Our guest lecturer Steve Gullick spoke to us about the governing bodies within a school. Steve Gullick is the director for All Wales Centre for Training and Research. Steve spoke about the roles governors play in schools and how vital they are to the schools.
‘Every state school has a governing body, consisting of specified numbers of various categories of governors depending on the type and size of school.’ (Direct Gov.) There are 300,000 school Governors in Wales making them one of the largest voluntary groups in the country as the work governors do is unpaid however they are reimbursed for any travel costs or any expenses paid out for child care while they are busy volunteering.
Governors are in place to increase school standards by setting out a plan of direction they want to see the school progressing towards while at the same time giving help and support to the school. In order for Governors to do a good job they are advised to take full advantage of the training provided to them. ‘Governors Wales is committed to supporting the effective management and provision of high quality learning opportunities for all pupils and young people in Wales.’(Governors Wales) While Head Teachers are responsible for the day to day running of the school and are seen to be the face of the school, Governors are still there setting out the long term plan for the school.
Governors have the responsibility of making sure teachers are following the curriculum correctly, they are also involved in employing new teachers including the head teacher. Governors are in charge of the school budget which covers maintenance, salaries and equipment. Governors can also set out targets for the school and pupils to reach.
There are different categories of Governors. Firstly there are parent Governors who are parents of children at the school. Next there is Staff Governors who are members of the school staff. Then, Authority Governors (previously known as LEA Governors) who are nominated by the Authority. Also Community Governors who are members of the local community appointed by the rest of the governing body. Lastly Foundation, Partnership and Sponsor Governors who are representatives of any sponsoring bodies. (Department of Education: 2) Every governing body is directed by a chair who is elected from within the association who is then supported by a vice chair.
Governor’s work is unpaid as they look for those who are actually interested in the welfare of schools and for those who want to make a positive effect on children’s education. Direct Gov. exclaims that ‘becoming a governor is a rewarding way of making an important contribution to education, If you become a Governor you are making a contribution to education in a rewarding way, as you can learn new skills and develop the one you already have further. ‘However, it may seem to be unfair not to be paid for all the positive work they do and time they give up in order to help schools.
Parents seem to be the largest category of Governors within a school maybe this is because they have children who attend the school so they want to be able to contribute to their child’s and other children’s education and oversee that the school is being run efficiently. In areas that suffer with poverty there is a lack of Governors, mainly because people do not have the time to be volunteering as they are at work trying to provide for their families. There is also a lack of black or foreign governors because of the type of work they do such as working at restaurants which would mean they would not be able to attend meetings which are held in the evening. Some foreign people are not able to speak English which is a disadvantage as all Governors must be able to speak English quite well in order to communicate with the schools.
Steve Gullick highlighted the different kinds of Governing bodies you can have within a school. Firstly, there is an abdicator group of governors who do not show much support to the school as they claim to be busy a lot of the time. Then there is an adversaries group of Governors who place a lot of the pressure on the school and are very critical of the school. Supporters club Governors who let the Head Teacher make all the decisions while providing support but not asking many questions. Lastly, there is the partners group who work hand in hand with the head teacher, sharing the responsibilities.
References
"Time off for public duties". Directgov. http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Employees/Timeoffandholidays/DG_10028529. Retrieved 17th April 2012.
‘Constitution of governing bodies. ‘Department of Education. http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/guide%20to%20the%20law%20for%20school%20governors.pdf. Retrieved 17th April 2012.
Governors Wales http://www.governorswales.org.uk/about/. Retrieved 17th April 2012.
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