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…
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…
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…
We spoke to Jag, a governor at a school in Solihull, to find out more about why he decided to volunteer his time and skills as a school governor. If you’d like to give back to your local community and develop your own skills at the same time, governance could…
Langford Primary School is in a deprived area of London, sandwiched between very affluent areas. Five years ago, the school was Inadequate. At the end of last year, Ofsted visited and judged the school Outstanding. We asked Chair of Governors, Dominic McGonigal, to give us the inside story. How…
Preparing for a visit from Ofsted can feel daunting, but we’ve outlined our top tips for keeping calm and having a smooth inspection to help you on your way. Unfortunately, there isn’t a secret recipe to an Outstanding Ofsted rating, but these tips can help to mentally prepare you for…