Become a school governor and make a difference!
You could do something brilliant, volunteer to be a governor at a school in Sandwell and help ensure all children receive the education they deserve.
Anyone over the age of 18 can apply and you don’t need to be a parent or education expert – you just need to be committed to the role, willing to learn and bring your perspective.
What’s in it for you?
Volunteering as a governor will give you:
- A sense of pride and achievement from giving back to the community and supporting the next generation to succeed.
- Satisfaction from being part of a team that solves problems and makes important decisions.
- Skills and experience that will help to advance your career.
- The opportunity to meet new people and network.
A governor's role
Every school has a governing body made up of volunteers with a range of community knowledge, life experience and skills, who work together with a shared goal of providing a high quality education for pupils. Governors are not involved in the day-to-day running of the school. Instead they meet regularly to:
- Look at the big picture, set long-term goals for the school and respond to any challenges
- Make decisions on how the budget is spent
- Monitor the progress pupils are making and support and challenge the school to improve
- Engage with pupils, staff, parents and the community to understand their views
Governors also undertake regular training and carry out the occasional school visit to monitor the impact of their work.
What’s the time commitment?
The time commitment can vary for each school. As a guide, volunteer time will start at around 20 hours in a year with meetings taking place roughly every other month. There will be some additional meetings in between that you may be required to attend.
Most meetings will be in the evening to ensure as many people can attend as possible and in some cases it is possible to attend meetings remotely.
All new governors will receive a full induction to the role, which will help you to get started and signpost to further training and support, which is both free and widely available.
Are you a local business?
If you employ people in Sandwell, encouraging your staff to volunteer as a school governor is a great way of connecting with the community and helping staff to obtain valuable professional experience that they can bring back to your workplace.
"Young people are the future of Sandwell and I see first-hand the impact governors have on improving educational outcomes and giving the best start in life to children and young people in the borough. There is so much to be gained from governing. We need more volunteers from different backgrounds, who can bring their experience and perspective to support our schools to thrive. If you’re over 18 and willing to devote some of your time, please do apply”.
Are you interested?
To put yourself forward as a governor, you will need to complete an online application form which is used to match you to a suitable vacancy.
Apply online today
For any enquiries, please email: governance@sipseducation.co.uk
As part of the recruitment process, we will need to carry out some checks to ensure you have clearance to work with children and young people.
There is an exciting opportunity waiting in a school near you.