School Governor

Cotswold Beacon Academy Trust

Cainscross Road, Stroud, GLOS, GL5 4HE

Email: recruitment@cbat.academy

School Governors – Marling School

Make a Difference to your Community!

Thank you for showing an interest in becoming a Governor at Marling School, an 11-16 Grammar School for boys with a co-educational sixth form in Stroud. Marling School is a member of the Cotswold Beacon Academy Trust (CBAT) whose audacious goal is to create:

A world class family of schools, harnessing a culture of excellence in education, whilst celebrating individuality.

In order to help us achieve our goals for our children and young people, we are looking for dedicated individuals seeking to serve as Governors and support and challenge Marling School to be the best they can be.

Being a school governor is a fantastic way to give back to your community and help to support a brighter future for our children and young people. Governors are one of the largest volunteer forces in the county and have an important part to play in raising academy standards by using their range of skills and experience to monitor and challenge performance of schools. Governors are valued members of our school and have the opportunity to make a positive difference to the lives of children and young people by working as part of a team to support an academy.

‘Governors are, in my view, the unsung heroes of the Education system.’

Sir David Carter

What does a school governor do?

With the day-to-day running of the school left to the Head Teacher and staff team, the main purpose of governors is to help their school improve so that its pupils achieve their full potential. They focus on strategy, policy, budgeting, and staffing, as well as working alongside senior leaders and supporting teachers to manage the school and provide excellent education to children.

Being a school governor involves attending governing board meetings which consider issues such as setting the school vision, mitigating financial risk and scrutinising educational outcomes. School governors are also involved in the school community, acting as critical friends to the headteacher and senior leaders. The main responsibilities of a school governor include: 

1.     Ensuring the strategic direction, vision and ethos within a school.

2.     Holding executive leaders within a school to account on various issues.

3.     Overseeing financial performance and ensuring money is well spent across a school.

We welcome governors from a diverse range of backgrounds, skills and experience to join our team as this diversity can help with better scrutiny and decision-making in the interests of all pupils. 

Should you join us, we hope you enjoy your time as a Governor and have the satisfaction of knowing that you are playing a part in transforming the life chances of all the children and young people in our academies.

What are the requirements to become a school governor? 

As long as you’re over the age of 18, most people can become a school governor. You don’t need to be a parent/be responsible for looking after a child, or have worked in education. Boards need people with a range of skills and backgrounds to run effectively. School governors bring expertise from their professional lives to the governing board and schools benefit greatly from working with skilled volunteers. This may include, for example, anyone with experience of finance, law, premises management and /or human resources. A school governor with business know-how can transform the running of a school.

There is an assumption that because of the nature of the role, you must have vast experience in your field. However, we are looking for the qualities and lived experience school governors can bring. Everybody has meaningful skills, softer skills such as communication, negotiation, and knowledge of your local community are just as valuable as business skills. As such, we encourage you to apply regardless of where you are in your career.

What are the benefits of becoming a school governor? 

As a school governor you’ll provide support and challenge to senior leadership, and work with the board to develop the strategic vision for the school. You may be involved in activities such as the headteacher appraisal, data analysis and monitoring wellbeing; it’s a fantastic opportunity to extend your experience and develop your leadership skills. There are also many other benefits to becoming a school governor, including: 

• Having the chance to experience leadership at board level at any point in your career. 
• Building professional networks with people who work within the same and different industries to yourself.  
• Using your lived experience and skills to bring a new perspective to a governing board/school. 
• Ensuring voices from different groups and communities are represented. This includes voices from groups which may often struggle to be heard within education. 
• Making a difference to a school within your local community and helping to shape young minds. 

How much time will it take?

The average time commitment is 6-12 hours per term (6 terms per year). This includes one full governing board meeting (all governors attend) and one committee meeting (only members of the committee attend). All governors are expected to join at least one committee. The time commitment above includes time needed for background reading to prepare for meetings, school monitoring visits etc. School governors are like magistrates or members of a jury and therefore have a right to reasonable time off work for their public duties (although this may be unpaid). Check with your Human Resources Department for your company’s policy on this.

How long does a governor role last?

School governors have a minimum term of office of four years.

However, as a volunteer you can resign at any time if your circumstances change.

Will I be offered any training and support?

All new governors will undergo a full induction process which will be overseen by a designated Governor Mentor (as per our Governor Induction Policy). This will include the completion of a skills audit and the development of a tailored training plan for the individual governor and the role(s) they are taking.

How can I apply?

For more information or to request a Governors Trust Application Form, please email: recruitment@cbat.academy