Corporate Partners

Partnering with Governors for Schools

Governors for Schools strongly believes the business sector plays a key role in supporting effective leadership in schools across England and Wales. Since the charity’s founding in 1999, corporate partnerships have been central to our success.

By leveraging the expertise, experience, and resources of the corporate sector, we have been able to place skilled professionals in school governance roles where they can make a significant impact. These partnerships enable businesses to contribute to the development of future generations while fostering a culture of corporate social responsibility. The support of our corporate partners also allows us to provide a free-to-access matching service for state-funded schools.

The insights and leadership skills that corporate employees bring to school boards help drive strategic decisions, improve educational outcomes, and support the overall well-being of students.

School governance offers businesses the opportunity to support lifelong learning for children and young people

We provide a dedicated volunteer recruitment service for corporate partners, supporting their employees to take on school governance roles.

Encouraging employees to become school governors has many benefits, including increased social impact and professional development. As detailed in our research, which explores the link between governance and professional development, school governors report strong development in their transferable skills and workplace performance.

If you’d like to find out more about working with us, complete the form below to download our brochure. Our Head of Partnerships and Programmes will then reach out to you.

Download brochure

How we work with corporate partners

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STEM Governor Programme

Since 2022, we have been working with global engineering firm, AtkinsRéalis, to develop a STEM governor programme. The programme provides schools with board members who have a laser-focus on STEM delivery and the opportunities it provides to place the next generation into meaningful STEM careers.

Since its inception, the programme has grown with increasing support from partners working within STEM sectors. We now want to support more employers to deliver a STEM governor programme.

Get involved

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Pathway to Governance/Trusteeship

Our Pathway to Governance/Trusteeship programmes exist to make the process of your staff becoming a school governor or academy trustee easy. The programme allows learners to develop their skills and knowledge to operate effectively within the educational governance space.

These programmes can both be taken at the pace of the learner, to fit around personal and professional commitments – mock trust board meetings then allow for putting what has been learnt into practice.

Find out about Pathway to Governance

Find out about Pathway to Trusteeship

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Sustainability Governor Network

Every school in England must have a Climate Action Plan in place by the end of 2025, aiming to progress and enhance sustainability initiatives. The Sustainability Governor Network sources and supports people with expertise or a passion for climate action to lend their expertise to governing boards.

Partnering with the Sustainability Governor Network positions your organisation as a leader in sustainability, while simultaneously empowering schools to tackle the climate emergency.

Discover the SGN

Our success last year and Corporate Partnerships Report 2023-2024

Across the 2023-24 academic year our work with corporate partners resulted in 351 school governance appointments, a 22% increase on the previous academic year. This growth reflects the ever-strengthening relationships we build with our partners. Governors for Schools offers a dedicated volunteer recruitment service for partners. This is to help their employees take on governance roles. Thanks to the hard work of our Partnerships team, this process is quick, efficient, and rewarding for all involved.

Our Corporate Partnerships Report 2023-2024 highlights the significant impact of these collaborations, as we celebrate 25 years of working with businesses to strengthen governing boards across England and Wales. The volunteers appointed through our corporate partnerships in the last year alone are now positively impacting 246,192 pupils. Notably, 57% of these volunteers are aged 34 or younger.45% also come from a global majority background—bringing fresh perspectives to the board table.

Read report

Become a corporate partner today

Governors for Schools offers a range of partnerships to suit different organisations. We’d be delighted to discuss your unique needs and preferences.

For a preliminary conversation about corporate partnerships, please reach out to Emma Harris, Head of Partnerships and Programmes, at [email protected]

Email Emma Harris