Why are parents needed on the governing body?

The governing body is made up from governors who represent the community served by the school, especially the families who use it, but also the wider public who pay for it and whose quality of life is affected by it.  To achieve the right balance on a governing body, there are different categories of governors representing different groups of the school’s community (also known as ‘stakeholders’) and each category is either appointed or elected onto the governing body.  Parent governors are needed on all schools governing bodies, as parents play a major part in the schools community.

In our school the categories of governor are ...

• Staff governors (elected by school staff)
• LEA governor (appointed by LEA)
• Coopted governors (appointed by the governing body from the local community)
• Parent governors (elected by parents)

And the role of a parent governor ...?

The role of a parent governor is no different to that of the other governors; they have the same equal status and role to fulfil. The governors from each ‘stakeholder’ category are representative of the stakeholder groups, not representatives of the stakeholder groups. They cannot be mandated by any group to take any particular course of action or decision.  The first loyalty of all governors should be to their school, and the community it serves.

What does being a governor actually involve?

Time

Prospective governors should consider that they must be able to take time to attend meetings and read necessary papers beforehand. Meetings at Camrose are held in the morning, starting usually at. 8 30, and in the evening, starting usually at 6 00. You should expect to attend about 6 meetings each term. If you take part in a working group this number could increase.