The process of becoming a school governor

The process of becoming a school governor couldn't be easier with Governors for Schools. Find out more below.

Where to begin with the process of becoming a school governor

The process begins by completing our online application form. This collects the necessary details to match you with suitable roles based on your location, skills, and preferences. 

You’ll be asked to explain your interest in school governance and how your skills—whether professional, voluntary, or personal—can benefit schools. 

Some of this information will be shared with potential schools later, so use this opportunity to highlight your strengths and build a strong application. 

Once you’ve applied  

A team member will review your application and confirm its acceptance. If more information is needed, we’ll email you with guidance. 

Next, we’ll match your application with a school vacancy based on your preferences, such as location, travel, and education phase. We’ll also consider if any nearby schools are seeking your specific skills. 

Once we find a suitable school, we’ll email you their details and a link to their website. You can research the school and decide whether to proceed. If you’re interested, we’ll share your profile with the school. If not, we’ll continue the search and adjust your preferences if needed. 

You’ll also receive links to online resources to help you prepare for the role. 

Moving forward after matching 

If the school is interested after reviewing your profile, the next step is usually an informal chat with the chair of governors or a senior leader. This may involve a school visit, meeting, interview, or observing a governing board meeting, depending on the school’s process. Additionally, we’ll support you throughout with relevant resources. 

The school might ask you to complete an additional application form, which could duplicate some information. This is necessary for the school’s own procedures. 

If the school decides you’re not the right fit, they’ll provide feedback where possible, and we’ll continue searching for another suitable vacancy. 

When the school intends to appoint 

If it has not already, at this point the school will now start various safer recruitment practices including a DBS check and reference checks.  

On our side, you can expect to receive links to our training materials to help you get up to speed with the role, including eLearning modules on finance and performance data, as well as a vast library of webinars. We’ll also offer you a 12-month free trial of GovernorHub Knowledge, which is a great resource for new school governors.  

Useful to note for the process of becoming a school governor

We’re unable to provide timescales for how long it will take to be placed as a school governor as this can vary depending on your preferences and the processes undertaken by the school you are matched with, however we ensure you’re as kept up to date as possible through communication from either us or the school you are looking to join.  

Apply to become a school governor

Ready to take the leap and make a difference in your community?

Simply fill out our application form and a member of our team will be in touch regarding next steps.
Apply to become a school governor