School Governor question.

[figleaf]

If anyone is a school governor or Clerk perhaps they can answer this.

Who gets to say who goes on what ctte ? I have been a governor for 2 years and our GB has only 1 ctte that seems to do everything (staff,cash,buildings etc). Its officially called the finance ctte.

I asked the head if I could be on it and she said shed think about it. Months later I had no answer so I wrote to the chair and asked him and he wrote back and said hed keep my request in mind for reconstitution.

At the recent final meeting of the GB a date was set for the 1st one next academic year, no mention of ctte membership.

As the finance ctte always meets before the full GB I thought I should ring the chair and ask again about joining the ctte. He said that I could join it and that he`d write to me by way of a confirmation.

A week later no letter had arrived so I popped into the office today and asked the school secretary (also clerk to GB) if one was on its way. She said no and that the Chair has to ask all the other governors before I can be on the ctte. When I said the chair had already said yes to me she said well we`ll have to see what happens next term.

What should I do?
Truly I`m not pushy I just have spare time and want to get involved in school life. I feel sad and cross now.

Figleaf I understood that all committees had to be redecided every year. We have just had our first meeting and deciding who was on what committee and who chaired them was the first item on the agenda after electing the Chair of Governors. Maybe get some advice from your LEA on what should be happening?

I did that, and they said what you just did. Odd that the meeting is happening an hour before the gb meets isn`t it?

I would phone up the Chair of the Finance committee then and ask what's happening - say you understood you were joining and you don't want to miss the first one.

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Nothing written down Cod.I have asked though.

Excellent idea puddle except the chair of the cttee is the chair of the full GB - do you think its still worth a call?

Absolutely. All sounds a bit too cosy to me tbh.

I`ll give him a ring this evening after DS swimming lesson and report back what he says. I hate being in this sort of position.

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Bristol. I did ring them in July and they were all very reluctant to give advice except to say all cttees should be reconstituted each year and that perhaps I should just turn up to the meeting. They said they`d never been asked a question like this before.

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Are you in Bristol too?

How do the other governors feel about the situation figleaf?

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The ex parent governor feels the same but never asked to be on anything. The new parent gov hasnt started yet. The other governors (foundation) are quite old and have been in post for a long time. They feel the school is fine and the head great (probably true). 1 new foundation gov will start this term but as yet is an unknown quantity. Im the LEA gov even though I have a kiddy at the school.

Got to go now ladies (collect hubby) but thanks for your interest. I have resolved to ring the chair this p.m and depending on response (and your advice) ring the gov devel folk again.

DH had a governors meeting last night and all of the new ones were asked which commttee they wanted to go on and so were spread around

I will ask DH the details when he comes home tonight

I called the chair of the cttee, who is also the chair of the main GB. He said that I should come to the ctte meeting before the full governors. I reminded him (politely)that he said hed write to me to confirm this but hasnt and hence none of the paperwork for the finance meeting had arrived with the things for the main meeting. He understood that I wouldnt want to go somwhere I didnt feel wanted and said that he`d sort it a all out on Tuesday when he was next in school.

He seemed quite genuine so I`ll see what Tuesday brings to see if the head or the secretary( our clerk) stop him somehow.

Figleaf - we have lots of committees, eg Finance, personnel, premises and monitoring. I don't really see how the amount of things to be considered can be dealt with by one committee. Also do not think it is fair. Have you been allocated a specific role, eg Literacy Governor, Foundation Governor? Please keep posting as I am new to this as well. Have been to 2 meetings and there was a degree of "so and so is really experienced so should continue in this position". Generally well distributed though and I suppose newcomers have to earn their stripes by showing commitment.

Also, have you had the induction training yet?

Yo Yo I didn`t think it was fair either,thats why I started poking around and asking could I be on the finance ctte.

No, we havent got specific roles but I did expect to be given one. I spent the first year wondering if I actually did anything. After a few meetings when the head worried about OFSTED me and another gov were asked to look at our paperwork etc but as there were only 2 of us and we only met twice,its not a ctte. Our H+S gov (only one with a designated job) failed to turn up for a buildings inspection I was plucked out of the playground one morning to assist the caretaker. The following year the same 2 jobs came up again but Im hardly exhausted by the work!

I have done induction training but our practice doesn`t equate to the expectations gained during it.

I do feel better informed by being a governor but I also feel I could do alot more for the school if given a job.

"so and so is really experienced so should continue in this position".
When we had this comment at our governing body (some years ago now), we agreed that less experienced governors should shadow for 1 term, jobshare for one term, then take over the role by the 3rd term. It worked as long as people were prepared to give the extra time.

ellceeell - would that be for the more "responsible" positions like finance or recruitment? I had assumed that all governors (who showed an interest) would be involved with these matters but it seems not. Appointments are made and Governors are informed at the same time as the parents. Is this the norm?

yoyo - it wasn't for us - we asked all governors to go to the governor training on recruitment before going on interview panels, then took turns at job interviews. Occasionally we had governor observers at interviews (with the permission of the candidates). Just to see what it was like without the responsibility.

As far as our finance cttee, the bank manager we co-opted was always on it, but otherwise we tried to change the membership each year, keeping half experienced governors and half new ones - so we got some continuity but spread the knowledge around. This was a large primary school governing body where I was involved for eight years.

I'm a P/G and I'm on 2 committees. Could be on more if I wanted- only exception being the pay one because that is select people only. Went to a meeting on Tuesday that I had to leave work 40 mins early to get to, to find that 3 people had sent apologies and another one didn't turn up so we couldn't hold it! That means losing another 40 mins in 2 weeks time.

Thats so rude them not telling you before you got there. I`m a SAHM but would still be so cross.

I like the job shadowing and mixing of experience levels that some of you describe. Bit too revolutionary and democratic for my school I fear.