School Governors
Every state school has a Governing Body, consisting of specified
numbers of various categories of governors depending on the type
and size of school. All governors are unpaid for their work, though
they may receive payment for expenses.
- Parent Governors, ideally of children at the school;
- Staff Governors, members of the school staff;
- Authority Governors, nominated by the County Council;
- Community Governors, members of the local community;
- Foundation, Partnership and Sponsor Governors, representatives
of any sponsoring bodies.
You don't need to have a child at a school
to become
a school governor (external link).
Roles and responsibilities
The headteacher of the school is responsible for day-to-day
management of the school. The role of the Governors is
to make decisions about longer term issues. This is known
as Strategic management. Governors act as a "critical friend",
supporting the work of the headteacher and other staff.
Schools generally have a budget to cover salaries, running
costs, maintenance and equipment; the Governing Body is responsible
for managing this budget. They can decide how many and what types
of staff to employ, which equipment to upgrade or replace and what
the priorities are for new projects.
Governors appoint the headteacher, and may also be involved
in the appointment of other staff.
Governors also have a role in:
- monitoring the school's progress
- setting annual targets for the school's performance
- Setting targets for the headteacher
- ensuring that the headteacher sets targets for other staff
- reviewing school exclusions
Foundation schools, Voluntary Aided schools and Academies act as
their own admissions authorities. In these schools the
governing body sets the admissions policy, makes admissions
decisions and defends admissions appeals.