School governors are people who want to make a positive contribution to children’s education.

Governors are one of the largest volunteer forces in the country and have an important part to play in raising school standards. The role of the governing board is absolutely key to the effectiveness of a school. Time and time again Ofsted (the national inspection body for schools) has noted that the most effective schools demonstrate effective leadership and management - including by the governing board.

What do governors do?

School governors provide strategic leadership and accountability in schools. Governors appoint the head teacher and deputy headteacher. In some schools the site is owned by the governing board. It is governors who hold the main responsibility for finance in schools, and it is governors who work with the headteacher to make the tough decisions about balancing resources. Take a look at our role description, What do governors do?

Each individual governor is a member of a governing board, which is established in law as a corporate body. Individual governors may not act independently of the rest of the governing board; decisions are the joint responsibility of the governing board.  

The role of the governing board is a strategic one, with the three key functions:

  • Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure it's money is well spent
  • Holding the Headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and it's pupil
  • Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction

The headteacher is responsible for the internal organisation, management and control of the school and the implementation of the strategic framework established by the governing board. New to governance? Read more about being a governor in Welcome to Governance.

Who can become a governor?

Almost anyone over 18 years of age can become a governor. There are no particular qualifications or requirements, other than a willingness to give time to the role and a capacity for working with other people. There are different types of school with different categories of governor.

The types of state schools in England are:
  • community
  • voluntary controlled
  • voluntary aided
  • foundation
  • trust – a type of foundation school
  • academies, free Schools & City Technology Colleges (CTCs) – independent state funded schools

East Haddon CE Primary School is a voluntary controlled school.

There are also different categories of governor:
  • parent
  • staff
  • foundation
  • partnership
  • local authority

  • co-opted

The type of governor you will become depends on your situation; however all governors have the same roles and responsibilities once part of the governing board.

How do I become a governor?

If you think you have what it takes to be a school governor there are a number of ways of finding schools that have vacancies:

  • You can contact your local school to ask if they need a new governor
  • You can contact your local council
  • You can use the Inspiring Governance website