Want to make a difference to children's lives? Become a school governor

Would you be interested in making a real difference to children's lives? Then schools in Dorset are looking for you to become a school governor and support our children and young people to achieve the best outcomes they can.  

School governors play a vitally important role in education and the leadership of their local school. There are a number of vacancies in the Dorset Council area.  

School governors don’t need to be education experts or have formal qualifications. They just need a passion for improving children’s knowledge and skills and making a positive contribution to their learning.  

They might be parents of children at their local school, or from the local community and businesses, bringing a range of creative ideas and experience.  

Councillor Clare Sutton, Cabinet Member for Children's Services, Education and Skills for Dorset Council, said: “As a governor, you will be a member of a team supporting children and young people in your community, and helping them meet their full potential.  

“You will be involved at board level to set the strategic direction for the school, and make a difference to the education of the students. You’ll be part of an accountable body responsible for key decisions. 

“As well as the satisfaction of helping to improve the lives of young people, you’ll be building new relationships and networks in your local area. You’ll get the chance to develop professional skills that could also benefit your employment, job prospects or business.”  

How to apply  

If you are interested in becoming a governor, you can register a general interest or find out more about being a governor by contacting the Governor Services team at Dorset Council by email or telephone 01305 224156.  

What is involved?  

A governor term of office is usually for four years but as it is a volunteer role if your circumstances change you are able to resign with no notice needed. You must be aged 18 or over.  

Governors are not involved in the day-to-day running of the school. This is the role of the Headteacher and leadership team. The governor role is a strategic one. If you have a child at the school it is important to remember that you are there for the benefit of all children, not just your own.  

No governor has any individual power, they always work as part of the board.  Governors are expected to attend meetings, these can often be in the evening.  

In most cases individual governors will be allocated to a specific area, such as an area of the curriculum, a specific year group, or a topic the school is looking at in their development planning etc. It is likely that you would need to visit the school during the working day to find out more about the area that you have been linked to.  

The Governor Services team provides termly training sessions specifically designed for new governors.  

What is the commitment?  

The time commitment can vary from school to school and can depend on any current focus they may have – for instance when recruiting a new Headteacher governors will be involved in the appointment so for that period of time there may be more meetings than usual. This could also be the case preparing for, or following, an Ofsted inspection.  

As a rough guide allow attendance at one governor meeting at least half-termly, possibly monthly, with meetings lasting usually for two hours. These can often be in the evening.  

You would also need to allow time to visit the school to find out more about the specific assignments and write short reports or notes for the governing board.  

You can see more information about becoming a school governor on the Governors for Schools website which support schools in finding volunteers. They also provide several free training sessions and webinars for governors. 

For support or more information about being a school governor in Dorset, including the training available, you can reach out to Nicky or Catherine or call 01305 224156.