Top Tips For New School Governors

Be professional As a governor, you can help to ensure that children get the best educational experi-ence possible.. Headteachers run the school’s day-to-day activity and you’re just ther

Governors are a school’s employers in law and strategic leaders You should hold the operational leadership team (including the headteacher) to account, which you can only do by asking questions

But you must remember to be respectful

Be professional

As a governor, you can help to ensure that children get the best educational experi-ence possible

Make a di�erence!

Governors are in an ‘eyes on, hands o�’

position of keeping abreast of what the

school’s leadership is doing but not getting

involved Headteachers run the school’s

day-to-day activity and you’re just there to

remember the school’s vision and help to

steer it in the right strategic direction

Be strategic, not operational

Being a governor does mean a time

commitment Whether that’s in pre-reading

before meetings, attending meetings, visiting

the school or analysing reports, you must be

prepared to commit the time necessary to

make a di�erence to children’s lives

Commit time

Talking to pupils and sta� members is an ideal way

to get to know the school But governors are there to learn by observing so, if you’re in a lesson, you can’t make any judgements It’s important to not take any notes when you’re in a lesson as this could be uncomfortable for the teacher

Visit the school

Every decision that a governor takes must have a positive impact on outcomes for the school’s pupils You need to ensure best value and �nancial probity so keep the question “so what?” in mind at all times

Monitor and evaluate

It’s likely that you’ve been recruited as a governor because of your speci�c skills,

so you can’t be afraid to use those skills But you must remember the divide between strategic and operational

Use experience and skills

Governors must commit to working sel�essly for the best interests of the children in the school, and you need to declare and manage any con�icts

of interest

Manage con�ict of interest

Governors need to understand the views of all key stakeholders – those who have an interest in the school These could be the pupils, parents or carers, sta�, the local authority, Ofsted and so on You need to understand their views and consider how you’ll do this

Engage with key stakeholders

Nine top tips for new school governors

We understand that becoming a school governor can be a daunting experience

Here are nine top tips to help you to make a valuable contribution to your school in your new role.

Call 0333 300 1900 or email

information@entrust-ed.co.uk