School governors help to make sure children receive a high standard of education, and achieve their full potential. They work with headteachers to support and improve schools.
There are four kinds of school governors in maintained schools:
- elected governors
- co-opted governors
- foundation governors
- local authority governors
If you want to become a governor for:
- an elected or co-opted school then you should apply directly to the school.
- a foundation school you should apply to the appropriate diocese (this is for church schools),
- a local authority school then you should apply to us - you’ll be invited to talk about your application with one of our governor services representatives, a governor and/or a headteacher
Governors of academies are appointed by the Academy Trust Members. If you would like to be a governor or Trustee in an academy you should approach the school directly.
Be prepared to explain the skills and attributes you think you could bring to being a governor or Trustee.
Your role as a school governor
You’ll be part of a governing body. Each body has between 10 to 21 people. They are responsible for:
- agreeing development priorities
- setting targets
- agreeing policies and practice
- agreeing an annual budget
- appointing the headteacher and other senior staff
- developing services to meet a school’s needs as part of the wider community
Apply to become a local authority school governor
If you want to be a local authority governor, you can contact us by email at governor.services@bcpcouncil.gov.uk to check if there are any current vacancies before completing our application form.