to be a bit peeved re: School Governors

[scotchcorner]

I applied to be a school governor. I wrote a personal statement setting out my stall nicely. There are 4 of us going for 3 places and it looks to me like I will be the 1 that doesn't get in because the other 3 are better statements with 2 being very professsional. However, another parent emailed me last night and said that she reckoned that 2 of them were heavily plagiarised. Well, I have just had a very quick Google and in 5 minutes found that of the 2 professional looking ones, the first is about 20% lifted word for word from the internet and the other one in about 50% lifted directly from the internet - and in both cases the plagiarised bits are the best bits.

Is this just how it is? I have not seen previous Governor personal statements before. I don't mind losing but am unhappy to lose to cheats.

I've just looked it up and in our LEA the rules state:

"A parent or member of staff cannot be appointed a community governor. If they are already a community governor when their child starts at the school, they can carry on.

The rules have recently/will shortly change and community governors will be renamed and changed, but only when a school next renews its instruments of governance (basically changes type/status or the composition of the governing body, so not a frequent occurrence)."

Not quite sure what the last bit means though.

In our area it is fine for parents to be community governors.

That's odd DeWe because the LA has no authority over the appointment of governors, apart from the appointment of LA governors. The Guide to the Law has just been updated and I've looked it up there. A member of staff can't be a community governor, but a parent can. That's the current legislation.
If you're feeling strong, the new regulations from September 2012 are here: www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/1034/contents/made
That is when the names of the categories will change. Here's the section on eligibliity: www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/1034/schedule/4/made
which I would interpret to say that a parent could be a parent, co-opted or associate governor under the new regs.
Interesting as paint drying isn't it?

DH is a community governor of DD's school but also a parent.

Lol at people being a governor for their CV!
In my experience illness or moving are the most common reasons why people finish their terms early.
On our governing body ALL the community governors are parents.
When I was elected our personal statement had to be less than 100 words.

I agree clemette
IME the only reasons that people become governors are either an altruistic desire to helpthe school, or a less altruistic desire to understand the system better in order to help their kids. Or often a mixture of the two.

I hate to say it, but I think DeWe's LA governor support team should go and read the guide to the law?
Yes, people finish their terms of office for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes a few go at the same time because they needed to step down, but had some sort of project etc going on that they wanted to see finished first (like a HT appointment, or Governormark for example). It can be quite innocent.
I think a lot of schools will choose to review their Instrument of Government once the new regs come in, which will mean a lot of new terms of office starting on the same date. When a new Instrument comes into force the whole GB has to be re-appointed/elected.

Oh, at the secondary school where I am a governor I am certain that some of the professionals do it because they think it will look good on their CV! Some also have an inflated sense of their own importance over the whole thing. Sad.

Luckily some of our parent Govs agree to become Community Govs after their kids have left the school.

Don't report them OP, you'll just make yourself look a bit foolish.

I didn't suggest I would report them - not my style. However, I am sure to bump into the headteacher AFTER after the ballot and it will come up - I am tempted to say whilst I would like to apply next time, it would be useful if next time he guided parents to writing a statement personal to themselves rather than from the internet. I did the school pick-up today (unusual for me due to work) and a few people mentioned the governor ballot and how 2 people seem to have quite similar wording. Perhaps people will work it out for themselves.

Worra, LA's appoint inexperienced school governors all the time. In my area LA governors are quite hard to find, so they aren't choosy. In any case, an inexperienced governor who has some useful qualities to offer, can commit to meetings, visits and training, is more use than some of the experienced governors I know

Not in this area they don't.

If a Governing body asks for an LA Governor, they'll be sent one or two by the LA.

One of our Parent Govs was recently turned down for an LA role because she was 'too inexperienced' having only been a Gov for 2yrs.

IME If this is for a primary school most people will vote for who they know first. Then they will vote for someone they think will have the time and right attitude. I can't remember anyone with a professional sounding statement getting on board in preference to 'amateurs'.

At secondary - different kettle of fish! It seems everyone is a professional man, over 50, with a business degree who 'wants to put something back into the community' or (last month) 'wants to bring back christian values' (whatever they are ).

Lucky you Worra. There are schools in my authority that haven't had even one LA governor for over a year. Mind you, we've had some stunning governors come forward in various categories that had no previous experience, but were so willing and eager to get trained and involved that they've been just great.

I'm an LA governor at a school my children don't attend but when I applied I was offered my dc's school as an LA governor rather than a parent governor - LA governors are usually appointed as far as I know where there's a skills gap on the governing body, so usually financial but in my case because I have background in staffing issues. If you have something you think you can offer the school in terms of specific skills that is another way to become a governor - I personally didn't want to be a governor at my dc's school for a number of reasons.

Sorry scotch I don't know where I got the report idea from, I apologise.