School Governors

School Governors - Your questions answered. What do governors do? What qualifications do governors need? How long are governors elected for? How much time does it take up? What makes effective governors? What about confidentiality? When do governors visit the school? How many meetings take place over the year? Will the Governing Body be inspected? What makes a Governing Body effective? Is there training for governors? Is there a helpline for governors? Is there a code of conduct for governors? Back to the governors main page.

What do governors do?
Governors have long played a part in the school system. They have a very important job to do. How well they do their job makes a substantial impact on the quality of education within the school. They are involved in

* deciding what is taught
* setting standards of behaviour
* interviewing and selecting staff
* deciding how the school budget is spent
* helping with policy making and monitoring progress
* communicating with parents through the annual report & parents' meeting
* playing a direct part in running the school and overseeing performance
* producing an Action Plan following an OFSTED inspection

Effective governors demonstrate a commitment to the school. They take their responsibilities seriously. They know of the school's concerns and plans for the future. They are ambassadors for the school. They value the staff and form a partnership with them. They support the parents at every opportunity....

.....but above all they care about the pupils.

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What qualifications do governors need?
No special qualifications are needed. What matters is common sense and an interest in the school. All governors are informed about their responsibilities.

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How long are governors elected for?
Governors are elected for four years. Some governors may choose not to serve their full four year term. Others may seek re-election after four years and serve for longer.

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How much time does it take up?
Governors are required to meet at least once a term, although our governors have agreed to meet twice each term as a full governing body. There may be extra meetings for special business, such as appointing a head or deputy head. There are other occasions when the various committees meet throughout the term. In addition there is a fair amount of reading to get through.

It is also important to get to know the school through regular visits. Governors are often invited to services and other school events.

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What makes effective governors?
The powers of governors as determined by law will be ineffective unless respect is earned. This comes from demonstrating a commitment to the school and caring about pupils, staff and parents.

Governors should not take management decisions which are to do with the day to day running of the school - this is the responsibility of the head.

Governors should always find something good to say about the school and speak positively about it in the community. They should be cautious about voicing criticisms until they know the school well. They should value the staff - who are the school's main resource - and remember to thank them when appropriate.

Governors should remember that they have no power to act as individuals, but only through the governing body. They should accept public responsibility for decisions taken by the full governing body and recognise their accountability to the annual meeting of parents.

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What about confidentiality?
The business of governors is not in general confidential. Their agenda, papers and minutes (once approved by the chair) must be available not just to staff and parents but also on request to any member of the public. There is no reason therefore why governors should not pass on information to non-governors provided they are scrupulously careful to keep their counsel on any classified items, to be discreet about the detail of discussion and how people voted, and be certain they are reporting accurately.

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When do governors visit the school?
Two governors are selected to make an "official visit" to the school each term. They usually do this together and have a structure and a purpose to the visit, focusing in on a particular area. The visiting governors then report back to the full governing body.

Individual governors have no automatic right to visit the school and in some schools problems have just occasionally been caused when over-enthusiastic governors who see their role almost as inspectors have assumed such a right and gone into schools without notice and without normal tact and courtesy.

Nevertheless, it is essential, if governors are to make wise decisions and be good ambassadors for the school, that they should see classes at work and be familiar with the school's everyday life. For this reason we do encourage and welcome regular visiting.

Whatever the circumstances for a visit, it is always courteous to confirm the proposed visit with the head and call to see him on arrival. If the visit involves looking at a particular subject or activity the head will have made sure the teacher(s) concerned know who is coming and why, what they will be interested in and what they hope to gain from the visit. Governors should be careful not to hinder or intervene in the teacher's work. At the same time any teacher will welcome genuine interest and questions as a means of gaining well-informed friends and enthusiasts.

As well as "official" visits, governors get invitations to services at Harvest, Christmas, Easter, End of Year, etc., as well as invitaions to any special events and occasions.

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How many meetings take place during a school year?
We try to be flexible on the number of meetings that we have. The following chart is more of a suggested guideline than an actual timetable. It is a good indication, however, of the number of meetings that take place.

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Will the Governing Body be inspected?
The Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) think it is very important that the governing body of a school is inspected as part of the school inspection process.

They say that where a school is well managed
(a) staff and governors have a long term view of where the school should be heading
(b) governors and staff have clearly defined responsibilities, with appropriate delegation
(c) governors, staff, pupils and parents are all clear about lines of communication

They say that where a school is unsatisfactorily managed
(a) staff and governors have little long-term vision for the school
(b) staff and governors are not clear what they are responsible for
(c) governors, staff, pupils and parents complain about inadequate communications

Furthermore, following the school's inspection, it is the governors responsibility to produce an Action Plan.

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What makes a Governing Body effective?
Governors may lack the "professional eye" but have been appointed precisely because they are not experts - to bring common-sense and everyday/ordinary experience to bear on professional decisions. The effective governing body is one which works for the good of the school in partnership with staff, children, parents and the local community. The aim of the governors is to improve the standards and quality of education in their school and they do this by actively engaging in "moving the school forward" and "influencing" the work of the staff. The effective governing body ensures that all of its roles shown on the following chart are addressed.

The DfES "Governing Bodies and Effective Schools" identifies the following features as making for an effective governing body:

Working as a Team - regular attendance .... energetic commitment .... sharing the workload .... give and take on individual issues .... loyalty to the final decision
Good Relationships with the Head - clear understanding of respective roles .... governing body is responsible for deciding the framework for the conduct and development of the school .... Head is responsible for day to day management and administration
Effective Time Management - Governing Body has a lot to do in a limited time .... identify priority issues in which it needs to be directly involved .... delegate the rest to committees, working groups or individuals
Effective Meetings - carefully planned agendas which focus on the most important items .... a clerk who can organise meetings and papers efficiently and provide information and procedural advice .... purposeful chairing

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Is there training for governors?
The LEA has a duty to make available such training as it considers necessary to any governor of the schools it maintains. Our LEA offers a wide range of courses and our governing body now also disposes over a modest sum to spend on their own support and training as they think best. There are numerous publications and guidance leaflets in school. Much of the training of governors, however, comes down in practice to learning the job by doing it. A great deal is learned from the example and advice of more experienced fellow-governors.

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Is there a helpline for governors?
Support is always on hand to help with any queries governors may have. The three main sources of help and information are: the school, the Local Education Authority and the National Governor Helpline.
Telephone: 812075and ask for the headteacherMr John Davison The Local Education Authority is based at County Hall, Morpeth.The main person who can give information and advice is our clerk to the governors Mrs Janet BurnsTelephone: 533616 The number for the National Governor Helpline is08000 722181

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Is there a code of conduct for governors?
Our governing body has agreed a simple code which all governors of Alexandra First School are expected to subscribe. The voluntary contribution which governors make to our school is greatly appreciated. The responsibilities which governors are asked to shoulder are, however, very considerable and wide ranging. It would therefore seem to be in everyone's interest that the broad framework within which governors act is made clear. Our twelve point code is as follows:

Governors should:-

1. Work to understand the needs of children, parents and staff and the wider community served by the school.
2. Support the agreed aims and objectives of the school and promote its interests in the wider community.
3. Endeavour to work cooperatively with other governors in the best interests of the school and the education of its pupils.
4. Treat other governors, staff, pupils and parents with courtesy and respect.
5. Respect majority decisions of the governors.
6. Objectively assess matters brought before the Governing Body as a critical friend.
7. Acknowledge that an individual governor (other than the Chairman or Vice Chairman so authorised) has no legal authority outside the meetings of the Governing Body and its Committees.
8. Acknowledge that an individual governor does not have the right, other than through the Chairman and with the governors' agreement, to make statements or express opinions on behalf of the governors.
9. Demonstrate honesty and good faith in matters pertaining to the Governing Body, by, for example, never using the position of governor to benefit him/herself or other individuals or agencies, and always declaring openly and immediately any personal or organisation conflict of interest arising from a matter before the governors or from any other aspect of being a governor.
10. Respect the confidentiality of any item deemed to be so by the governors.
11. Strive to enhance his or her effectiveness as a governor through training and other developmental activities.
12. Regularly attend the meetings of the Governing Body and its Committees.

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