Become a Brookside Governor

Recruiting new Governors – do you have the time and skills we’re looking for?

Brookside Academy is looking to recruit governors to be part of the voluntary board that run the school. Please read on to see whether you or someone you know may be interested in becoming a Governor at Brookside Academy.

School governors make a valuable contribution to children’s education, opportunities and futures.

Being a school governor is a challenging but hugely rewarding role. It will give you the chance to make a real difference to young people, give something back to your local community and use and develop your skills in a board-level environment.

Schools need governing boards that have a balance and diversity of knowledge, skills and experience to enable it to be effective. Ofsted (the national inspection body for schools) has repeatedly noted that the most effective schools demonstrate effective leadership and management - including by the governing board.

Anyone aged over 18 can be a governor (but there are some exceptions) and you do not need to be a parent. There is no requirement for you to have an understanding of the education system, just the necessary skills, character and time to contribute. There is plenty of training available to help you learn about education. Schools needs and benefit from a range of professional knowledge on their governing board including education, finance, human resources, legal, marketing and public relations, property and estates management, and organisational change.

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.

What governors and trustees do?

 The governing board provides strategic leadership and accountability in schools. It has three key functions:

  • 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.

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 means:

  • Appointing and performance reviewing the headteacher and senior leaders, including making decisions about pay
  • 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.

Governors should also be 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.

What will be expected of me?

 The average time commitment is five to eight hours per month, this includes meetings, background reading and school visits. You’ll attend the full governing board meetings, plus be a member of at least one committee, plus you may have a link governor role.

The term of office for governors is four years. Many people choose to serve multiple terms, however as a volunteer you can resign before your term is finished if your circumstances change. Governance is a voluntary role and therefore it is not paid, but we do have a policy that covers travel and other expenses.

Get involved - express an interest in becoming a Governor?

To express an interest in becoming a Governor at Brookside please contact ClerktotheGovernors327@brooksideacademy.co.uk we will send you an application form to complete and return.

What training and support is available?

Induction training is provided by Somerset Governor Services and other training is available for specific roles on the Board.

Will I be liable?

Each individual governor is a member of a governing board, which is established in law as a corporate body. Individual governors may not act independently of the rest of the governing board; decisions are the joint responsibility of the governing board.

If you have any questions about the role of a Governor please do not hesitate to contact.

ClerktotheGovernors327@brooksideacademy.co.uk