Mutual understanding and co-operation leads to a more successful governing body.
The governing body expects the school to:
- understand and respect its statutory role and purpose
- recognise the shared commitment to school improvement and securing the best outcomes for every child
- respect governors as volunteers who bring other skills, experiences and perspectives, and value their contribution
- work openly with the governing body and provide clear, concise and relevant information on which to base decisions
- enable all governors to become involved in the life of the school
- contribute to the induction, training and development of governors
- ensure that where educational jargon is unavoidable it is at least explained
The school expects the governing body to:
- respect the professional expertise of the headteacher and staff
- work openly in partnership with the headteacher and staff for the benefit of the school and its pupils
- demonstrate its commitment, collectively and individually
- act and take decisions that are in the best interests of the school and not those of self, individuals or groups
- support the school with parents and in the community
- recognise the need for both governor induction and ongoing training and development
The expectation of individual governors is that they will:
- enhance the work of the governing body to enable a strong focus on raising standards, so that every child achieves their potential
- demonstrate their commitment by getting to know the school and becoming involved in school life and activities
- take personal responsibility for their ongoing training and development
- prepare for meetings so they are well informed, having at minimum read all of the papers sent out with the agenda
- attend meetings (governing body/committees/working group) and play an active part
- support the school with parents and in the community
- recognise the corporate status of the governing body and the concept of collective responsibility
- respect confidentiality and the need to act with circumspection
Code of conduct
It is good practice for governing bodies to adopt a code of conduct which sets out the expectations and commitment required from governors. It is recommended that the code be thoroughly discussed so the whole governing body has ownership of it. Once adopted, governors should review and sign the code of conduct on an annual basis, ideally at the first meeting in the autumn term.
Help and support
There is plenty of information to support you to help you in your role as a school governor and to keep you up to date with the latest news.