to think you don't need to mention your PhD and MBA when standing for parent governor?

[jumpy2012]

The person in question is DD's dad, but (maybe it's because I know him!) his statement sounds pompous compared to the others. All have talked about their job and what they can bring to the role, but I am seeing more 'Aren't I wonderful' statements in his than the others.

YABU, and I think this is a real problem in our country. People should be proud of their achievements, but unfortunately we live in a society where you cannot be proud of what you have accomplished, instead you have to minimise intelligence for fear of being told 'you think you are so much better than us.'

An MBA is far more useful to the role of a school governor than some of the some of the usual statements that get bandied about from prospective parent governors. There is a real misunderstanding about the governing body, I think. To be honest I think it is time for an overhaul. We should be appointing governors for the specific skills required for the role, rather than looking for a parent or teaching representative. There are other ways to get input from these specific groups.

Governors for a secondary school have quite a big job to do, sit on finance committees, building committes and have huge budgets to look after.

Those roles need to be for someone with a good understand of the issues and an ability to hold a view, debate etc.

It's not a PTA role.

The MBA could be particularly useful, but only if it's from a good school and he has experience as well. But really the parent governor role is not the place to be seeking these skills. There are a lot of positions on the governing body and the body in charge of appointing the vast majority of those should be ensuring their are enough accountants etc.. The purpose of the parent governor is to make sure parent opinions and experience aren't overlooked in the governance of the school, it can't be done by an appointed governor. So while you don't need the fundraising, event management and sales skills of a PTA chair, networking with other parents is still very important.

You need someone who understands oversight, is not too pally with others on the board or staff, communicates well, who has moral backbone, discretion and good judgement. And on top of that you need someone who can actually represent the parent body because they understand the values they hold and lives they lead and will use that knowledge to try to ensure children get the most out of the school.

It depends on what there in a friend of mine is a govenor and his background in planning, work with large government projects and running a large division of a multinational company has been invaluable to the school. It has lovely new buildings, lots of investment and excellent HR structure in the school making it a wonderful place for the children and staff because he has lots of very useful skills. Best of he knows just how to apply for particular grants.
As Cinny pointed out schools have big turnover and need people who have the right skills to manage this.

This is why governing bodies need more control over who is appointed. A good governing body appoints community/partnership etc governors with reference to a skills audit and looks for people who will complement them. When it comes to the election of parent governors they lose the ability to have any input into the process. They key requirements for a school governor are that the person has something to contribute to the school and the governing body, that they will commit to attending meetings, monitoring visits, and various school events, and that they will be willing to go on training. We suggest at least 3 courses a year. A parent might be very nice, involved in the PTA, and even go in to hear reading or provide similar support in a secondary school, but that doesn't necessarily make them a good governor.