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.

Governors should not be carrying out strategic analysis from data sets.
They may ask questions of senior leaders which require deeper investigation
Running data from SIMS is unlikely to be helpful for governors. Data is much more complex than that. It needs to be multiple characteristic data at pupil level to be really helpful- which senior leaders should already have looked at in detail and have prepared a data report on.

You could request that the school subscribes to NGA gold membership, as that gives unlimited use of their Learning Link training site on top of their standard offering. It's an excellent source of independent training to combine with the Welcome to Governance training the LA will offer (and charge for if the school hasn't taken out a training contract with them).

There may also be training through the education commission if it's an RC school. It's a useful adjunct to the other sources, but true independence is best demonstrated by the NGA.

@Honeywaffles1 I completely believe they rolled out the red carpet. These diversity campaigns just rile up ethnic minority groups. They use the pretence of getting more diverse leadership but what actually happens is they advertise this as some amazing way of making a massive difference, completely misleading the poor parents, and the school and chair are left to pick up the pieces. Add to that a springle of scaremongering about how the kids that look like you are doing really badly and we need you to help. The parents come to help and are surprised thats not their job. They think the school must be having them on, they must really be racist, because the LA told me I'll be making a difference and the school isn't letting me! They advertise it like you're going to be the saving grace of the BAME kids.
Can you understand why I hate diversity campaigns?

Sorry did not mean to cause offense @MarshaMelrose think anyone who is willing to volunteer is doing a great thing.

However we need more volunteers from a mix of backgrounds and perspectives.

If everyone is privileged, has access to more resources etc, we wouldn’t hear the views of those that really need help.

So definitely not putting down what you do, just that we need more of those who are underrepresented to be seen.

And that is why BAME isnt particularly helpful

Romanian, E. European, Brazilian may not be included within BAME.

White working class boys also massively underachieve.

Our school would definitely reimburse legitimate expenses, and if childcare is necessary in order for you to attend meetings, I don't see a problem with claiming for that. Whether you can afford to absorb the cost or not, a culture that excludes volunteers who can't afford to lose hard-earned cash in order to give their time is another limitation on the kind of people who can sit on a GB. It shouldn't be a privileged middle class enclave.

Well yes this is how I felt, I felt like it was my “duty” and the kids need someone who looks like them. So even if I have 100 other things to do, I felt it was only right to step forward.

Governors should not be carrying out strategic analysis from data sets.
They may ask questions of senior leaders which require deeper investigation
Running data from SIMS is unlikely to be helpful for governors. Data is much more complex than that. It needs to be multiple characteristic data at pupil level to be really helpful- which senior leaders should already have looked at in detail and have prepared a data report on.

Blimey, lots of "no, I'm right and you're wrong" on this thread.

Pulling data of SIMS (and CPOMS) for governors is a regular part if my day job at the outstanding secondary I work in.

And strategic analysis of that data is done in in my governor-link role and as part of full governors yearly at both schools I vice chair.

Schools may (and do) work differently. But maybe don't assume that your experience is the same as everyone's.

@DoubleDuvetDay Ethnic minority is whoever the ethnic minority is in that school. In some areas of the UK, that's white working class boys. There is a big misconception that BAME means just Black or Asian.

Another one saying that you clearly don't understand the role of a governor. Frankly it's pretty boring. It's about governance and strategy, not innovation and operational change.

I get it. Most people don't know what governors do, and think of the board as a step up from the PTA and with the head teachers ear. It isn't. It's there to check on the finances, legalities and (the boring bits of) strategy. So governance, not operational stuff. When your LA encouraged people to become governors, they clearly didn't describe the post accurately.

I'm on the board of trustees of a charitable organisation that I volunteer with, so basically the same role as a governor (I was a teacher before I retired and too I these roles). I was enthusiastic about joining the board and thought I'd be able to influence change and bring new ideas. I soon discovered that the reality is much more dry and boring. I had to wind my neck in very quickly and accept that it's our CEO (so the equivalent of your head) and staff who get to make operational decisions and lead innovation, and our job to check the budget and work with the CEO on broad strategy. Not day to day running.

The head is doing nothing wrong, the board is doing nothing wrong. You've just run at this like a bull at a gate, and your lack of understanding of the role is leading you to feel personally rejected when that's very unlikely to be the case.

In between meetings, unless governors are assigned to a particular role, not much happens. And it's the same with trustees. Frankly it's not an exciting job at all.

@Honeywaffles1 Yup, i can imagine. They also breed hate as they make it sound like no one else on that board is fighting for these kids. There are a lot of rich white people fighting for BAME kids and these campaigns diminish their efforts.
There does need to be much more diversity and inclusion, but these campaigns cause more damage than good.

100% my point. What kind of governing board is it going to be if even the parent governors aren’t representative of the average school parent or connected to their reality in any way? We don’t just need the cream at the top.

These class barriers need to be broken down and not advocating for genuine expenses to be considered to remove barriers to entry is a massive step back for all. Also I believe the LA can fund this if the school submits a request.

And yes, sorry but your "old, pale and stale' phrase is disgusting.

I'm retired, and yes, I'm a volunteer and on the board because I now have time to offer my skills voluntarily. When I worked, I didn't. And yes, I'm white. An accident of birth equal to yours being born black. An I supposed to apologise for it?
Stale? Far from it. I'm energised and passionate about what our organisation does. And though my trustee role is the least exciting bit of being involved, it's vital to the organisations existence, and the multiple training sessions that I've had have taught me a lot, and I want to learn more.

So spare those of us who don't fit your demographic, your insults.

I couldn't agree more, @Honeywaffles1. It's important for everyone of all backgrounds to see people they identify in positions of influence and respect so it becomes the status quo and not an exception. But remember, volunteering should be as enjoyable to the volunteer as it is useful to the organisation. So believe what people on here are telling you and think hard if this is really the role you want. Don't listen to those at the school who'll just tell you anything so you'll stay! A very common abuse of volunteers!!! 😏 Look for a role that is rewarding to you and not one that you actually are destined to despise. Again good luck. It's hard volunteering when you've got little kids and you're running a business so I really admire you and think the students are going to be very lucky. 🙂

Well I’m very glad I came on here before I did anything else or open up my fat gob.

Will just try to melt into the background now until I’m summons.

It’s a joke @saraclara its a phrased used a lot to describe boardroom, c-level execs and rooms of decision makers. And sadly an accurate description.

Yes you’re offended so imagine what my actual life is like.

That was the point that I was making.
Using generic terms isnt helpful.
Ethnicity is self declared and the group are very limited.
BAME is thrown about but is meaningless.

@DoubleDuvetDay True.

Hi @Honeywaffles1 I work in academy governance and am also a governor in an LA school.

I’m sorry your experience so far as a governor has been less than positive. Boards absolutely need to have people from a diverse range of backgrounds (age, ethnicity, education, gender, disability etc) to enable there to be diversity of thought on the governing body.

I’d recommend joining the Black Governors Network (website) Sharon Warmington the founder is fab. You could also look at joining the young governors network (definition of young is under 40) They are on Twitter. Listen to The Governors Podcast, run by a young (under 30) black, female entrepreneur and governor. Use The Key for School Governors if your school subscribed to it to read up on everything to do with school governance. Every Sunday eve on Twitter there is #ukgovchat where governors discuss various issues. There’s a big governance community on Twitter who are very generous with their expertise.

I’d urge you to stick with it if you can (and you feel you can add value). If I’m honest, the fact your school business manager clerks the meetings and it feels to you that the board just rubber stamps the headteacher’s ideas suggests to me that your school doesn’t have strong or effective governance. My guess would be the board needs a bit of a shake up and some clear guidance from the LA and the diocese as to what it should actually be doing.

Others are right, governors shouldn’t be doing the operational stuff and it sounds like the LA may have given the impression you would have the opportunity to be more involved or influential in operational decisions which isn’t the case but you can bring a different and new perspective to discussions (and there should be proper discussion at meetings not just comments agreeing with the Head) and your perspective and experiences can help the rest of the governing board to see things from a different perspective.

I really hope you stick with it, boards benefit from having new blood, even if it takes a while before you begin to see the impact of those new voices.

You aren’t in a room of decision makers however, not on day to day matters at any rate. You should do some of the training you’ve been offered.

I’m just upset to see that these barriers to get involved still exist.
What barriers? Paying for childcare? That would apply to all working parents.

If you don’t fit the box you’re not accommodated.
I don't think you haven't been accommodated. I think you've misunderstood the role.

So it’s a tick box exercise that sounds good but I can see why still the uptake is so low.
It's not a tick box, it's governance of strategic leadership. You have to go in with your eyes open to that being what it is. Certainly not a tick box.

It sounds like what you want to be is the head.

Which you aren’t.

Have you had to fight to achieve what you have? Probably
But you don’t have to bring the fight to every situation you are in.

Great advice from @BadgerButty there.

Sorry to hear that your experiences, so far, are somewhat disappointing.

Governing bodies are all different as as schools, heads and general dynamics.

From those where the body just rubber stamps the Head’s decisions to those in which the Head is a puppet and the Chair makes all the decisions including day to day ones and interferes in the classroom.

Both extremes are wrong. It can be hard in a situation where you can see things that are wrong and yet feel powerless to make changes.

I’m not sure whether your school is an academy, free school or state school. If it is the latter the LA should be providing governor training. These courses are useful and were usually on neutral territory so that you can question with little fear of things getting back. Ask to go on some. They should be free to you.

Academy or free school - a law unto themselves - almost literally.

When I was a governor we bought in clerking services from the LA. We go a lot of impartial advice and, as governors, were able to do a far better job. We got to hear about courses, minutes were prompt and accurate, we heard about neighbouring schools approaches to similar problems etc.