When to contact a school governor?

[Ioverslept]

Hi, please could people give me examples of cases/situations in which you would contact a school governor (not the chair) directly as a parent? Or if you would contact a school governor in a different capacity that I can't think of, please I'd be interested to know too!

You need to check the school complaints procedure. It will be on the school website.

Typically class teacher first, headteacher next, Chair Of Governors if not resolved by that point.
Or Chair of Governors if it is connection with the headteacher and by contacting the head you would be compromising any investigation of the complaint.

Not likely that the complaints policy includes individual governors.

It wouldn't be usual to contact a school governor, other than the chair, about anything.

If you have a complaint, you should follow the complaints procedure.

If you have another matter that you think should be drawn to the attention of the governing body, it should be addressed to the Chair, the Clerk or possibly the Headteacher, depending on the nature of the issue.

As a governor, I wouldn't ever expect to be contacted directly by a parent about anything.

No reason to contact a governor directly.

The school complaints policy will be based on this Department fir Education, government guidance. Unless an academy and independent school.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-complaints-procedures

Thanks, that's what I thought. Asking as a governor. I think it is a bit tricky being a parent governor, some people are a bit quick to raise their concerns informally.

As an individual governor I would tell any parent who contacted me to go through the proper procedure. I was in fact once tackled in the playground by a parent who wanted to challenge me about a staff member who was leaving. She was very rude and I was very cold and certainly wasn't going to share anything I knew.

Any governor who did get involved is not only going to get into trouble with the chair for not following process, but will also be conflicted out of taking part in any part of that process, including an appeal.

If anyone contacts you directly with a complaint then you can’t be part of investigating it officially… put your hands over your ears and tell them you can’t listen and they should contact the school in the first instance.

I used to be a school governor. If people try to raise concerns informally, politely tell them that you are unable to comment or act, and they should follow the school's policy to raise any issues with the appropriate person/people. That may or may not be the Governing Body. Do not express even the mildest personal view to these parents - everything must be done properly.

This is one of the reasons why I chose not to be a parent governor tbh!

You just need to explain that it isn't your role to deal with individual parent concerns, and that any issues need to be raised informally with the school in the first instance and then through the formal complaints procedure if necessary. Just keep repeating as required - "I'm sorry, it isn't my role as a governor to help you with that, you'll need to go through the appropriate channels".

They will get the message eventually.

Your role, by election or appointment, is to be representative of the parent stakeholder group, but you are not their representative to take their issues and allow them to circumnavigate the complaints process.

Your role is strategic (strategic direction of school development, financial probity and challenge of the headteacher analysis) and not operational. The headteacher is the operational lead of the school and parental issues should be directed through the operational.hierschv of the school. If an issue cannot be resolved and needs Governor intervention, then the process will be defined in the complaints policy.

The fact you have raised this shows you are doing a good job. Good governors ask lots of questions.

As the previous poster said, your role is strategic and not operational. Also, governors do not act alone, they act as a body. Your response would always be that parents need to raise concerns or complaints directly with the school.