To really hate being a school governor and want to step down after two years

[kevinknowsimmiserabletho]

My DC are all grown up and as I have more time on my hands these days I volunteered to be a governor at the school they attended.

I've been doing it for two years now, so I feel I've really given it a go.

But honestly, I hate it.

I don't mind attending meetings etc and giving my time it's not the hard work element as such. Just the actual make up of the board and the fact that I seem to be there to be a bum on a seat rather than because anyone is paying attention to anything I have to say.

I feel like it's a lot of responsibility but I can hardly influence anything at all and have to go along with the status quo or upset the clique of people who have been there for years.

It's a four year time but honestly I feel so miserable I just want to stand down.

WIBU just to go? If it was a job I would have resigned by now.

It is hugely hard work being a Governor if you do it - or try to do it - properly.

I was a governor for 5 years with a fantastic GB. I think we erred too much on operational detail but the school was in a bad place when I joined with a very lack lustre GB. We got a new Chair who transformed things and it was great to be a part of it. However I wasn’t working full time. I stepped down when I moved away. This was about 10 years ago.

A couple of years ago having moved to a new area I thought I would join a GB again. But working full time, travelling in bad traffic to meetings that didn’t work well for my schedule, working with a GB that just didn’t seem to like me saying anything was soul destroying.

Also - the paperwork, the data and the training requirements were unbelievably onerous. I think we had 3 different portals where we had to access training, some of it on the same duplicate subjects. I lasted 2 years out of my term and have just stepped down as my own life has too much else going on.

I do feel guilty but also so so relieved as I wasn’t doing it justice and couldn’t see how I was making a difference. It’s an academy chain school too which means the local GB was a layer removed from the executive and therefore had even less say over anything really.

I'm a school governor. The first year I hated it. I was moved post 3 times, no training on what a governor does, no shadowing, no support from fellow governors. Anytime I asked for support I was made to feel like i should know what i was doing. I didn't know who anyone was at meetings (on teams) didn't understand the abbreviations.

Anytime I made suggestions for things I could do to support school (like a parents forum for Sen kids) was rejected.
By my second year I resigned my self to the fact that I attend meetings, do training and do a couple of school visits a year where they tell me what they want me to hear. The slt don't mind being 'challenged' providing it's things they can evidence improvement on.
I'm in my third year now I don't enjoy it but it doesn't impact much on my life. I find school are quite careful around me with regards to how they support my Sen child. I get a lot of feedback and his support plan is good. I question if they go above because of my role. I may well do it until he leaves in 2 years.

Walk away OP, you have done your time. If you really want to stay volunteering in a school setting maybe see if the school has a PTA? Still supporting the school but maybe more enjoyable (depending on who else is on the PTA).

In my LA, all training was in the evenings. Or hardly anyone would be available. Occasionally a Saturday morning. Mostly governors meetings were in the evening but staff didn’t like it so a I’ve had a few with 4.30 pm starts. Can be difficult to sort out if staff governors don’t want to stay. Plus baby sitting nightmare if meetings don’t fit into child care routines.

Clerks are mostly employed by schools now. They used to be a LA service and probably still are in some areas.

Im now genuinely unsure how governors can make a difference. I’ve seen very detailed heads reports. I’ve done learning walks. I’ve done meetings with staff. I learned something but not sure how it improved the school. As @kevinknowsimmiserabletho says, if you question anything, it’s seen as uninformed interference. I was also PP governor. I did want to ask about our strategy and how effective it was. It’s rather sad that there was no conversation to be had. Just data pushed out. Teachers were better to talk to but then the red ink appeared from the head striking out parts of my reports she didn’t like - none of it was controversial. So I wasn’t even allowed to express an opinion based on data and evidence!

I think the role does suit some people but it’s not for everyone. We also ditched the “critical friend” position years ago in my LA. We’re not there to criticise or be a mate. It’s a professional relationship.

I was in your position having served as a governor for a long time. If a Board is united and the school SLT is capable, it is an interesting and rewarding role. If there are factions within the Board or problems within the school, it can become extremely unpleasant. I felt a huge sense of relief when I resigned, as it drained me and made me extremely stressed. I know that another governor who left at the same time felt the same.

I’ve done voluntary work for more years than I care to admit to, in a lot of different roles, and school governor was one of the least rewarding. It was a good school, and there was teamwork between the SLT and the governors, but I was a square peg in a round hole. I appreciate your circumstances are different, but the bottom line is the same - it isn’t working out.

Life is too short, and your time is too valuable to waste it on unpaid work that, for whatever reason, isn’t working out. There are so many other things you could do, and you’ve given this a fair crack, so I’d suggest you resign nicely and think about what you would like to do next.

You've done well to last 2 years! I only lasted six months. Similar experience to you, basically just there to make up the numbers for appearances. In reality, us parent governors were basically ignored. Discussions and decisions had clearly all been pre-agreed so they just expected us to rubber stamp their decisions.

The killer for me was a 3 hour evening meeting held specially to discuss a particular subject, with lots of discussions between us, and we finally came to a decision, via a vote, to take a certain course of action. Then, the killer blow from the Head and LA governor that our chosen course of action wasn't allowed, so we'd basically been wasting our time - rather than tell us from the outset that the action wasn't allowed, they let us waste our time hoping we'd come to a different decision!

Basically, it was just a talking shop, all fur coat and no knickers.

OP I don't have time to read the whole thread but it might help assuage your sense of duty if you pick another volunteer role to replace it - hospice training? helping at local childrens' charity shop etc. Might feel more immediately impactful

@Badbadbunny There should have been a briefing paper setting out options. Particularly ruling ones out that couldn’t be taken!

Yep, as a governor at my dc primary they begged me to stand. Head teacher changed and new one did not value governors and saw us as a pain

TBH OP I have found that in many schools the board of governors are just a mouth piece that agree with the HT.

Many of the HT and chair of governors are in each others pockets.

*Note that I say many not all. some are very good and do an outstanding job.

This is largely what I think I've seen.

I like the Head but the chair and Head seem really, really pally. Talk of constant meetings and whatsapp exchanges.

It does feel like it's just lip service that I'm there.

I'm really sorry you weren't valued either.

Thanks, I already have two other longstanding volunteer roles that I was doing prior to this so I'm not sure of focus but I appreciate the suggestion.

I'm really sorry you had that experience.

Is it a 'thing' to be particularly dismissive of parent governors do you know? That seems to have cropped up a lot on this thread.

Thank you, it's absolutely my experience that it's the least rewarding volunteer role I do and it's good to have that validated by someone else.

Thank you, I appreciate you sharing that.

OP I could have written this! I saw this thread last night and want to read more of the replies. I've been a co-opted governor at a local primary for about 18 months and I've been hating it. I feel the clerk and two co-chairs, sometimes with the Head and Deputy Head, are a clique that's impenetrable. I never know what's going on, but maybe I don't need to? But then they talk in mysterious ways about terrible safeguarding issues that mean they can't get on with their normal jobs. The communication is awful - random phone calls from one of the co-chairs, but never anything on email. I tried to set up an email group with the other governors and that went nowhere. One other governor suggested drinks or at least getting to know each other but nothing came of it.

Pulled in to some meetings just for numbers. I spoke to someone at the local authority about it and she said it was just personalities. I was so keen this time last year - reading KCSIE in detail etc - but then got fed up when no one else seemed to do any training. The minutes of the last meeting only come days before the next one, so it's been months before you see them.

But then people reply saying governors have power. What power? I often see other Mumsnet threads where parents say go to the school governors. I think only the Chair gets to see complaints. I feel completely powerless and that I have no influence or impact at all. If you are a governor where you feel you have influence, tell me how!

You have the power to change the Chair and you have the power to dismiss the Head. @SchoolGovernorRegrets

I say this as yet another person who gave up in frustration after two years.

As a teacher, though, we really hope that governors are looking after the school, and are around for long enough to make a difference.

The state of school governance is clearly a national disaster.

Thank you so much for your post, I'm so sorry you're having this experience as well but I relate to it so hard it's really soothing to read it!!

I feel left out with the dynamics as well and like I'm always doing the wrong thing or speaking out of turn. We also have a significant cohort who don't turn up to meetings or even send apologies (which I agree is really poor of them) or do any training, but then the clique bitch about them and I think well this is probably why the don't turn up? Because of the hostile environment.

Because it's kind of clear that nothing we do is good enough so just stop trying. I have thought about just turning up and diallng it in but I have a named area of responsibility so feel really uncomfortable with doing that. I either need to be able to input in to it and take it on or stand down.

I feel absolutely 100% powerless and I felt more respected when I was a parent of the school than I do as a Governor. It's like I'm useful to them in name only.

@SchoolGovernorRegrets Minutes should come out in accordance with an agreed protocol. Usually around 3 weeks or less. Writing up, checking by chair/head, amending and then distributing. All committees should be clerked and all minutes distributed as governors agreed with the clerk. There are rules for calling meetings.

The Heads report should be your bible for what’s going on and all the minutes from committees. The LA might well give the head a template for their report. This covers every aspect of what Ofsted will look at. So no stone left unturned. All staffing, finance, premises, progress data, pp, send, etc should be in it. Other committee chairs introduce their minutes and the head/chair clarifies any queries.

Full GB meetings are not where the work is done. Get on a committee or two. Finance and Teaching/Learning/School Improvement are the ones with most involvement. Plus Heads Appraisal committee. Some schools have way to many committees that are talk shops. Expect head to evidence claims made about progress of Dc etc.

No individual governor has power. They don’t dismiss a head. They don’t act alone. They don’t take individual complaints to
meetings. Schools are required by law to have a complaints policy. Maybe read it. Read all your policies.

I do think a few controlling governors make it difficult for others to break in but by getting good quality info from the head and getting onto committees, you get a better idea of where the school is at. Learning walks help you too.

@kevinknowsimmiserabletho What power did you want? How did you expect to make a difference?

I used to chair a governing body and I would be really sad if I thought one of my members felt like this.

Don’t carry on doing something if it isn’t working for you.

However, might you be willing to talk to the Chair or Head and tell them how you feel? If they are any good, they may well find a way of engaging you more. If they don’t, then you should definitely walk away.

If you do step down from this, then there are lots of other things you can do. You’d probably be surprised how many volunteering opportunities there are in charities.

I didn't want any specific power, I was replying to the previous poster's comments that people on MN speak about Governors having power and I don't feel that that is the case at all.

Thanks, I don't really trust the chair so I don't feel this is the option for me.

Re: volunteering, thank you for the suggestion, as I've said upthread I already do 2 x other volunteering roles so I'm not short of rewarding volunteering. In fact I think they only seek to highlight how soulless the governor role feels.