Governors
What a governor does and how to become one.
What do school governors do?
School governors and trustees are strategic leaders. They 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 good governance.
Governors come from all walks of life: there is no requirement to be involved in education, or to be a parent. Indeed, governing boards seek a diversity of skills, experience and expertise across their membership.
The Role of School Governors and Trustees
Eligibility
To be eligible to volunteer as a governor in a school you need to:
- be aged 18 or over
- be willing to apply for a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check
- be willing to undertake safeguarding training
- not be disqualified under the relevant rules and regulations
Qualification and disqualification criteria for governors and associate members (pdf format, 47 KB)
What is the commitment?
- be prepared to commit time and energy to the work of the governing board
- be prepared to attend up to 6 full governing board meetings per academic year and committee meetings as required by the board. These meetings often happen outside of school hours
- be prepared to visit the school during the working day occasionally
- be able and willing to work as part of a team
- be willing to undertake training or briefing sessions
- be willing to share their knowledge, experience and skills for the benefit of the school as a whole
Time off work
School governors are legally entitled to a reasonable amount of time off work to fulfil their role. Employers can choose to pay staff for time taken off, but they don’t have to.
How to become a school governor
If you would like to be a school governor there are a number of ways of finding schools that have vacancies.
You can contact your local school directly, to ask if they have any governor vacancies. Follow the link to find local schools Oxfordshire schools search.
You can contact Inspiring Governance, a national charity which coordinates the recruitment of governors across the country.
You can contact Governors for Schools website, which provide a similar service as the one above.