To have been a little surprised to have seen...

[lovecheese]

The Chair of Governors at my DCs school with his granddaughter today,wearing the uniform of another local school? Dont know the family or their circumstances, but after his speech at school recently celebrating its good OFSTED report and how the community should be proud of what the school has achieved just found it a little TBH.

If all the governors of a school were people inextricably linked to the school the whole purpose and pursuit of the governing body would be flawed. The governors are there to be a group of 'critical friends' to the school and it's helpful to have parents and non-parents / family there.
I'm a g'nor at DSs school and my mum is a g'nor at a different school. We are both able to give compltely different perspectives on loads of issues.

You don't have to be involved with a school (in terms of having kids/family there) to be a governor, nor to do a good job as one. In fact I know there are some at our school who believe that governors actively shouldn't have kids etc at the school as it can blur their judgement when it comes to making decisions etc. I know that at both schools I have worked at recently governors didn't (as a majority) have parental involvement. There is generally one parent rep on the board.

In terms of the OP, at what point would you let your parents choose the school for your children? Presumeably he doesn't have control over where his children send their children?

AlexsDad - I was a parent governor at my DCs' school and I did resign when I withdrew my children and sent them to an independent school, although technically you can finish your elected term.

Some parents finished off their terms of office if their children had left the school naturally to go to secondary school, but I felt it was completely inappropriate to carry on as a parent governor when I was no longer choosing the school for my own children.

FWIW the head was quite keen for me to stay as I had put a lot of effort into the role.

FioFio - no, it isnt a biggie as you say, and am not going to give it any more thought really. Just wanted peoples opinions. I know that governors have to be selected from a broad range of backgrounds ie. LEA, teachers, parents (DH is one) to bring in different strengths and thoughts and ideas. Maybe his own children went to the school? Case closed.

A colleague of mine was a governor at a poorly performing school that he freely admitted he wouldn't want to send his kids to - but as a governor, he could help bring some of his wider business knowledge, enthusiasm and experiences as a parent to help the school improve its performance. I have to say I would welcome more cross involvement from other schools and from those outside the teaching profession on the governing body - otherwise I think it risks being too insular. So I would actually be welcoming the idea of a Chair of Governors who has links to other schools.

I've been approved to be a school governor at a school in the next village. My DCs wouldn't be able to go there and actually are probably going to go private because our village school (NOT the one I'm governing ) is very poor.

In a way, I'm looking at it as putting in my energy, commitment and time to make that school as good as it can be as I would if I were a parent with children in the school.

My dad was a govenor at our local secondary and siblings and I went to private schools. He didn't have any links other than geographical proximity.

He was public spirited.

We have quite a lot of 'parent helpers' at our school who are not parents. Some are ex parents and some are part of the parish. The idea of only being involved with a school if your child gets a direct benefit is a bit sad.

just made me wonder about an alternative AIBU thread

'my FIL is chairman of governers at a local school and is always putting pressure on us to send our DD there to maintain his public image, IABU to think where we educate our child is our choice not his?'

How do you know he doesn't have other grandchildren at the school?

How do you know his own children didn't go there.

MOre importantly, what are you on? This is one of the most crackers threads I've ever seen on here.

What am I on? .