To think the timing of these governors' meetings isn't family-friendly?

[Rolf]

I'm a governor at my children's school. The school day finishes at 3.15 and the meetings are at 3.45. Sometimes I get can my girls into after-school club, sometimes I can't. Even if I can, it's still really difficult for me to get to the meetings. I have 2 other children who are at secondary school. They finish at 4.15 and get home about 4.30. I think they are a bit young to let themselves into the house on their own (they are 13 and 11). If they have an after-school activity at school, they need to be collected at 5.15. Those evenings are the easiest as I can put the girls in out of school club and leave the meeting at 5pm to get the older children.

My DH can't get home for 3.30. The girl who babysits for us from time to time generally can't babysit that early - she's still at college at that time. On evenings when she's available she could come at 6.30, after they've all had supper, and put the younger children to bed. So the best meeting time for me would be 6.45.

AIBU to think that 3.45 is a ridiculous time to have governors' meetings? Or am I assuming the world revolves around me and my children? I'm a bit sensitive about having no childcare backup - my parents aren't around and my DH works long hours, so it's a genuine question. Other school governors - what time are your meetings?

Ours are at 5.30pm, which is a bit early for getting back from a 5pm finish at work, but you have to take into consideration that our headteacher is waiting back at school to attend the meeting, so making it later eats more into his free time too. 3:45 would be absolutely undo-able for me, and most of my fellow governors too, I expect.

Ours were always 7.30. Late enough for people to get there from work, for most DC activities to be done, and for our babysitter to arrive.

We did talk about moving them at one point, but everyone agreed it was too intrusive to home life to disrupt DCs etc, and that arranging a babysitter was easier than cancelling activities, even though it meant the HT had a long day.

I suppose it depends on who else is on the Governors and what suits most people most of the time. What time would suit you? And have you proposed it?

FWIW, my DCs have let themselves in after school and stayed in until I return from picking up the youngest from after school activities two nights a week since year 7. What things do you think your DCs need to become more competent with before they can do this?

It has come up a few times and we've put it to the vote and usually by a narrow margin the majority keep things are they are.

There's the HT and 2 teacher-governors - so they prefer 3.45 as they just stay later at work that day. The other parent governors have parents who help out with their children. A couple of retired people who don't really mind when the meetings take place so they vote with the HT on that as on everything else . A couple of parents who seem to be able to leave work early or whose OH takes the children home. The governors who found it difficult resigned! I know I sound a bit chippy about it! I haven't been to a FGB meeting this year. I managed to make it to a committee meeting but it was a huge faff.

I go into the school quite a bit and played a big role in a recent inspection so I don't really want to resign over it.

Scaevola the best time for me would be about 7pm, or 6.45 at the earliest. Maybe I'm being too cautious about letting the older children let themselves in, but I know they really like being welcomed home and I like welcoming them. The younger ones are quite demanding (DC3 has SEN) and the older ones feel they get no attention anyway.

ISWYM: my mother always liked to be home when ai got home. But if you can't get the other Governors to budge, then the occasional meeting night isn't going to be a morale-wrecker. Especially if you sell it to them as a Grown Up Thing.

Ours start at 5.30pm

7pm would be ridiculously late imo...especially for the staff govs who would have been in school from about 8am.

Your life does sound very busy though, are you sure you have enough spare time to volunteer?

Ours are at 7. I couldn't have done it otherwise. YANBU.

When I was a staff governor meetings were 7pm

One of the nice things about the 5.30 time slot is that, as most people haven't eaten yet, the meetings tend to be run very tightly so that we can all get home for dinner - I think there would be a tendency for later meetings (7pm, for example) to run on for longer, as there is always someone who likes the sound of their own voice...

Ours are either 5.30 or 8am.

And it is not unknown for our children to sit in a room nearby during the meeting.

TBH I'm surprised those governors with jobs are not complaining. I could not regularly do this time.

Ours are at 7.30pm. We're commuter belt and most of the parent governors are coming in from London. I couldn't be a governor in the circs you mention. Does the governing body want the input of people with jobs or not? That's what it boils down to. Ours does. I bet we could find enough governors without, but it's not how we want to be. Agree it's a horrific day for the HT and DHT especially, but ours seem committed to the GB being this way and to treating the volunteers as well as possible.

Providing a room for the children would be great. I pay for out of school club or a babysitter . The older children could walk to their old school and get on with their homework whilst I was at the meeting.

I have mixed reasons for staying on as a governor, not all virtuous. I've been doing it for about 8 years and am only just feeling as though I'm getting the hang of it and being some use to the school, so it seems a shame to quit now. And one of my children needs a lot of support at school, and after a very difficult few years they are now being excellent and she is much happier. Me having a good working relationship with them is a good thing.

When I was a secondary school governor our meetings were at 3.45. Added complication being they locked the school gates between 3.40 and 3.50 so if you were late you couldn't park.

Now a primary governor and meetings start at 6pm. Much more civilised. I wouldn't be happy with a 7/7.30 start though.

That does sound frustrating, Rolf. My sympathies. I am not a parent governor, so my relationship with the school is easier to manage, IYSWIM.

the problem with just voting to determine the timing of meetings is that it doesn't take into account that some are just choosing the better timeslot from a range of times that are all possible, while others can only make certain times. I'm sure that the teaching staff prefer 3.30, but that doesn't mean that they couldn't make 5.30 if necessary.

Are there other governors who stuggle with 3.30?
Do you have any indication that potential governors are being put off by meeting times?
I would discuss with the chair.

but I would not be ble to do meetings if they were in the evening. there is lys going to be goup of people who can attend and some who can't whatever time they have the meetings.

Ours are generally 7-9ish in the evening. There is one committee that meets at either 9am or lunchtime which I had to resign from because of work commitments.

The times you quote are almost impossible for anyone who works - which will limit the people who can become governors.

i think 3.45 is a good time. it means teachers just stay on after school, and that parents don't have to pick up their kids, go home and return a couple of hours later. i also think YABU to think a 13 and 11 year old can't get home on their own. i was walking 1/2 a mile from the bus stop to home every morning/night at the age of 11, and that was in 2000, so not thirty odd years ago or anything.

letting your 13 and 11 year old get home alone once in a while isn't going to damage them - in fact, they're likely to appreciate the maturity aspect and the fact that you trust them enough to do so.

I was going to suggest your older children come up to the school too. I recently joined our PTA and meetings are held at 3.30 straight after school. When I worked full time there was no way I could be involved but now I dont work so I am able to attend. Although I am lucky enough to have a close friend who meets dd from school and takes her home, most of the other parents there just let the children sit in the library with us - they usually play a game or read or something. One of the parents has a 13 year old who often comes up to the school to get a key and then go home. My 13 year old just lets himself in anyway - he has done for a while now as its either that, or he has to wait around in a cold "boring" playground for his sister!

Governing bodies should pay attention to the need for inclusion, and there shouldn't be any category of governor that has more difficulties in getting to meetings than another. You could suggest that they vary the meeting times, so even things out a bit. We meet at 4 pm or 6 pm, alternating the times for each committee meeting and each FGB. A governor who hasn't been able to get to a FGB in a year isn't being an effective governor, and in your case you're not being supported to be an effective governor. They can't just find you useful in an inspection but then ignore your needs completely.

Ours are at 5.30 or 6.30.

We can claim for babysitters if needed, although last month I just took my ds down with me, I'd microwaved his tea to scalding so it had cooled down by the time we got there and he sat and ate it reading till dad collected him on way home.

Fair enough, livinginwonderland. The older children do walk home from school, and I do leave them home alone if I need to collect the little ones from activities. So I guess I'm not being very rational about taking the extra step of giving them a key and telling them to let themselves in a couple of times a term.

Good point about the school depriving itself of good governors by holding meetings at 3.45. It's a hard one to prove though isn't it? The HT has many strengths but he's a bit of a one for passive resistance. The Chair also has many strengths and she goes into the school a lot, but she's not the most articulate. There are some non-combative sweet blokes. Some retired stalwarts of the community. Quite hard to achieve change really! The Chair is supportive of my problems with timing so I might speak to her and get her to raise it. I think so long as she knows she'll get support she'll have the confidence to raise it.

i didn't mean it in a critical way at all, i hope you didn't take it like that. i just remember loving that kind of responsibility, it was awesome being able to go home alone and being trusted not to lose the key or anything. they'll probably really like it, especially the 13 year old.

not at all, it was a good point

You shouldn't be out of pocket - there should be a mechanism for claiming expenses which in your case should include childcare!

I was a governor, and the ex-head teacher kept trying to move meetings to just after school on the basis that "staff have been in school since 8am" until it was pointed out to her that many governors had also been at work since 8am or in one case would be leaving the meeting to head straight out to a night shift! All governors - staff, working or SAHPs have had a full day - there's not may people who sit around on their arses all day !