School Governor – Cornwall

Do you want to be inspired by the impact of education? Schools across the Cornwall area are looking for skilled volunteers to support local education by becoming school governors.

What will you be doing?

Governing bodies are responsible for the strategic management of a school and will make decisions about a wide range of issues

The core responsibilities involved are:

• Ensuring accountability
• Acting as a ‘critical friend’ to the Head Teacher
• Monitoring and evaluating the school’s progress
• Budgetary allocation and control
• Shaping plans for school improvement and overseeing their implementation
• Setting the school’s aims and values
• Appointing senior members of staff including the Head Teacher

The governing body is usually split in to a small number of committees, each responsible for one area such as finance or pupil achievement. These committees will meet separately from the main governing body to discuss relevant issues in more detail. Discussion is then fed back at a full governing body meeting.

A school governing body is made up of representatives from the school, the parents, the local authority and the local community.

What are we looking for?

You don’t need any specific skills or experience to be a school governor. You must be over 18, but you don’t need to be a parent or have experience working in education. Often, it’s the outside perspective you can bring that a school needs.

Professional experience in areas such as Education, HR, finance, law, or project management are all useful to a school. But soft skills such as leadership, great communication, working as a team, and problem solving are also great additions.  Experience in supporting local community is also a benefit to schools.  Governing bodies are keen to ensure that they reflect their local area and so they are keen to ensure their members reflect the culture and community of the Cornwall area.

What difference will you make?

Governors make decisions that affect schools for years to come. Our recent impact survey found that our volunteers bring £9.9 million worth of value to schools each year, and 9/10 volunteers would recommend being a governor to a friend.

As a governor, you can visit the school to gain an understanding of the culture and ethos and to get the most out of the role. You’ll also have the opportunity to meet children, parents, and teachers, and see the impact of your work first-hand.

Before you apply

You will need to complete an application form and will have an interview with the school. DBS checks will be taken up and schools will undertake safer recruitment activity in line with their safeguarding protocols.

For more information, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@boardsforeducation.org.uk