Primary Governor and not enjoying it

[Honeywaffles1]

Due to a local council initiative to increase the representation of ethnic minorities on school boards, I had submitted an application to be a governor.

I believe that the school appointed me in an effort to appease them, but they haven't done anything to make me feel welcome. ignoring emails for weeks and failing to schedule meetings on the part of the head.

For more context, let me say that I run a successful business, am still relatively young, innovative, and outspoken about the challenges I face as a BAME woman in business.

I provide mentoring at nearby universities and aid the local government in its efforts to help young people from non-traditional backgrounds break into the workforce. So I know I have something to give.

I've offered to organise career days to increase aspirations or to use my connections with neighbourhood businesses to raise money through fundraising.

Over 50% of students receive free meals at school, and many kids live in unstable homes, making it a fairly deprived area.

Additionally, school governors are typically permitted to deduct reasonable expenses; however, the school business manager has stated that this is not the case, essentially telling me I must pay them for the after-school club. As a result, I am now spending my own money to volunteer at the school.

How would you respond? I was so eager to contribute, but now I just feel purposefully left out.

I now believe that's the reason you don't see faces like mine serving as school governors because I'm not wanted.

Why don’t YOU get the PTA up and running?

What is the point of local governments doing so much to attract black governors but then leaving us in the dark about how to champion diverse communities? They don't want you to 'champion diverse communities', they want to make the governing bodies more representative which is a good thing, but the role of governor is to help the school.

That's totally irrelevant to the functions of the board of governors, though. It's like having an incredibly talented tap dancer turning up for a gig when they advertised for a harpist, and then copping a strop when they've failed to add a dancing penguin routine to the middle of Fauré's Requiem.

You will have transferable skills, but you need to learn to transfer them, not impose what you like doing onto them.

there is no PTA or anything for the parents, otherwise I would have joined it and got on with it over there.

You could start a PTA and use it to try and engage some of the people you feel need to be more involved with the school, and put your fundraising contacts to good use at the same time.

@Meadowbreeze I haven't made any noise. Apart from sharing it with you, the good people of Mumsnet, I haven't expressed any of this publicly. Which I'm glad I did because I've avoided any embarrassment thus far, aside from my 2/3 follow-ups, which may have irritated the business manager, but she is the one who organises governor communications, etc.

Finally, I didn't mean to offend; they just haven't given me a proper induction to the school and what they require. I've just been thrown in at the deep end. No explanation and gentle easing in so you can appreciate how I am not fully understanding what is happening/why I feel a little in the dark.

Not talking about BAME as a group is a good start! What is the A for example? There is historic underachievement of some ethnic groups but not of all. Sex, vulnerability, EAL, SEND and deprivation also significantly impact. Headline data rarely gives an accurate picture (data gives lines of enquiry not answers).

EAL isnt BAME. Progress of EAL pupils for example from KS2-KS4 is actually strong nationally (and so can mask the underachievement of other groups in P8). Lots of EAL pupils are not BAME (again depends on how you define BAME and there is no agreed definition linked to pupil characteristics level data)

BUT

Progress isnt really what matters. However much progress you make if you don't attain a GCSE in English and maths age 16 your educational future and so life chances are severely restricted. If you do not meet the expected standard at the end of KS2 you are unlikely to get a GCSE in English and mathematics but your progress could compare favourably to the national.

@Honeywaffles1 'What is the point of local governments doing so much to attract black governors but then leaving us in the dark about how to champion diverse communities?'

Because they need to be seen as doing something and diversity adverts do just that. Trouble is they mislead you as to your role. It's not the role of the governor to 'champion diverse communities'. They just want a governing body that represents the school population well, which is great. However, there is no/little support to the underlying problems these communities face and it's mostly virtue signalling.
It's like you getting this role, without as much as having the role explicitly explained, let alone completing the course, and now it just leads to pissed off/ and or disappointed parents.

@ClocksGoingBackwards I'm new to this, and I was wondering why there isn't a school council or a PTA. I assumed that most schools would have this.

According to what I've heard, the parents did not want to do it.

So if someone could just set it up that way, I wouldn't mind doing this at all.

@Meadowbreeze yes I basically had the red carpet rolled out by the LA who seemed under a lot of pressure to get responses from ethnic minorities to be governors.

Seemed like a big problem for them. It’s been in the papers and lots of PR campaigns to get parents on-board even suggesting going to the Arabic/Somali etc community centres to really get engaged with community leaders.

‘So if someone could just set it up that way, I wouldn't mind doing this at all.’
That SOMEONE is you. Don’t expect other people to do everything for you, do it yourself.

But surely the OP had some responsibility for researching what the role of a governor was before applying or could have taken the initiative to ask for more information from the LA/school? And it is also the responsibility of the OP to ensure that she attends the training offered to her - she says it is only on Zoom but this is fine and normal and it is completely unacceptable to complain about a lack of a welcome when she hasn't even taken up the LA training.

@Honeywaffles1 I'm glad you haven't and I'm glad you've had some great replies on here. It does sound like your start has been poor, but it's best to contact the chair about this, not the school. They're your best bet. We didn't really have inductions for governors. They were expected to attend the course with the LA and most learned at the meetings. When I presented the budget, some of the new ones would ask questions which I was always happy to answer. Once you get your role, it will be more clear how you can help. For example with SEND you would meet the SENCO and learn more about the SEN population.
I would also try to learn what BAME is in your school, especially the minority ethnic bit as that changes from school to school. Many people assume BAME is black and Asian but actually in the school I worked in the majority was Eastern European kids as they were the ethnic minority. Even within black communities, our strategies were much different for the kids of Caribbean heritage Vs african. This is why I advised you to listen and observe for a while. You will learn the struggles the school has and see if some of your skills are transferrable. You will quickly learn that many fires are put out on a daily basis at school, and those great suggestions are not because people don't want to try them, but simply do not have the time or money to. I set up a PTA in a school with 70% FSM. It is hard but it sounds much more like something you'd enjoy.

It can be hard to get used to the pace of governance sometimes. Because your role is strategic, it's easy to get the impression that everything moves at a glacial pace, and you might wonder why you're even there. This isn't always true (though sometimes it is!), but if you have your own business you'll be used to getting things done. You will need to learn how things are done in a school environment, which might be frustrating for you, but there's not much room for mavericks in this game. It's often frustrating for senior staff too.
It's not the head's role to be divvying up governor duties at all; the chair should be asking you about your experience, strengths and interests in order to find the most appropriate areas of responsibility for you.

“…………..I must pay them for the after-school club. As a result, I am now spending my own money to volunteer at the school.”

Welcome to the world of education!

@MsFogi I agree but I'm just trying to help. No point being critical now, seems like OP has had a lot of new info in one evening. Hopefully she'll take up the training.

That SOMEONE is you. Don’t expect other people to do everything for you, do it yourself.

@Tweedledeeanddum whats with the attitude? I’ve been as proactive as I can be. I certainly didn’t know I could just set up the PTA nor even had discussions with anyone to know that.

You really need to wind your neck in as I have had good intentions and have come here for advice.

Did not know simply trying to get involved would cause so much drama.

I haven’t expected anyone to do anything, I don’t know where you’re getting this information from. I’m very proactive when it comes to suggestions I wouldn’t mention something for someone else to do if I wanted to make it happen. Makes no sense

When mine were at school the head only wanted governors who were nodding donkeys. The vicar chair withheld letters from unhappy parents. It was just finance which was sorted out between the church and a Bank manager governor

Fast forward many years grandchildren at primary school not much different. Covid meant zoom calls only. Three in two years during lockdown era. Head has decided to stick to zoom calls. The website names governor's from 2016. A councillor neighbour who was a governor resigned in exasperation. The school haven't replaced the leavers.

It's pretty much a waste of time. The head fell out with the PTA so that's disbanded. Shame they raised a lot of money for school equipment. Around 11k a year which for a small school was good

First of all I think it's great to you want to get involved in the school. You sound like a very motivated, practical person.

From reading this, though, it seems like you're taking offence where none is intended. You're just starting off in a voluntary position and you have certain expectations of what it entails. You're annoyed because it's not panning out so far how you thought it would. People are just pointing out that it will never pan out how you think because the job you think you're volunteering for doesn't exist. The role is completely different from what you think. So if you carry on expecting the role you thought it was going to be, you're going to carry on being very frustrated. Maybe it's better to bail out now rather than keep getting frustrated, and put your considerable energy, talent and enthusiasm into another role to help improve the lives of children that is a better fit

One thing, though, as an older, white person who volunteers, I think its pretty rude to be labelled pale and stale. I have read that the term BAME is offensive, although there sees no derogatory intention the acronym, so I don't use the phrase in order to avoid giving offence. Calling people who give up their time to try to help out schools 'stale' seems as if you're going out if your way to be offensive really. You might not realise that, though, so I just thought I'd let you know.

All the best, don't give up volunteering and I hope you can find a role that gives you satisfaction and a chance of exploit your strengths. We need more volunteers like you.

There is historic underachievement of some ethnic groups but not of all. Sex, vulnerability, EAL, SEND and deprivation also significantly impact. Headline data rarely gives an accurate picture (data gives lines of enquiry not answers).

Headline data is routinely shared with governors year-in-year out. Then governors burrow under the surface with some strategic analysis.

And while non-white-brirish demographics isn't a standard reporting group, the data is right there are SIMS and very simple to extract. It can also be reported via CPOMS for referrals.

The data is there and not difficult to provide, if requested for a FGB agenda item from an interested governor. Neither of the schools I governor for nor the school I work for would have had a problem with an interested governor wanting info on specific groups of students in this way.

Oh, and I think the A in BAME stands for "and".

@Meadowbreeze Thank you for all of your help. Sounds like you're doing a fantastic job, and wow, 70% FSM has never heard of such a statistic before. It must be a harsh environment.

I will reign it in and take it at their pace now, will just take some time to learn more about the schools problems and needs.

Will also pay those after school club fees for those that were so offended, still disagree that volunteers especially those who are single parents, giving up their time have to pay for the privilege. It’s not right IMO 😂😂😂

It stands for Asian which isnt a defined group

No they don't. Mileage is pretty much the only thing you can get reimbursed, and most people don't claim that as they know schools are on their knees financially.

I was a primary school governor a decade ago; childcare was my problem, not the school's.

It stands for Asian which isnt a defined group

I did say "think", I don't ever use the term myself. I am aware it is not a defined group. I mirrored the language the OP used, for the sake of politeness.

Still holds that the data is already collected via SIMS, pulled through to CPOMS, Edukey and all the other programs used.

So extracting and providing data to governors upon request is neither unusual nor unexpected. A regular aspect of school management, in my experience.

100%!

Ask teachers and TAs how much they buy for their own classrooms, students and how much personal time they 'volunteer' so the students can have discos, after school clubs, proms, out of hours/overnight trips.

I really don't think OP has a clue, frankly, and I think I get why the Head might be frustrated with her.

@Eupraxia the LA training uses the term “BAME” I have attended some trainings that went into further detail into what our city demographics for this were.

Did not use it in a way to offend, nor find it offensive either. We can delve further into it when we need to.

For example we have a lot of Romanian, E. European, Brazilian families here, also refugees so each area had their own mix of people.