Are you interested in being a Parent Governor?
There is currently a vacancy for a parent governor on the governing body of your child’s school. Parents or carers of students attending the school (including the sixth form) are invited to apply. This includes any person who is not a parent of a child but who has parental responsibility for him/her or who has care of the child.
What do School Governors do?
Governors play an important part, in conjunction with the Head Teacher and staff in the running of the school. Becoming a Parent Governor would allow you to have input into the work of the school and bring a parent’s view to the discussions. The Governing Body:-
- Is accountable for the performance of the school.
- Appoints the Head Teacher and Deputy Head Teacher.
- Is involved in deciding on the aims, ethos and future direction of the school.
- Make decisions on the school’s budget and staffing.
- Is responsible for ensuring that the National Curriculum is taught.
- Determines policies on matters such as discipline, sex education and religious education.
Do I need to be an expert?
No, you don’t need to be an expert or have any special qualifications to become a School Governor, although you do need to be aged 18 or over. More importantly, we are looking for people who are enthusiastic, interested in the education of children, willing to learn and prepared to commit some time to the important, interesting and rewarding task of governing a school. The important thing to remember is that you would not be making decisions in isolation, but would be working as part of a team.
Would there be any training available?
There is an expectation that new governors will attend induction training and that they should also have an ongoing commitment to attend other development courses during their term of office. All training is paid for by the school. There will be no charge to individual governors. New governors are also provided with a welcome pack, including useful information and resources to assist them in their role.
How much time would I be expected to give?
Nunthorpe’s full governing body meets six times a year. There may sometimes be additional special meetings of the governing body and you will also be expected to be a member of at least one or two smaller committees that meet regularly. Governors are also encouraged to get to know the school in more informal ways and to occasionally visit during the school day. The average monthly commitment for a governor is estimated as 6-8 hours.
Who else is on the Governing Body?
There are 19 governors in total at Nunthorpe School, made up as follows:-
6 parent governors
3 governors appointed by the Local Authority.
3 staff governors (including the Head Teacher).
5 community governors (appointed by the governing body)
2 partnership governors (appointed by the governing body)
How long would my appointment last?
Your appointment would be for a period of four years. After that time, the nomination process takes place again and existing parent governors may apply for a further term of office if they are eligible. If a child of a Parent Governor leaves the school, the governor can complete the term of office, unless he/she chooses to resign.
So how do I become a Parent Governor?
If you want to become a Parent Governor, you should contact Laura Buckell at the school on 01642 310561. She will be able to send you a nomination form by post or e-mail. Your nomination needs the backing of two other parents/carers from different families.
YOUR SIGNED FORM SHOULD BE RETURNED TO THE SCHOOL IN A SEALED ENVELOPE MARKED “NOMINATION OF PARENT GOVERNOR” NO LATER THAN FRIDAY 15 OCTOBER 2010.
If there is more than one applicant a ballot will be held and all parents will be sent a ballot paper. If only one person applies, he/she will automatically be elected.
Disqualifications and Checks
There are certain circumstances, which would disqualify a person from becoming a governor. These are given in detail on the back of the nomination form and you should read these and sign the declaration, which also gives permission for us to check your details against the Independent Safeguarding Authority’s Children’s Barred List (the list of people barred from working with children and young people). The successful candidate will also be asked to complete an application form for an enhanced disclosure from the Criminal Records Bureau.
Further details
If you have further queries, which have not been answered, please contact either the school or the School Governor Support Service on the telephone number shown above.
- PDF – 164kb
Parent Governor – September 2010
Your comments
Stephan Harris – Parent Governor said on 28/09/10
I would advise all parents to take up this opportunity, it is an ideal way to have your views raised on your childs education and contribute to the decision making within the school.
Please take this opportunity, if you would like to discuss this any further please contact me.
Stephan Harris, existing Parent Governor