Can anybody tell me about being a Governor?

[mixedmamameansbusiness]

Three positions have become available and I am interested. I have a yr1 child and a Reception (from Sept) plus a 1 year old who will eventually go to the same school so I am there for the long haul.

I read the letter and considered it, it is something I would like to do. This morning I had coffee with some of the mums and one of them said she instantly thought of me when she read the letter and would happily nominate and the rest all agreed.

I just wonder exactly how much work and of what nature is involved and how much time it would need.

I am really worried about not being very good. The letter says that any of the present members would be happy to discuss the position, but just wonder what MN might have to offer.

Talking to one of the existing Governors would be useful - they'll give you a sense of the direction the school is going, how things currently stand etc.

I've been a Governor for nearly 8 years now. It's very rewarding, very interesting and I've acquired a lot of skills I didn't have before. You'll probably sit through the first couple of meetings not understanding the acronyms and feeling overwhelmed, but never be afraid to ask questions. It does take a while to find your feet. You get out of it what you put in.

In terms of actual time - we have a minimum of 2 full governors meetings a term, plus 2 meetings of whichever sub-committees you're on (these are named differently in different schools, but broadly will cover Premises/Site, Curriculum, Staffing and Finance/Resources). I know some schools have less than that. In addition you will need training - there is a good online resource (GEL Online) and your LA will offer some. Some courses are just a couple of hours, some are full days. And you will need to be able to get into school from time to time - some are in every week, some far far less. But without being able to monitor, to see how policies are being implemented and to see how school improvement is progressing first hand, it's hard to be effective.

Good luck :)

Thank you Hassled. That is very helpful. I hope to go into teaching eventually so actually this could be great experience for me.

I have to attend 3 meetings a term, and spend about half an hour of so reading docs before the meeting. and endless hours researching stuff on MNs

It's all fine as long as you don't speak up.

It's not so fine when there is a problem and you're the only one raising it :(

You achieve very little as a governor. All you can do is ask questions.

But I like doing it, and ain't ready to quit yet :)

I'm afraid I found it very dispiriting. No power and expected to rubber stamp the decisions by the head. I found the lack of progress extremely frustrating.

There is always an excuse for not doing anything, 'we have only just come back from holidays, it's nearly half term so no point in starting anything right now, we are coming up to Christmas so dont have time, we are just back from Christmas so now's not the right time to start something new.........'

Oh and one thing I did find was that once you volunteered for one thing, that was it, your name was inked in for everything.

I resigned before I slapped the head.

I think I am going to resign.

My experience is similar to Hassled's.

Indigo Bell is right that it is the head's job to run the school, so from that point of view you don't actually do anything. (On the other hand, the Head is actually employed by the governors.)

It is the Governors' job to ask lots and lots of questions however. You're holding the running of the the school to account, and the more you are in school the better you are able to do that.

I've found it fantastically interesting and rewarding, even if sometimes I wonder why I don't just live at school. It's really helped me to see beyond my own children's experience and to appreciate what the school does for all its children.

I would certainly agree with talking to a current governor of that school. Each school is different and much will depend on what the Head and the chair of governors are like and how well they work together.

If you have a relevant skill then I would suggest that you think twice before joining the governors. I?m an accountant and quickly became chair of the finance committee. The Head had delegated all financial matters to the school secretary who was then looking to me for advice.

The Head was a bit of a magpie with a hankering for shiny new technology. A couple of us found that we took on more and more responsibility for ?special? projects which stemmed from this. It all started out well but then we found that we were doing all the work with the head just issuing more requirements.

I agree that each school is different, and governing bodies vary widely in their general tone, and effectiveness.

I found it hugely rewarding however. I learnt loads about the education system, and took every opportunity for training that I could. I wrote some school policies, which I was very proud of, since they made things better for some vulnerable people. The committee I was chair of also made some very very small changes to the way some very very small things were done, which made parents happier and more relaxed.

If you have particularly useful skills or experience (we were desperate for accountant/project manager/surveyor input) highlight these in your 100 word statement.

Go for it, if you later decide it isn't for you, you can always resign. I found I could spend as much time as I wanted on it. At one point - re-writing a major policy - I think I worked 3 or 4 hours a day, for a few weeks. At parent survey time, it would be an intense few days of collating and interpreting the data. At other times, it is just reading. The lovely thing for me, was seeing that I was making some sort of difference, even if in a small way.

I've been a governor for 6 years, and I enjoy it. The time committment is not that great - 1 FGB every term, plus one or two committee meetings each term, depending on what committees you attend.

I think its important that you DONT go into it thinking you are there as an operational manager. You are not - thats what they pay the head teacher to do. You are not there to critique lessons or change the curriculum or dictate the pay scales or follow your own agenda - its a big mistake to think that, although we have seen many parents come and go waving their placard for school lunchbox policy or homework policy, only to never come back once their rant has been heard.

You do not have power per se - you are not trained to be doing that. You are there to provide a neutral look at whats going on, and to challenge what you see, to ensure the best outcomes for the kids.

In the time I have been a governor, we have changed very little in the school through direct intervention, but we have monitored what is happening and highlighted concerns that have gone on to be part of the schools strategic plan (girls attainment in science was a biggie, and the school now have a huge review going on with science curriculum, plus the PSED of girls and risk taking behaviours and independence).

Strategically we help the school focus on areas for improvement - not in teaching - that is the heads job - but we do have a say in the softer areas of childhood development and how we want the school to use its resources. WHere we see anomalies in attainment, we do challenge and require the head to either explain or plan interventions to bring children up to standard.

As a consequence, our school has a great reputation for early and effective intervention - on the negative side, it does make us look like a SEN school, with over 30% of kids on the SEN register.

Once you have been a governor for a while, you will find that the GB follows many of the recommendations of the head - mainly as these ARE the strategic priorities, and while it may feel that you are rubber stamping, it is more that you are in violent agreement about what needs to happen.

As the GB becomes more open and strategic in nature, we have found that the head is more open and trusting, and so we do get more information than when there was an antagonistic approach.

I think if its something you stick with, it becomes more rewarding. If you only do it for a year, I can see how you would feel powerless.

Sorry, I do realise I am being a negative voice here.

If you are bringing a professional skill in then IMO you do have to be very cautious. Your professional reputation could be at stake if there are problems. You arent being paid (we didnt even get coffee) but at the same time if you are known to be a professional X/Y/Z and people depend on your advice then you could experience problems.

I know that some people only attended FGB meetings and possibly a committee meeting. I found that I was attending more and more to the point where I was going in for something or other most weeks. The more I did, the more was wanted.

It probably does just depend on the school.

I've found it very hard, and I think I really am going to quit now.

I've found evidence of huge problems, but have no power to help - and the school don't want my help :(

This is the 2nd school I've been governor on. The first school the stuff I found out horrified me so much that I took my kids out of the school.

I've heard a horror story about people being ignored & blanked by fellow governors if they "spoke up" or raised any questions. I guess you don't know if you could have a good or terrible experience until you try.

If you are thinking of becoming a teacher then being a governor for a while really helps you understand how a school works and you eventually pick up all the terminology although Mr Gove will probably change it a couple of times along the way just to keep everyone on their toes!
As a parent governor though you must be prepared to be dispassionate - you can't just look at issues from the perspective of your own children e.g keep going on about provision for gifted and talented and not wanting to ask about interventions for those with English as an additional language (EAL), for example. This can be difficult for some.
As to the workload, it can vary hugely depending on if all governors do a bit or some are never seen so the others have to take on more. The personality and degree of engagement of the chair of governors is very important to. Definitely talk to a current governor 1st to see how it is at your school. Some of the work that other posters describe surprises me - the head teacher and the leadership team including the business manager or equivalent, run the school. Governors are their to act as critical friends - ie you ask questions like why did you decide to do that, have you evidence that this is better than the old method, have you analysed your attainment data to work out why girls perform less well in maths etc etc.
I have been a parent governor for 7 years and thoroughly enjoyed the insight it has given me. I am resigning at the end of this term though as my DD is Yr 6 and I am going into teaching in September!

I think being a governor also varies according to size of school and is a whole different experience at secondary level.
I found that it was all a little too cosy at the DCs little primary with each parent governor apparently in it for their own issues. Meetings badly run and going on for hours.
At the secondary where I have now been on the GB for 6 years it's entirely more professional.

From what I have seen and heard I would agree that it is a whole different ball game at secondary, much more business like. Of course it is for all aspects! (Hurrah for all DCs now being out of primary!)

i think it varies by school, TBH. My friend is governor at infant and at junior schools. The infants school is very open, very free and encouraging of questions. The junior was secretive, the chair aggressive, the head teacher paranoid......

I've been a governor for 7 years and it's immensely rewarding to me. As I've become more experienced, I've learned so much more about the complex world of education and am completely in awe of our leadership team. As another poster said, you realise quite quickly the broad remit of the school, even if you've come into it with a particular perspective.

My experiences have been very positive - but perhaps we are very lucky. We have a receptive and dynamic leadership team, proactive, engaged and committed governors, and a motivated parent body.

I would definitely speak to one or more existing governors, and the chair if possible, to see how things work at your school.

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/work life around them. You should attend the training sessions that your Local Authority provides.

School Governors are 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.

Governors deal with Budgets, Policies, Targets and things which are 'a step away' from the 'day to day' running of the school.
Any question like 'My child doesn't ... isn't ... can't ...' is not for a Governors meeting. Sometimes one can get involved with sacking/redundancies and discipline matters.

School Governors do not run the school; they are there to take an overview and see that it delivers.

Some useful sites: ukgovernors and Governor Line and Being a school Governor

I enjoy it and I've learnt a lot. I like being involved with the school and making a contribution - watching and learning how others deal with and solve problems. I have gained in self confidence and speaking up in meetings.

I?m sure you can Google ?being a school governor? yourself but:-

The Role of a School Governor

1 To Provide a Strategic View
2 To Act as a ?Critical Friend?
3 To Ensure Accountability

Good Luck