Parent governor for a secondary school

[tostaky]

I am wondering whether to apply…
i was a parent governor in pre-school and it felt very much like a token role.
This role would for a non- expert parent (ie not safeguarding or finance) though i do have considerable safeguarding experience.
i dont know how much work realistically it would be and i am not sure how much this experience can be “monetised” on the job market afterwards (i work in children mental health at a lower level due to re-training but i have considerable professional experience in other areas and i would like to fast travk my career and move up the ladder to a position more in line with my age/level of experience)
I have done lots of volunteering over the years for a variety of reasons (ie: just to get out of the house, to be part of the community, to give back to the community, to trial an interest, to gain some experience)
My children attend the school and we are fairly happy with the school. They are all SEND (one with EHCP) When i read the statement of people applying for parents givernors role, it seems like there are very few parents applying who have children with SEN needs. Or is it that they dont want to put it forward on their statement to protect the child privacy? I mean just saying that you have children with special needs and understand the EHCP process is not too outing i feel?

What is the school structure?

If its an academy trust school and this is a local governing board, you can look at the scheme of delegation and terms if reference to see what the expectations are. Generally a lot of decisions are made at trust level and a local board us more a monitoring role.

Im not sure it can be monetised other than giving examples of difficult decisions, or working at a strategic level.

In terms of work you will have approx 6 -9 meetings a year, each has pre reads, compulsory training and school visits. It isnt spaced evenly but 5 hours a month might cover it.

I think having a child with an ehcp would be a personal thing not everyone would want to share.

As a parent governor you are there as a representative parent rather than a parent representative. So you are bringing your experience, whilst focusing on the strategic issues that affect the school. You’re not bringing the issues of the parent body to the table.

I’m a parent governor on a LGB for a secondary school and find it hugely rewarding. Takes up more than 5 hours a month though but it’s a bit of a ‘how long is a piece of string’ role. Minimum attendance is the meetings 5-6 times a year with a lot of pre reading.

Why not chat to the current incumbent and see what they think?

That is what i was trying to say, i can bring the experience of being a parent of SEN kids. It was not my plan to advocate for SEN provision or to represent all the parents of SEN kids (which would be a minefied!)
it is not an academy, it is a free school / foundation school.

In that case there will be more decisions resting with your board.

I think its rewarding and its good to have parents with different experiences.