“I’d been thinking about becoming a school governor for a while. I hadn’t been a governor when my daughters were at school and had always regretted it – but as a single parent with a career, I didn’t have the time. Approaching retirement, I wanted to give something back…
Carol Shutkever is a trustee of a multi-academy trust in Hertfordshire. “Stepping down from my full time role as a lawyer to do part time consultancy got me thinking about local charity work. I’d previously been working very long hours but now with some more time to spare, I…
Multi-academy trusts (MATs) make up an increasingly large part of schools across England. But many people don’t know how MATs are structured, who trustees are, and how they compare to school governors. The education landscape has changed drastically over the last ten years, so it’s not surprising…
Phil Martlew is a governor at the City of Liverpool College. “With semi-retirement on the cards, I was thinking about what I could do to keep myself busy using the skills I’d gained in business. I’ve worked in the private sector all my life so I wanted to give…
This year, we’re celebrating 20 years of Governors for Schools. Ahead of our birthday party at London’s Guildhall, our CEO Hannah Stolton reflects on our journey and looks ahead to our plans for the future. In 1999, struggling inner-city schools took part in a government pilot scheme inviting business…
Fridolin Wild is a senior research fellow at Oxford Brookes University. He has been a governor at Oxford Spires Academy for six months. Why did you decide to become a school governor? I work at Oxford Brooks and I received an email from the university about becoming…
Honey Clarke is a governor for Quercus Federation (Northiam and Hurst Green Church of England Primary Schools in East Sussex). Honey runs her own management consultancy business after building a successful career in Human Resources. She talks about the professional experience she brings to her schools and why now was…
Yvonne Barker-Layton is a MAT trustee at Educate Together Academy Trust in Bath. “We all know how schools are struggling with funding and managing tight budgets. But most people don’t do anything to help, often because they don’t know how. My son’s school had a new headteacher…
With the launch of our new campaign Challenge Accepted, our CEO Hannah Stolton explains why we’re calling for experienced professionals to volunteer their skills as governors or trustees – and how we’re doing it. Diversity on governing boards is important. We’re continuing to see people of different ages, professional…
Paul Montgomery is a governor at Humberstone Junior School in Leicestershire. He shares his motivations for the role and talks about the difference governors can make to children’s life chances. “I knew I needed to do something to keep my brain active since retiring recently. Being a school governor…
In this guest blog, Freya Laing from Bookmark Reading Charity shares her thoughts on what governors can do to ensure that all pupils have the chance to read and to enjoy reading. Starting from the Autumn Term, the new Education Improvement Framework (EIF) will change the standards…
Our CEO Hannah Stolton explains why understanding the professional benefits of school governance is so important, and how our new research is supporting our volunteers and partners in getting the most out of the opportunity. Upskilling employees is a priority for many of our business and university partners. By encouraging…