How often do your Governers get elected?

[ListersSister]

Are there elections every year? Are there lots of candidates?

I can't remember when our last elections were, but potential Governers all submitted very extensive and impressive CV's. Seems just being a parent is not enough - you either have to have high level experience in business or have the right address and the right friends .

Anyone else feel like this or am I alone as well as bitter?

[LaidbackinEngland]

There were candidates in my kids school governor elections for four posts.

I think the terms of office are every 4 years...so whenever someone has completed their term (or earlier if they resign.)

Most people elected did have some sort of business expereince - but maybe it was more about how they evidenced their skills in a more professional and impressive way.

[mrz]

School governors are drawn from different parts of the community, such as parents, the Staff, the Local Education Authority, the Community and other groups. This helps to ensure that the governing body has sufficient diversity of views and experience but does not mean that governors of a particular category "represent" that group on the governing body. For example, Parent Governors do not act as a representative of the parents at the school and do not report back to them.

Categories of Governors
Depending on the category (Community, Foundation, Voluntary Controlled, Voluntary Aided) of the school, the governing body will be made up of different numbers and categories of governors. Follow the link in Background Reading below to the GovernorNet article "Categories of School Governors" which gives detailed information. In brief, there are the following categories of school governor:

• Parent governors - selected by election (or appointment if insufficient people stand for election) and drawn from parents and carers of children at the school.
  
• Staff governors - selected by election from teaching and support staff paid to work at the school
  
• Community governors - appointed by the governing body to represent community interests
  
• LEA governors - appointed by the LEA
  
• Foundation governors (not community schools) - appointed by the school's founding body, church or other organisation named in the school's instrument of government
  
• Partnership governors (foundation schools only) - replace Foundation governors if the school does not have a founding body
  
• Sponsor governors - discretionary category appointed by the governing body from individuals who have made significant (financial) contributions to the school
  
  www.governornet.co.uk/linkAttachments/ACF70EC.pdf

[LordGodAlmighty]

You serve for a four year term, I am half-way through mine. As far as the election goes, we had a 50-word personal statement and I don't think anyone put on it what their outside school job or interest was, it was more about what they thought the priorities were for the school and what they would do.
But we are not a very middle class school.