What’s involved in the role?

The school Local Governing Body’s main tasks are:

• To ensure the school has a clear vision, ethos and strategic direction.
• To hold the Headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its students.
• To oversee the financial performance of the college and ensuring its money is well spent.

The role is often described as being a ‘critical friend’ – offering support whilst not being afraid to question and challenge, holding the leadership to account.

Being a governor is a voluntary position, i.e. unpaid. However, you can choose to claim travel expenses.

What time commitment is needed?

You will be expected to attend the full meeting of the LGB and one or two of sub-committees every term. These meetings usually take place at the school and last for two to three hours on a weekday evening. You will need time to read the papers beforehand and to plan any questions or comments you wish to make during the meeting.

You will also need time to undertake training for the role. Much of this can be via online courses, but there are also opportunities to attend courses in person.

There are also additional daytime activities you may be invited to participate in. (These are not compulsory, as we appreciate that governors have other commitments). These could include helping on specific projects, sitting on interview panels or attending a school event.

How does this work with the current covid restructions?

Due to the current Covid-19 restrictions, we are holding governor meetings via online video conferences. All papers are shared via our online hub as usual.

What skills and experience do you need?

Above all else, you need to be committed to the school and want to make a difference to young people’s lives. If you have experience of governance or education, that is useful, but full training and support is given. This will include in house mentoring and support from the governing body members as well as access to external governor training.

If you have experience in any of the following areas that could be useful:

• The world of education, particularly student progress.
• Monitoring progress against KPIs.
• Leadership and management.
• Human resources and organisation development.
• Finance

Please note that this is a strategic, rather than operational role, working within the parameters of the Local Governing Body and its Scheme of Delegation within the Trust.

The governing body also consists of representatives from the staff and parents/carers. This ensures we have a wide range of skills and experiences.

What are the benefits of being a governor?

As a governor, you can make a meaningful difference to your local community and give something back. You can also gain the opportunity to further develop your existing professional skills with an organisation that really benefits from them, and you can gain valuable experience for your own development.

Who is eligible to be a Community Governor?

There is a statutory limit to the number of local authority associated governors who are either currently directly employed by Sheffield City Council or current or recent city councillors. You will need to declare this on your application.

What happens next?

If you want to put yourself forward for a Community Governor position, please complete the application form on this webpage and return it by email to: info@chorustrust.org  by the deadline of 18th April 2021. We will then be in touch with you to arrange a phone conversation to discuss your application.

 

The role of a School Governor

Governors are one of the largest volunteer forces in the country and have an important part to play in raising school standards.  Silverdale Governing Body is part of Chorus Education Trust. The Trust Board is absolutely key to the effectiveness and strategic direction of the Trust, as are the school Governing Bodies to the individual school communities within the Trust.

Trustees and School Governors provide strategic leadership and accountability. For more details visit the National Governor’s Association website. For full details of the governance of Chorus Education Trust visit their website here.