School Governor Volunteer

School Governor (Nottingham) – Volunteer

Do you want to be inspired by the impact of education? Schools across Nottingham are looking for skilled volunteers to support education by becoming school governors.

Governors make decisions that affect schools 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.

As a governor, you’ll visit the school to gain an understanding of the culture and ethos, meet children, parents, and teachers, and see the impact of your work first‑hand.

You must be over 18. You do not need to be a parent or have experience working in education, but professional experience in areas such as HR, finance, law, or project management is useful. Soft skills such as leadership, communication, and problem solving are also highly valued.

The governing body is responsible for the strategic management of the school and makes decisions on a wide range of issues. Core responsibilities include:

• 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 (finance, pupil achievement, etc.). These committees meet separately from the main governing body to discuss relevant issues in more detail, and their work is fed back at full governing body meetings.

A school governing body is made up of representatives from the school, parents, the local authority and the local community.