had to have a vote. This meant that ballot slips and envelopes were sent out to all the parents. I won the election (it helped that I was a teacher and knew the right buzz words). A month later, a new vacancy arose, so the other candidate joined the governing body anyway.

[squeakypop]

I agree with Becky - being a governor is a very good thing to do. It is really a win-win.

[Beckyc2812]

I also had to go through the voting process and was voted in, you have to have a CRB check and you can't be an pre discharged bankruptee (it's sad but what with the current financial crisis more and more people are unable to Govern because of this). The forms are minimal. Good Luck

[Englebert]

The process was quite straightforward at our school. They had vacancies for parent governors but no one was interested. The deputy head asked if I would consider becoming a governor, I agreed and was then sent a letter to say that I was now a governor.

As Becky says you will need a CRB check. It's also a good idea to sign up for the introductory course for new governors as that will make things a lot clearer for you. It's done either in one full day or spread out over a few weeks.

We have full meetings once or twice a term depending on what has been going on at the school. Each governor is also a member of at least one committee. The number of committee meetings will vary according to the time of year and the amount of work that needs to be done.

You may also be linked to a particular class or area of the curriculum and report back to the other governors about those.

The amount of work it entails will vary from one governing body to another and also which committee(s) you choose. Sometimes it might involve just reading through paperwork and attending meetings. At other times you may be meeting members of staff or school visitors, checking current policies to see if anything needs to be updated, or even just attending school events.

I really enjoy it and it's a good way to find out all the gossip what is really happening in the school.

[knat]

thanks everyone - can you tell me what a crb check and what it entails please? thanks

[Englebert]

www.moneymagpie.com/article/de-mystifying-the-crb-check-your-questions-answered/46

This site explains all about the CRB check. You fill in a form which asks for names and addresses you've had in the past few years, d/o/b, and so on. You need some form of identification to prove that you are who you say you are and that you live where you say you do. The person you hand the form to will check the ID and sign a declaration to say that they've seen it and then give your ID back. You do this once every 3 years.

[knat]

thanks englebert - so for a governors position do they do the other checks which show up the otherwise invisible ones?

[Beckyc2812]

I don't think there are any more official checks. Doing a CRB check is very common and everyone who has any contact with children in the school (caretakers, kitchen staff, teachers, TA's, parent helpers, office staff) has to have one. Unless you have any convictions it's nothing at all to worry about. Englebert's suggestion about doing a course for new governors is a great idea (i did one and it explained lots of things) and well worth it.

[knat]

thanks becky - i've picked up the form for nomination - it has nothing on there about giving permission for checks etc. Its merely name address and then a brief statment as to what you can contribute to the governing body.

[Englebert]

Once you've filled in the nomination form there will either be a vote if more than one person is interested or you will become governor automatically if no one else wants the position. Once you have been made governor the school will then ask you to fill in the CRB forms. The school will also ask you if you have ever been bankrupt. I think they take your word for it about the bankruptcy side of things rather than do full checks. The onus is on you to declare it.

[knat]

thanks for that englebert. i will come clean and i do have a conviction that is spent and resulted in a 2 year probation order. i was in an abusive relationship at the time and had money problems because of it. Do you think this would cause a problem as i don't really want to divulge this (my dd has only just started in reception and i ahve a good relationship with head but feel its a bit early in the day to divulge such emotional/personal details).

[Englebert]

This is cut and pasted from another site:

"Are you eligible to become a school governor?

Not everyone is eligible to become a school governor, people are disqualified if they have been:

Disqualified from working with children by Section 35 of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000
Sentenced to 3 months or more in prison, without the option of a fine, in the last five years
Sentenced to 2½ years or more in prison in the last 20 years
Sentenced to 5 years or more in prison, at any time
Fined for causing a nuisance or disturbance on school premises in the last 5 years
Other convictions are unlikely to lead to disqualification.
People are also disqualified if they are:

Under 18 years of age
Liable to be compulsorily detained under the Mental Health Act 1983:
Bankrupt or disqualified under the Company Directors Act 1986 or an
Order made under Section 429(2) of the Insolvency Act 1986
Disqualified as a company director
Disqualified as a charity trustee
Disqualified Proprietor of an independent school
In addition governors already serving on the governing bodies of two schools are only eligible to serve or more governing bodies if they are appointed as an Additional Governor or appointed to a Temporary Governing Body."

To me it looks as though the probation order wouldn't disqualify you because it didn't involve a prison sentence. Having money problems would only be relevant if you've been made bankrupt.

If you don't want to disclose anything just yet to the school, most if not all places will have a helpline that you can ring to ask for advice about this kind of thing.

[knat]

thanks very much - that's very helpful. i've not been made bankrupt. Briefly had very abusive relationship when i was a lot younger - always after me for money - when i ran out of credit had to get it in his name without his knowledge - when i had the courage to leave he got hte police on me. The prosecution were very symmpathetic and hence just got probation order.

[Niecie]

I was elected in June and have done the CRB checks.

I have also got to do New Governor training which is a day of training paid for by the LEA. Then, after that I will have to go on some training for the committees I am on, currently finance and curriculum.