School Governors
School Governors are volunteers who give their time to assist in providing the best possible education for the pupils of a particular school. The governing body is responsible for the general running of the school in partnership with the Headteacher and is supported by the local education authority.
Governors act as members of a corporate body and are accountable to the local
community and the parents. Governors are not experts in education but people
who are interested in the best for children in their area.
Who are they?
At Bow we currently have 14 Governors. They include 4 Parent Governors who have
been elected by the parents, a Teaching Staff Governor, a Non-teaching Staff
governor, the Headteacher, 3 Governors representing the LEA, a Governor representing
the Parish Council and 3 Co-opted Governors. There are 6,500 governors working
for the good of young people in Devon, Torbay and Plymouth schools.
Governing bodies have sub committees responsible for:-
How do they do this?
Governors can attend training from Devon Governor Services on the duties of Sub committees and other special courses such as Performance Management and Target Setting. There is a "Guide to the Law" produced by the DFEE for School Governors and regular Newsletters from Devon and DFEE. Sub Committees and Full Governors meetings are held regularly and Governors produce an Annual Report for Parents.
Could you be a governor?
Most Governors are appointed for a 4 year term of office. Most people are eligible
for election as school governors either as Parent Governors or as a Co-opted
or LEA Representative. The governing body regularly changes and you could put
your name forward The Headteacher or Chair of Governors can give you more details.
Governors must be over 18. They may only serve on two governing bodies. People
who are bankrupt may not serve as governors nor may people who in the previous
five years have been sentenced to three months or more in prison (whether suspended
or not) without the option of a fine.