All over the country, school governors – people like you – are helping staff and headteachers to ensure our children get the best from their time in school.

Being a school governor is demanding but rewarding and a good way of putting something back into your local community.

Schools are keen to attract people in the community to become governors; people who can bring energy, experience and fresh ideas to the role of organising and managing a school. Governors need no formal qualifications or particular skills, but they do need to have time to dedicate to their role, to make good decisions and to make sure their decisions are followed up.

Governors work as a team called the governing body and play an important role in making sure the school provides a good quality of education.

Every school must have a governing body. The membership will vary according to the type of school.

All governing bodies include governors who are:

• Parents
• Staff
• Appointed by the Local Education Authority
• Members of the community

Additionally some schools have:

·         Foundation governors

·         Sponsor governors

·         Associate governors

The school governing body is responsible for working strategically with the school in ensuring a good quality education. Together with the headteacher, who is responsible for day-to-day management, they set the school's aims and policies as well as carrying out a number of other important duties.

These include:

• promoting high standards of educational attainment.
• ensuring the National Curriculum is taught which is broad and balanced.
• making decisions on the school's budget and staffing
• planning the school's future direction.
• setting targets for pupil achievement.