Parent governors of primary schools

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

BullieMama · 27/01/2012 23:19

I'm a pg at a primary, why do you want to know are you thinking of standing?

MoaningMinnieWhingesAgain · 27/01/2012 23:21

I am too. Any specific queries I'll have a look tomorrow. I am a newbie though (governor, not MN!)

DanFmDorking · 27/01/2012 23:23

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.

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

Two useful sites: ukgovernors and Governor Line.

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

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

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

... How much you participate and visit the school? ...
Governors do not participate in the running of the school; they are there to take an overview and see that it delivers.

... visit the school...
Only after an arrangement with the Headteacher. In education, the word ?Observe? implies making a judgement so we use ?Watch?. Both sides must understand that Governors come into School to learn, not to judge.

There is no substitute for seeing children at work as it gives a better understanding of what being a teacher is like and how the organisation hangs together.

... How much say you feel you have in governors meetings? ...
All School Governors are equal and may vote. As for speaking, it rather depends on how much one knows and how self-confident one is. As one grows in confidence one tends to speak up a bit more!

I hope this answers some of your concerns

Good Luck

Original poster

philmassive · 28/01/2012 07:51

Thanks folks, and for that comprehensive answer Dan!

I am a governor of a large primary (600 pupils) and hence the governing body is quite large. I've been on board for about 18 months and I'm finding that the views of the parent governors are not taken as seriously as the LA and community governors. The board has at least 2 men on it who have served for more than 30 years and they are deferred to quite heavily, even though they have some 'blind spots' (chair is about 80 and doesnt know what eyfs is and doesn't hold with technology ) and I was just interested in finding out if anyone else had felt the same and if anyone had any strategies I could adopt.

OP posts:

iamme43 · 28/01/2012 09:03

You listen to what everyone has to say, then everyone agrees with what the headmaster proposes.

DanFmDorking · 28/01/2012 15:42

philmassive This is what I would do:-

1 Write down and record the problems. Not just that they are ?coffin dodgers? but that they don?t know the meaning of ?eyfs? or ?xxxx? and ?yyyy? hasn?t been addressed and they haven?t done ?zzzz?. Which all goes to show that the school is suffering as a result.

2 Contact Governor Line, have a chat and ask for some advice. I find it?s quite helpful, anonymously chatting to someone knowledgeable.

3 Ask a few pertinent questions at the next meeting and note the replies.

4 Contact your County Governor support, tell them of your concerns and stress that the school is suffering as a result. Ask them what steps you should take.

Original poster

philmassive · 28/01/2012 16:27

at coffin dodgers.

Thanks again Dan, I will ring for advice. I didn't realise that sort of support existed. Thank you.

OP posts:

admission · 28/01/2012 20:20

All governors are equal in stature and should be treated as such, so it is disappointing to hear philmassive's comments but it is not exactly unknown.

Some parent governors can be an absolute pain if they are there for the wrong reasons around their own child or something they object too at the school but parent governors bring a fresh perspective to a governing body and in many instances a perspective that comes from life's experiences or their professional experiences.

Regrettably in some GBs, parent governors some how are seen as inferior but I think it is then for the PGs to show that they deserve to be given appropriate recognition. I know that one thing that is frequently thrown at PGs is the issue of confidentiality and yes it is important that confidentiality is maintained where appropriate. So if you can't resist talking to people about what has been discussed, then being a governor is not for you. Otherwise I would say go for it, everybody has something to offer and frequently those that ask the simplest of questions like "why" or "how" are actually the best governors.

DanFmDorking · 28/01/2012 20:39

The OP is already a Governor.
... those that ask the simplest of questions like "why" or "how" are actually the best governors. Oh yes, absolutely.

TeamEdward · 28/01/2012 20:44

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

mercibucket · 28/01/2012 20:51

That was also my experience but our gov body was slated in the last ofsted so they weren't a shining example. It was a shame as we were professionals with a lot to offer but most are not standing for re-election. I have better things to do with my time than fight an uphill battle. If however you have the energy for it, I can highly recommend governor line - v good advice

mercibucket · 28/01/2012 20:51

That was also my experience but our gov body was slated in the last ofsted so they weren't a shining example. It was a shame as we were professionals with a lot to offer but most are not standing for re-election. I have better things to do with my time than fight an uphill battle. If however you have the energy for it, I can highly recommend governor line - v good advice