Bishop Gore School

Special Educational Needs / Child Protection / Health and Safety /

 Governors

2017 - 2018

School governors

Becoming a school governor is one of the most important ways in which you can help your local school.

The governing body has a strategic role working with the headteacher to set the aims and objectives of the school, agreeing policies, targets and priorities to achieve the objectives and monitoring and evaluating the aims and objectives in order to promote high standards of achievement. The headteacher has day to day management of the school.

As a school governor, you will be part of a team. Individual governors do not act alone. It is only the full governing body that has legal duties and powers and all governors share that corporate responsibility.

School governing bodies play a key role in improving standards within schools. They:
• have a duty to promote the highest standards of educational achievement;
• must establish the strategic framework for the school; and
• must regularly review the progress made.

The three main roles of the governing body are:
1. The strategic role
2. The critical friend
3. The accountable role

The strategic role, along with the critical friend and accountable role, contributes to raising the standards achieved by both the school and its learners. Governors carry out their strategic role by providing a framework for what they decide the school should achieve.

 What are the benefits of being a school governor?

• The knowledge that you have played a part in improving children's education
• A chance to develop new skills and to practice existing ones, such as chairing meetings, speaking in groups, asking questions, making suggestions and appointing staff
• The opportunity to contribute your knowledge and skills to the team