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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Tell me about becoming a governor

31 replies

Schooladviceplease2015 · 09/05/2015 23:00

I think I'd like to be one.

Our school has just gone RI and it just shouldn't have.

I say our school - it's a school we are actually now in two minds as to whether to send DD there. She's due to start Sept and has been to the nursery,

I'm so annoyed but want to channel that into something powerful.

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Millymollymama · 09/05/2015 23:37

You need to find out if there is a vacancy first! As a nursery parent, are you eligible to be a parent governor as your child is not yet actually attending the school? I am not sure. You could be co-opted or be another category of Governor if there is a vacancy.

Do you know why the school is RI - exactly? What didn't the Governors or the Head do to prevent RI? Have you looked at the Ofsted Data Dashboard?
Do you understand what this is telling you?

Assuming you can become a governor, you will need to train to understand the role and you will need to be fully conversant with what the governing body does and how they will be working with the Head to improve the school. Don't go into this feeling angry or upset. The school will now be writing a plan to address the criticisms. You are entitled to see this. Do update us on whether you can go ahead and be a governor but change can be difficult to implement and is not usually immediate especially if you have poor teaching, low attainment and poor progress to deal with.

Millymollymama · 09/05/2015 23:38

Also, when you say it should not be RI - why do you say that?

Original poster

Schooladviceplease2015 · 09/05/2015 23:47

Hello!

It's consistently one of the top performing schools in the country.

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Original poster

Schooladviceplease2015 · 09/05/2015 23:48

I am a lay understander (not word, I know) of data dashboards.

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Original poster

Schooladviceplease2015 · 09/05/2015 23:48

Understanderer? Ha! Too much

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Original poster

Schooladviceplease2015 · 09/05/2015 23:49

Head is leaving...

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Hoppinggreen · 09/05/2015 23:50

Firstly there has to be a vacancy you are eligible for and then you may need to be elected.
Assuming all that being Governor is a lot of work so make sure you know exactly what you are letting yourself in for

Original poster

Schooladviceplease2015 · 09/05/2015 23:52

Poor teaching has been addressed, although not enough to discount findings in visit as only recent additions to school.

Progress is an issue.

As I said attainment so not at all.

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Original poster

Schooladviceplease2015 · 09/05/2015 23:52

I'm up for it.

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Original poster

Schooladviceplease2015 · 09/05/2015 23:53

Tell me more.

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Original poster

Schooladviceplease2015 · 09/05/2015 23:54

Attainment not at all even

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Millymollymama · 10/05/2015 00:03

Is it a top performing private school or state school? How is top,performing judged? If it is on SATs results, it is likely you have a very good intake of children. However, if results have slipped, bearing in mind you probably have a good intake, then it is possible children are not making enough progress. Is the Head leaving due to being "pushed"? The Ofsted Data Dashboard is easy to understand. If you are best the bottom of the quintiles, you may not be doing to well. Look on the Ofsted site for your school. This gives you an immediate insight into what Governirs have to understand and interpret - data, data and more data!

Original poster

Schooladviceplease2015 · 10/05/2015 00:09

All over it - have been for last month or so.

Consistently publish top results - has been top ten in SATs KS2 in UK.

Data Dashboard great - it's the progress that's been raised as huge issue.

Head been pushed if gossip is to believed. Although never a good thing to buy into that. The honest answer I'd assume so.

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Millymollymama · 10/05/2015 10:40

I am very sorry to correct you, but the progress data is on the data dashboard - so it cannot be great! That means you have very many bright children but the teaching and curriculum is not ensuring they make progress in line with expectations. Often bright children make rapid progress so it appears the school is coasting. They will now be looking at why this has happened, whether their progress tracking information is good enough and what barriers are there preventing the children making this progress. Therefore they should really drill down into the quality of teaching and strategies to improve progress. If you get a good new Head, why would this not happen? You are presumably in a leafy middle class area, so there will be lots of impetus to get this right.

MyFirstName · 10/05/2015 10:46

Can I ask what you think the role of a Governor is? You seem very keen to be "all over it" "channel it" and "up for it" - but what do you feel you want to do or achieve? Have you looked up what the role is? Do you know how you would fit in to the running of the school? The relationship you would have with the other Governors? The head?

IrenetheQuaint · 10/05/2015 10:51

I'm not sure that being furious with an Ofsted rating is a great reason for becoming a governor. The governing body needs to work with the system, not fight it.

Original poster

Schooladviceplease2015 · 10/05/2015 11:33

You have just summarised everything I have already said - academically bright children, middle class area being let down by poor teaching and lack of progress!

Have been offered place at nearby outstanding school for DD but feel her school has so much potential and the children are being let down. Why moan when you can get involved?

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MyFirstName · 10/05/2015 11:47

How "involved" do you think a Governor gets?

TheWildRumpyPumpus · 10/05/2015 14:28

Our school holds elections for governors. Without fail people vote for their mates, not those who are best placed to assist in the board.

If you haven't even started at the school yet I'd be careful about marching in thinking you have all the answers, not the way to make friends.

PerpetualStudent · 10/05/2015 14:44

I've been a governor at a primary school for a year, not as involved as I could have been - so happy to be contradicted by more experienced people - but I think it's worth pointing out you'll be going into an established group of people who will have their own way of doing things. The first step for you might be chatting to exisitng governors and getting a feel for how they do things - will they welcome your forward-thinking crusading, or will you just annoy them & frustrate yourself?
Also, the thing that is drummed into me with all my training is that governors are only involved at a strategic level - you don't really get into the nitty gritty of what is taught - or when & how. My school is small & close knit, so the reality is individual teachers sometimes get discussed in relevance to HR issues (we're doing a restructure) but the offical line in my understanding is governors shouldn't be involved at the level of individual teachers, or individual teaching methods - so if you're wanting to hone in on the attainment of particular classes, a gov. role doesn't really give you a remit to do that.
There's a real push to professionalise the role of governors right now, so recrutment is looking a lot at skills & having a balanced govening body. It's a really interesting & rewarding role, but I'd be wary of seeing it as a place to set up your soapbox...

PerpetualStudent · 10/05/2015 14:47

Excuse typos - fat pregnant hands on phone!

Wigeon · 10/05/2015 14:57

I think people are being a bit harsh on the OP. Schools need enthusiastic and engaged governors. She sounds like she would be one. I think people are trying to tell you OP that as a governor you are part of a team (which includes the leadership of the school), and you may find it harder than you think to change anything. But this absolutely shouldn't put you off.

I would definitely say go for it (if there is a vacancy - if there isn't a parent governor vacancy you may be able to become a co-opted governor). In some schools there are never enough applicants to fill the places (eg my DD's school), so you don't need to be elected. In others, several parents want to be governors so you have to be elected.

I'd suggest you find out who the chair of governors is (should be on the school website, and either direct contact details will be on there, or the school can put you in touch with him/her), and ring them up for a chat. You will get a really good sense of the govenring body from him/ her.

The Ofsted report which gave RI should give you specific info on why it is RI and what it needs to do to improve. Not sure why you say it shouldn't be RI? The school should have a specific and detailed improvement plan in place (unless the Ofsted inspection was really recent?).

I write as a parent governor for the last 3 years. Do you have any specific questions about the role?

Original poster

Schooladviceplease2015 · 10/05/2015 15:09

I'm quite put off now. Maybe PTA is a better bet? I just thought that a passion to change things rather than whinge would be a good starting point to find out more.

I think you're right though - it's probably not the best way to settle in at a school or make friends and could potentially upset a lot of people better placed than me.

Me all over really! Feet first.

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Wigeon · 10/05/2015 17:38

Don't be put off! I think so much depends on the relationship between the head and senior leadership team, and the calibre of the chair of governors, and the ethos on the governing body, but if those are all right, then it could be great. Why not have a conversation with the the chair of governors to see if it sounds like you'd have something to contribute?

I do agree with other posters that you do probably need to manage your own expectations, but it would be a real shame if you felt like you couldn't contribute without even trying.

Original poster

Schooladviceplease2015 · 10/05/2015 17:51

I think I do tend to be very outspoken and I need to sit back a bit more and not be as like 'aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh let'd do something!'.

I think what I'm going to do is get onto PTA and slowly see if it's even the kind of thing I would be any good at.

I do have lots of experience in my profession - a lot of it that I think could transfer well.

We'll see.

I'm sorry if I've offended anyone. I'm new to all this school stuff.

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