Position: School Governor
Name of School: Sharples School, Multi-Academy Trust
Responsible to: The Local Governing Board
Main responsibilities of the post
- Attend meetings
- Visit the school and attending school events
- Serve on a committee
- Be attached to an area of the school’s work as a Link Governor
- Participate in executive decisions of the local governing board
- Undertake training and development
- Work within an agreed code of conduct
- Represent the school within the local community
- Maintain confidentiality as required
- Adhere to the governor code of conduct
The purpose of the post
To contribute to the work of the local governing board in raising standards of achievement for all pupils. This involves providing a strategic view for the school, acting as a critical friend and ensuring accountability. The individual governor has a responsibility, working alongside other members of the local governing board, to the staff and pupils of the school and to the school’s wider community.
Responsibilities include:
- Developing the strategic plan for the school
- Determining aims, policies and priorities of the school
- Setting statutory and non-statutory targets
- Monitoring and evaluating the work of the school
- Appointment of staff and ensuring the implementation of a range of personnel procedures
- Management of the budget
- Securing high levels of attendance and good standards of pupil behaviour
- Ensuring that all children in the school have access to a broad and balanced curriculum which is suitable to age, aptitude and ability, which prepares them for adult life
- Ensuring the health and safety of pupils and staff
Tasks include:
- Getting to know the school: its needs, strengths and areas for development
- Attending meetings (local governing board, committees and working groups)
- Working as a member of a team
- Speaking, acting and voting in the best interests of the school as one perceives them
- Representing the perspectives of constituencies, where appropriate
- Respecting all governing board decisions and supporting them in public
- Acting within the framework of the policies of the local governing board and legal requirements
- Committing to training and development opportunities
PERSON SPECIFICATION: SCHOOL GOVERNOR, SHARPLES MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST
| Essential | Desirable |
| Qualifications/Experience | |
| High level literacy and numeracy skills. | Professional qualifications i.e., degree or equivalent |
| Sound communication skills both in listening and expression. | Specific skills to strengthen the skill base of the governing body e.g., HR, legal, building projects oversight or development, child protection, SEND. |
| Sound judgement and the capacity to make objective decisions. | |
| Assimilation skills to help absorb and make use of wide ranges of information and data. | |
| Knowledge | |
| Capacity to develop specific knowledge and understanding of the school and its community. | Safeguarding and/or recruitment accredited training |
| To know, understand and work within the prescribed regulatory framework. | |
| An interest and commitment in the education of children. | |
| An understanding of how the governing body contributes to the strategic planning of the school | |
| An understanding of the aims, policies and priorities of schools | |
| An understanding of the processes surrounding monitoring and evaluating the work of the school | |
| Awareness of safeguarding/child protection protocols | |
| Awareness of Health and Safety protocols | |
| Personal Qualities | |
| A commitment to equal opportunities. | |
| A commitment to securing the best educational outcomes for young people. | |
| Tact and diplomacy. | |
| The ability to work as a member of a team. | |
| Ability to respect confidentiality. | |
| A willingness to learn and develop as a governor through training and self-evaluation. | |
| Commitment to attending meetings regularly and promptly. | |
| A willingness to adequately prepare for meetings by reading agendas, through research and seeking information with the aim of contributing to discussion and decision making. | |
| Confidence to express own views clearly and succinctly. | |
| Commitment to participating in governors’ training programmes. | |
| Be prepared to serve as a governor for a period of four years. | |
