Are you interested in becoming a school governor?

The organisation

The Trust was established in 2010 and currently runs 4 academies in North London, employing approximately 335 staff and educating some 2,600 children.

The Board of Trustees sets the Trust’s broad strategy and has overall responsibility for its academies educational performance, finance, premises, staffing, operations audit and for complying with legislative requirements. Some of these responsibilities are delegated to sub committees.

Each academy has its own advisory committee which report to the Board of Trustees via the Trust's Education Performance Committee.

The role of governor

Joining the advisory committee as a governor offers you the opportunity to make a real contribution to the life, strategic leadership and educational performance of an academy.

Governors are responsible for monitoring and reviewing educational performance and progress against academy development plan objectives and targets as well as leading on parental and community engagement

Being a governor can be very rewarding and will provide you with the opportunity to work as part of a team and gain new skills. Support will be available from the academy and your colleagues on the advisory committee and we are also currently developing training sessions for governors of all academies across the Trust.

You should be sure that you are committed and available to undertake key duties before applying.
These include: -

Attending termly evening meetings
Taking part in termly training sessions
Termly visits to the school during the day

Further details of the role are detailed in the governors terms of reference which can be found in the ‘related forms and documents section below’.

Composition of the advisory committees

When at full capacity, our advisory committees comprise seven members (with the option to expand to nine, depending on the size and demands of the school). These are: -

1 x Co-opted education governor

Appointed by the Trustees.

2 x Co-opted community governors (with the option to appoint up to two more depending on the needs of the school)

Approved by the Trust and appointed by the advisory committee.

So long as they are not a member of staff and they have the relevant skills and experience, one co-opted governor may be the parent of a child who is on roll at another academy within the Trust.

Either of the co-opted governors will be designated ‘lead’ for the purpose of complaints and exclusions panels

3 x Parent governors (with the option to appoint up to two more depending on the needs of the school)

To lead on issues including parental and community engagement. Appointed by election unless the number of vacant positions exceeds or is equal to the number of received nominations.

If there is a vacancy and so long as they are not a member of Trust staff, parents may nominate themselves for a position at the academy where their child attends.

1 x Staff governor

The head teacher will always sit on the governing body; appointed 'ex officio'.

Relevant skills and experience

We want our Governors to be interested in serving the local community and who have relevant skills and experience in one or more of the following areas: -

Communicating with diverse groups
Education and learning
Education law and / or legislation guidance
Fundraising experience
Leadership, target setting, monitoring and evaluating performance and programmes
Marketing
Parental and community engagement / public relations

Personal qualities

Important personal qualities are:

Integrity
An understanding and acceptance of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities and adherence to our Code of Conduct
A willingness and ability to devote necessary time and effort to the duties of Governor, including visits to academies
A willingness to utilise your experience and skills
Strategic vision, good and independent judgment and ability to think creatively
A willingness to express personal views in an open and constructive way.

Vacancies

Parents will be informed if there is a vacancy on the governing body, a time frame in which nominations can be submitted and to where they should be directed (usually the academy office).

Whilst vacancies will generally be announced via our social media accounts and websites, head teachers will also notify parents of any vacancies at their respective schools.

Additional information about the parent or co-opted governor roles, including nomination forms, can be found in the ‘related forms and documents’ section below.

Anyone who has any general questions about the role of governor can submit an email enquiry to [email protected]