Volunteer School Governor Essex

Are you looking for a skilled volunteering opportunity to support your career progression?  
 
As a school governor, you’ll operate at board-level and develop strategic leadership skills while improving education in your local community.  
 
We’re currently recruiting volunteers for schools in Essex to strengthen their governing boards and enhance pupil outcomes. If that could be you, read on to find out more about the role and how to apply. 
 
What difference will you make? 
 
Governors make decisions that affect schools and their pupils for years to come. Our recent impact survey found that our volunteers bring £9.9 million worth of value to schools each year, and 9/10 volunteers would recommend being a governor to a friend. The role gives volunteers ample opportunity for personal and professional development, including exposure to finance and budgeting, safeguarding, HR, strategic planning, and more. 

As a governor, you can visit the school to gain an understanding of the culture and ethos and to get the most out of the role. You’ll also have the opportunity to meet children, parents, and teachers, and see the impact of your work first-hand. 
 
What will you be doing? 
 
School governors are responsible for the strategic management of a school and make decisions about a wide range of issues. Governing boards are made up of representatives from the school, parents, the local authority, and the local community. 
 
The core responsibilities involved are: 

• Ensuring accountability  

• Acting as a ‘critical friend’ to the Head Teacher  

• Monitoring and evaluating the school’s progress  

• Budgetary allocation and control  

• Shaping plans for school improvement and overseeing their implementation  

• Setting the school’s aims and values  

• Appointing senior members of staff including the Head Teacher  

• The governing body is usually split into a small number of committees, each responsible for one area such as finance or pupil achievement. These committees will meet separately from the main governing body to discuss relevant issues in more detail. Discussion is then fed back at a full governing body meeting 

How to apply 

If you’re interested in becoming a school governor, fill out the short application form on our website: https://bit.ly/BecomeaSchoolGovernor. We have vacancies available across England and Wales, including the roles listed above in Essex. You can express your preference for location on the form itself. 

Skills

What are we looking for?

You don’t need to be a parent or have any specific skills/experience to become a school governor; as long as you’re over the age of 18, you can apply. Professional experience in areas such as HR, finance, law, or project management are useful, but soft skills such as leadership, communication, and problem solving are also great additions. Regardless of your age and skill set, your fresh perspective and lived experience can be invaluable to a school.