School governor

[Poogles]

An opportunity has come up to stand for school governor. I'm keen to try and get involved with the school as we are new to the area. I know work will allow me time off to train but wondered if anyone had experience of what I might be letting myself in for (if I get elected!)

I am a parent governor at my DS and DD's primary school.
I really enjoy it, but there is a lot of 'process' stuff which can get [whispers] boring!
Overall though, I have learnt a lot and I now feel that I ask the right questions and feel more confident in asking challenging questions.
I chair the Curriculum and Learning Cmte which is the part that I find the most interesting.

I was a governor at our primary school when the dc were there. Brilliant way to become involved and have a say in the direction the school is taking. You will normally get elected onto a sub committee too, (sometimes you choose other times it depends where the vacancy is or they may want to match you up with any experience you have eg accountancy background might be steered towards the finance committee etc.)

There were always training courses going on all the time that we could go on if we wanted to although I think everyone had to go on at least one a year. Your tenure is 3-4 years usually and then you can stand to be re-elected.

Go for it and good luck

I would strongly encourage you to have a go,

Too few people are prepared to stand up and take on any sort of voluntary commitment. For some reason there is a section of society which thinks that the likes of school governors, brownie leaders, scout leaders &c take a paid role...!

There is much to gain from being involved in school and regardless of your background /specialism you will have much to give.
As you rightly identify there is much to learn about the role of 'Governor', but unless you are in it, you cannot learn it!

I thoroughly enjoyed my 'governor years', they were not all nodding and plain sailing, but I felt I had given much and the school had gained from my knowledge and experience. (It is also a minor side issue that all the teachers in school know you and if you do want 'a quick word' they will rarely say no, The downside is that in your DCs perspective you are always in school, or always seem to be so!! )

Thanks everyone! I'm glad to hear some positive stories. I'm not sure if I will get elected as I don't know anyone in the area but have sent DS in with my nomination form this morning! Fingers crossed!

Fingers crossed you get elected.

I have been a parent governor for 18 months and have been chair for the last year.

It is very interesting but you will need to read a lot of paperwork before each meeting.

Our training courses in Bristol are always excellent and you will be well supported by the staff and other governors.

It's good to remember that all the other governors don't know everything and they are still learning too!

Being a Governor varies slightly from school to school. The main thing is ?time and commitment?. You should think of the Governor meetings as meetings that you MUST attend and arrange your social life around them.

You should attend the training sessions that your Local Authority provides (usually in the evening). School Governors form the biggest volunteer organisation in the UK.

We estimate that it takes up about 35hrs per year although, of course, it depends on how involved you want to be. Our training is

I hope you don't mind but I've found some notes that I will paste below:-

Being a Governor can be extremely rewarding and interesting but for most people there is a steep learning curve before they feel that they are doing something worthwhile. As the Governing Body operates at a mainly strategic level there is a fair amount of paperwork that comes our way that at times can seem daunting.

The Role of a School Governor

... actually I can't be bothered - look the subject up yourself ...

I'm a parent governor too and find it really interesting.

The thing that struck me is that it is very formal - there are quite a lot of rules and regulations and it isn't something you should take on lightly because you have an obligation to go to the meetings. It is looked down on if you just decide you can't be bothered and don't turn up.

It is good to see the inner workings of the school and what a head does. There is so much more to it than you can imagine as a parent. For us, the involvement with the school can go beyound the meetings and the formal governor stuff. I've been a judge at the talent show and manned a tuckshop for a chess tournament. I have even done a Food safety and hygiene course so I could help out with the children's cooking lessons and because often they seem to think, in our school, that it is good for governors to be involved.

On the other hand I sometimes think we are sounding boards to the head rather than having anything really useful to contribute except for making suggestions.

If you are lucky, nobody else will offer to stand and there will be no need for an election. I wouldn't worry too much about not knowing anybody. I don't know very many people and still managed to get elected. I think if you do a good statement it will go a long way to getting votes in.

Good luck!

Dan - I hear what you are saying about the time commitment thing. Although I work full time, I'm really lucky to work for a Company that takes Corporate Social Responsibility seriously (you can probably tell I'm in HR!). We are encouraged to get involved in things like this and will be given time off (paid!) to attend meetings and training courses.

Niecie - I'm keeping my fingers crossed that noone else stands! As a working mum, I don't feel I can get as involved as I would like with the school i.e. not volunteer to help in class etc, so this would be a good way for me to support the school and be involved. I'm hoping it will also give me the chance to meet other parents and make new friends!

Good luck. My DS' dad is a governor - I made him stand (hehe), as something that concerns me is, when the majority of parents don't want to get involved, that's when you end up with axe-grinding nutjobs on the board of governors eg BNP members, religious nutters etc. So DS' dad and I had agreed that we were going to be involved, I got him to take on the governor post as he was a better candidate (loads of charity work in his background).
It doesn;t appear to be ruinously demanding of his time, but it is a commitment.

Being a parent governor can be very rewarding and enjoyable as well as hard work.
My husband has been parent governor for 6 years now and is stepping down as our daughter is in year 6.
Schools are always on the look out for people with relevant work experience especially in finance, personnel and building management.
As you are in HR your experience of recruiting staff would be valuable.
Let us know how you get on!

Poogles, good luck and I am really pleased you've decided to stand. I have been a parent governor for a year and am now Chair of Governors at my son's school (I know, glutton for punishment). I find it immensely rewarding and a good way to make a positive contribution for a working parent. Hope you get the role!

poogles - my DS school had a vacancy for parent governor - I wonder if it's the same school (in Bexley)???