What governors do

Governors are strategic leaders within schools and have a vital role to play in making sure every child gets the best possible education

The role of the school governor is demanding but very rewarding and is a great way to give back to your local community. Good schools need keen and committed governors.

The role of the school governor

Governing bodies have a strong focus on three core strategic functions:

• Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
• Holding the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils, and the performance management of the staff
• Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent

Each individual governor is a member of a governing board and all decisions are the joint responsibility of that board.

As a governor, you will attend meetings, review the associated paperwork to prepare questions and visit the school. You will also be expected to attend training and may be assigned a special responsibility, such as Development and Training, Safeguarding or Health and Safety.

No one governor is expected to know it all. The strength of a governing board lies in its ability to attract and rely upon members from a wide variety of backgrounds, share out the duties amongst its members, and be able to take decisions as a group. Diversity of perspectives on the board is very welcome.

Time commitment

We suggest about 20 to 30 hours per term, often in the evenings.

Governing boards have the freedom to organise their own structure and you may be involved in:

• prior reading of paperwork and the preparation of questions before meetings
• attendance at whole governing body and committee meetings
• visits to school
• special projects
• staff recruitment
• reviewing policies and the school’s budget

Skills required

The skills you need to become a governor include:

• commitment and interest in our children’s future and improving educational outcomes
• inquisitiveness to read paperwork, analyse and question
• the ability to assimilate information, make judgements and take decisions
• good inter-personal skills and the ability to work as a team
• a commitment of some time
• although not essential, governing boards may be looking for experience of areas such as education, finance, personnel, business, etc

Support and training

Your governing board will have an induction process for new governors. There is also plenty of training available locally covering all aspects of governance.

Benefits of being a governor

Being a school governor can be a very rewarding role. Here are some benefits that others have found:

• the knowledge that you are helping schools and pupils
• the satisfaction of giving something back to the community
• a sense of purpose and achievement
• new skills which may be transferable elsewhere
• broader horizons
• new friends and colleagues
• training and support to help you fulfil your duties and responsibilities

Case studies and stories

Being a school governor in Hampshire – Meet some of our Hampshire governors and find out how they got into governance and what they enjoy about the role. 

Governance for Schools Governor Stories - 32 school governors who shared their governor stories and learnt that while there’s no one type of school governor, what unites every volunteer is a desire to improve education for children.