School governing board meetings

School governors have many responsibilities but probably the most important one is attending school governing board meetings.

What do school governors actually do?

For the most part, school governors perform a ‘hands-off’ role. Day-to-day management decisions are the responsibility of the headteacher and other staff, with school governors focusing on strategic decisions and providing oversight.

A lot of your time as a school governor will be spent preparing for, and attending meetings. There are usually one or two meetings you’ll need to attend each academic term.

The role of a school governor during a school governing board meeting

At school governing board meetings, the role of a school governor is to…

  • Ask questions – These should be questions that help to shine a light on performance, decision-making, and planning.
  • Model the schools’ values – Making sure the schools values are upheld in every decision that is made.
  • Offer support – When things have gone well, or if the school is facing challenges, a school governor should offer support.
  • Challenge senior leaders – Where things have not gone so well or are not being addressed, it is the school governor’s responsibility to challenge senior leaders on their decision-making.
  • Scrutinise – School governors should scrutinise. This includes the rationale for decisions and particular policies.
  • Clarify – When there is uncertainty about a particular matter, the role of a school governor is to clarify.
  • Seek assurance – Ensuring that duties are being met is a core part of being a school governor.
  • Monitor data – When it comes to data relating to pupil, staff and financial performance, it is the responsibility of school governors to monitor this data.

The role of a school governor outside of school governing board meetings

School governors are also expected to complete other responsibilities outside of school governing board meetings. These include:

  • Visiting the school –  This allows school governors to find out more about areas of focus for the governing board.
  • Engaging with stakeholders – This may include pupils, parents and other stakeholders to understand their views and experiences of the school.
  • Acting as ambassadors  – School governors are ambassadors for their school in the wider community. If something reflects badly on them, it also reflects badly on the school.
  • Being a spokesperson for the school – Whilst this will usually be the responsibility of the chair of governors, sometimes this may fall to other school governors in specific circumstances.
  • Representing the school on panels – This may include panels discussing topics such as recruitment, pupil exclusion, and staff disciplinaries.