School Governor

Are you interested in supporting our school's aim to foster a love of learning by helping to create an attractive, rich and stimulating environment which has a language rich and values-based education? 

If so, we currently have a vacancy for the position of Parent Governor on our Governing Body. 

To find out more about the role and to apply, please see below and contact Tracy-Anne Chapman (Clerk to the Governors) via clerk@godalming-junior.surrey.sch.uk  

Why volunteer to be a school governor?  

School governors make a valuable contribution to children’s education, opportunities and futures. Being a school governor is a challenging but hugely rewarding role, and we need to have governors with a balance and diversity of knowledge, skills and experience to enable it to be effective. As a governor, you will be able to: 

  • use your own experience of education and life beyond school to inform conversations 

  • develop and utilise your skills in a board-level environment 

  • make a valuable contribution to education and your community 

  • support and challenge the school so that it improves for pupils and staff 

  • bring your unique experiences, perspectives and insights in to decision-making in the interests of the school community 

  • have access to free training to develop your knowledge, and build confidence. 

What do governors do? 

The governing body provides strategic leadership and accountability in school by: 

  • Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent; 

  • Holding the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils; 

  • Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction; 

  • Promoting the highest possible standards for the safeguarding of our pupils. 

Governors set the aims and objectives for the school and set the policies and targets for achieving those aims and objectives. They monitor and evaluate the progress the school is making and act as a source of challenge and support to the headteacher. In action, this includes: 

  • Managing budgets and deciding how money is spent 

  • Engaging with pupils, staff, parents and the school community 

  • Sitting on panels and making decisions about things like pupil exclusions and staff disciplinary 

  • Addressing a range of education issues within the school including disadvantaged pupils, pupils with special needs, staff workload, and teacher recruitment 

  • Looking at data and evidence to ask questions and have challenging conversations about the school 

  • Governors must be prepared to adopt the Nolan principles of public life: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership (see Governor Code of Conduct) 

  • A commitment of around 5-8 hours per month (although there may be periods requiring a greater time commitment than this). 

Governors are... committed to their role and to young people; confident in having courageous conversations; curious with an enquiring mind; able to challenge the status quo to improve things; collaborative to build strong relationships; critical to improve their own work and that of the board; and creative in problem solving and being innovative; committed to undertake training; able to attend 2-3 meetings per term, during the day and evening, as well as carry out monitoring visits during the school day. You need to be aged 18 or above and a Disclosure & Barring Service check will be carried out by the school.