school governor nomination personal statement

Ask A Clerk

Advice For School Governors and Clerks

What should I write in a parent governor statement?

If you are applying to be a parent governor or trustee you will be asked to write a short statement saying why you are interested in volunteering and what skills you would bring to the role. If an election is needed this statement will help other parents choose between the candidates.

In many schools volunteers are thin on the ground so the statement may not be vital, as you will be elected unopposed if you are the only volunteer. However, it is still a good idea to show you understand the role of governor/trustee in your statement.

This page provides guidance on what to include in your statement and some parent governor statement examples of 50, 100 and 250 words you can adapt for your circumstances.

Your Connection To the School

Say how old your children are and their current year. If your children have just joined the school you have a reason to want it to succeed for years to come and the same applies if you have more than one child attending.

Mention any other ties you have to the school such as previous volunteer work, helping out in classrooms or on trips, or supporting the PTA; anything that shows your commitment to the school and your reliability as a volunteer.

You could mention how long you have lived in the area and what the school means to you. If it is a church school talk a little about your faith and show you understand the aims of the school in this respect.

Your Understanding of School Governance

All school governors have three main roles.

• To ensure the school has a clear vision, ethos and strategic direction.
• To hold the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school.
• To oversee the budget and finances and make sure money is well spent.

Write about any aspects of governance you could contribute to. Governor responsibilities are wide but include scrutinising budgets, approving policies on all aspects of school life, planning how the school will improve, discussing why some groups of children are not achieving as well as others, making sure children are safe and dealing with staffing issues.

Governors are often described as being a “critical friend” to the school. They are there to support the school and help it improve, but they must also be willing to challenge the headteacher and senior leaders when necessary, ask why the school is struggling in a particular area and what can be done to improve it.

Search for the school’s latest OFSTED report and look for any remarks about governance. Are there any weaknesses of governance you could help to improve? Do you understand the challenges a school might face in terms of catchment area, budget restrictions or high levels of children with special needs?

If you are volunteering at an academy within a multi-academy trust show that you understand whether you will be governing as a trustee on the main governing board or a local governor on a local governing body.

What skills can you bring to the role?

Any of the following skills will be useful on the governing body:

• accounting, budgets and finance experience
• management of buildings
• health and safety
• data analysis
• human resources experience
• interpersonal skills, working in a team
• knowledge of education, the curriculum, special educational needs and safeguarding or child protection
• managing staff and hiring employees
• work where you had to keep things confidential.

You could also write about your commitment to undertake training and show that you understand governors need to attend regular meetings and visit the school.

What Not To Include!

If you mention any of the following items you will show that you do not understand the role of the governing body. Parent governors do not :

• fundraise – this is usually done by a parent teacher association (PTA)
• represent parents – this is a common misunderstanding but parent governors are not the voice of the parents. They have the same role as any other governor on the board
• vote in favour of whatever the majority of parents want – if there is a controversial issue that parents are angry about it is any governor’s job to vote for whatever they believe is best for the school as a whole
• discuss individual children (in most cases) – governors take an overview of the school and make strategic decisions about budgets, policies and development plans (although one exception would be if a child is at risk of exclusion)
• interfere with the day-to-day running of the school – the headteacher runs the school, governors hold the headteacher to account
• rubber-stamp everything that comes their way – you will need to be confident enough to ask some difficult questions if results are disappointing or mistakes are made

Parent Governor Statement Examples

Here are some example statements you can use as a starting point. I have written these with the assumption that you are a new parent governor, but if you are already on the board you should also include details of your governance work, eg: feedback from OFSTED or external advisers about how the board is run or what contributions you have made in a link role .

Don’t worry if you don’t have a job that particularly fits in with governance (or you’re not working at all) as people from all walks of life can do the role – just show your enthusiasm and demonstrate your understanding of school governance.

Parent Governor Statement – 50 words

My son Tim has just joined the school in Y1. I work as an accountant and would like to use my financial skills and experience analysing budgets to give back in a volunteer role. I am keen to attend training and get to know the school.

Parent Governor Statement – 100 words

I am keen to join the governing body as many of my family members have attended this school. My two older children attended and my daughter Sarah is in Y9.

I have volunteered for many school trips and I would now like to become a governor to help steer the school in the right direction and retain its excellent reputation for academic success and happy, friendly children.

I have been in retail for 10 years where I have worked well with people from all backgrounds and gained knowledge of health and safety. I understand the need for governors to be demanding but fair.

Parent Governor Statement – 250 words

Malory Towers Primary is a terrific school with an outstanding OFSTED rating and I would like to help the school continue to improve and develop.

My name is James Mallow and my twins are in Y4. My day job is in data analysis and I believe these skills will transfer well to the work of school governance, helping the school to analyse the attainment gaps between groups of pupils and pinpoint where the school needs to be doing more for our children.

I am lucky enough to have the time to commit to a demanding volunteer role as my firm provide time off for school governors. This means that I am able to attend meetings, governor training and visit the school during the day.

I am particularly keen to ensure that all children are safeguarded well and can fulfil their full potential whatever their background, special educational needs or disabilities.

I am not afraid to ask difficult questions if necessary on behalf of all the children this school serves. I am also keen to support the school and all of its dedicated staff who work so hard to keep this place running smoothly.

Although I have no experience of school governance specifically I have served on the board of a small charity which had responsibility for a modest budget and made tough decisions about which projects to fund and how money could be best spent.

I hope that you will consider voting for me and thank you for reading.

Related posts:

• Can a parent governor continue if their child leaves the school?
• Who can be a parent governor?
• Must school governors write an annual report to parents?
• How do we hold a parent governor election?
• Can the board stop an unsuitable parent governor being elected?

Discover more from Ask A Clerk

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Type your email…

Continue reading

• old website content

Election of parent governor

Dear Parent/ Carer

The role of a school governor is extremely important and many essential decisions about this school are taken by our Governing Board.  School governors work together with the school leadership team to continually improve the education for every child at our school. 

I have received nominations from six parents who are willing to become school governors.  I hope you will vote in the election to select one parent governor. The parent elected by you will serve as a parent governor for four years.

Please read the personal statements carefully and bearing in mind the role of the school governor, choose the candidate you feel would be best suited to the position.  

Parent Governor Election Voting Instructions

Voting will close on Wednesday 21 October 2020.

In the event of a tie the returning officer will decide the election by the drawing of lots.

Votes will be counted on Wednesday 21st October 2020 the result will be announced by Thursday, 22nd October on the website and in the school newsletter.

 I hope you will participate,  the governing body plays a key role in keeping our children safe, supporting and holding leaders to account.

Please scroll down to read all SIX statements and at the end of the statements you will find the form where you can select our preferred candidate. 

Yours sincerely

Julie Newman

Clerk to Governing Body and Returning Officer

Candidates’ personal statements 

Personal statement for sabaa asim aslam.

What Can I say in a short snap that would make you think…Vote for her!

Like you, I have a child at West Thornton and am still trying to measure the impact this last year has had on my child’s learning and wellbeing.

As we adapt to the ‘new normal’ its fundamental the ongoing changes have a positive impact on the school environment. That means supporting new initiatives for progression, but also retaining consistency with what already works, to reduce the chance of overwhelming our children.

I’ve worked in higher education for nearly 10 years, & currently the treasurer of the PTA. If I’m voted parent governor for WT, I will endeavour to curate new ways of collaboration and cohesion between parents & teachers…because now more than ever we must work together!

Come and talk to me if you find me, I’d love to hear from you.

Personal statement for Rohina Ibrahim Aziz

I am looking to gain a career in this field. I have 3 children & have also brought all my nieces up which is where my passion comes from. I have the preamble skills to work as a part of a team and work on my own, I would love to see the school develop, as well as the kids’ curriculum and changes for the best.

Having kids of my own has made me realise the importance of being a role model.  Being young I feel I can relate to children at all ages and have more of an understanding of how kids are in this day and age. I would appreciate it if I could have the opportunity to put my skills into action and show we can all work together for the best, especially with how much disruption all our kids have been through this year with Covid.

Personal statement for Suregah Balachandran

Education is one of the best foundations that any child can receive in their lifetime. Being a full time working mum with two children, I am truly passionate and have a desire to ensure that every child gets the best possible education and opportunity to succeed in life. During schooling year, I myself had an opportunity to be nominated as senior student representative and have gained vast experience in attending regular meetings with governors, teachers and parents and was responsible for planning and leading meetings to communicate the vision of the society with local council.

If successfully nominated as a parent governor, I promise to fully support the school needs during the transition to Inspire Partnership Trust. I will take an approach to raise questions and challenge not only to achieve targets for every child but to also continuously strive to exceed to give the children a good learning experience.

Personal statement for Maria Chiara D’Argenio

I would like to become a Governor because I am passionate about education and because I want parents to play a more active role in supporting West Thornton Academy. I am a teacher and lecturer, and the mum of Fabrizio and Arianna, both attending the school. My primary aim as a Governor would be to follow closely the changes the school is undergoing and promote a new relationship between the school and the parents. Given the current circumstances, it is crucial that all of us parents are supportive interlocutors of the school and voice our suggestions and concerns. I have already been quite active in this. Thanks to my feedback on the zoom lessons and my formal letter to the leaders regarding the September closure, the school changed its initial decisions; this is a sign that parents’ proactive and constructive attitude can be beneficial for the school and our children.

Personal statement for Cherise McDonald

My daughter is currently in year 2 at Canterbury Road. I work full time as a co-director at an estate agency, as well running my own cleaning business. I gained experience in working as a team, supporting others, and being involved in monitoring the standards of staff for the team to succeed hopefully being a transferrable skill to monitoring the governing board.

I would like to be a parent governor I have a strong belief in giving all children the maximum opportunity to discover their full potential through education as well as extra curriculum activities, whatever their background.

I now have the time to devote my skills to an area I feel passionate about with the required commitment and enthusiasm  as well as being prepared to learn new skills I would like to be given a chance to help develop West Thornton at such a crucial turning point.

Personal statement for Sarah Mckenzie

I would like to be elected as a West Thornton Primary School Governor to offer my unique skills and insight and help steer the direction of the school for years to come. 

I am a dedicated Civil Servant currently delivering the school values in my professional life. I have extensive experience working with schools as a Pastoral Lead, Social Services supporting Looked After young people and Charities working to send at risk children to summer camps, children that would not have been able to have a holiday otherwise. I strive to improve the opportunities of children and young people believing engagement between home and school is invaluable. 

My daughter has recently started reception here and I have another in nursery eager to follow so I have a vested interest in supporting the school to provide an excellent and well-rounded education for all pupils (both present and those still to come).

Complete the form on the link below  and select the button against the name of the candidate for whom you wish to vote

• Election letter

This site uses cookies to store information on your computer. Click here for more information Allow Cookies Deny Cookies

How to Apply to be a School Governor: 16 Key Things You Need to Know

Governors for schools play a vital role in organisational and educational development. While the school governor role is voluntary, it requires commitment, dedication and a vested interest in the long-term success of all pupils, as well as the school itself.

If you’re considering applying to become a school governor, are new in your role or you're just looking for some fresh thinking around the impact you can have as a governor for your school, we have put together the key things that are vital for your consideration and understanding.

The Basics of School Governance

The Skills Required to Be an Effective School Governor

The Next Steps for Becoming a School Governor

1. All governing boards have three core requirements , so ensure you understand these as the key components that make up your role:

a) Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction. b) Holding executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the organisation, its pupils and the effective and efficient performance management of staff. c) Overseeing the financial performance of the organisation and making sure its money is well spent.

2. A governor is a voluntary role you’ll need to fit in and around your wider commitments, so you need to dedicate the time to attend regular meetings and execute action points where necessary. Don’t be afraid to ask the senior leadership team for more details on the specific time commitments during the recruitment process, to make sure this role is right for you.

3. Familiarise yourself with the DBS checks that will be required of you for you to take on this role.

4. All governors should contribute to each meeting. Make sure you prepare by reading the agenda circulated in advance and offer solutions and opinions to key issues up for discussion. While specific governors may have themes they specialise in or lead on, the more board members that can input into the discussion, the better.

5. If you have an issue you’d like to discuss at the meeting, make sure you submit it in advance so it's added to the agenda and everyone has time to prepare. If you're a parent governor and would like to discuss an issue relating to your child, you shouldn't discuss this at the governors meeting but instead, in a one-to-one meeting between you and an appropriate member of staff.

6. The board of governors plays a vital role in building relationships , not only within the school but also between the school, parents, carers, pupils, the local community as well as the local authority and employers. Think about how you can help facilitate this; considering your position as a parent or local community member, how would you like to see interaction with the school improved? This is something to consider ahead of your interview in terms of how it may fit into your motivations for applying.

7. Different types of schools have different governance structures and that may alter how your role fits in with wider school plans. Are you looking to join a maintained school, single or multi-academy trust or a free school? Research your prospective school’s structure and the expectations of a governor in this context so you’re as prepared as possible.

8. School governors need an analytical eye. You'll need to find out how to measure impact and how to monitor this in the short and long-term. To understand the effects of new initiatives, work with the governing board and senior leadership team to ensure an evaluation structure is in place and agree on how often you and your colleagues will review progress. Regular audits by governors will push leadership, staff and pupils to strive for better .

9. Remember, you’re not only examining educational quality for pupils but also looking at their wellbeing, behaviour and attendance. This will require empathy , an adequate understanding of different personal contexts and engagement with parents and carers.

10. The role of a governor for a school is a strategic one, as opposed to an operational function which the senior leadership team executes. Make sure you're clear on this and understand the higher-level thinking you'll need as a governor, rather than the implementation of new initiatives within the day-to-day running of the school. If you're preparing for an interview for a school governor role, think about how you can demonstrate experience of successful strategy development.

11. Governors for schools must be prepared to challenge the senior leadership if the partnership is to be effective. This means questioning decisions, outcomes and identifying where improvements can be made. It might lead to having tough conversations which are vital for the school’s progress, so you must be comfortable with this.

12. The school governor role requires you to have a broad-ranging understanding of and appreciation for the consequences of decisions made by the board and those made in collaboration with the leadership team. When evaluating initiatives and challenging new proposals, you must have the ability to consider what decisions will mean for staff, pupils, the short- and long- term budget, curriculum planning and recruitment.

13. As a school governor, you'll need to adhere to the Seven Principles of Public Life, including objectivity and accountability. Be sure to familiarise yourself with these before embarking on the role.

14. The National Governors Association (NGA) also outlines the Eight Elements of Effective Governance . These include quality chairing and good relationships based on trust and are elements you can continually explore and review throughout your time as a governor.

15. A good place to start thinking about what you can bring to the table is by reading the latest Ofsted or ISI report and School Improvement Plan for your prospective or current school. Also, make notes on questions, such as:

a) According to the latest inspection, which areas does the school need to improve?

b) What does the school do well that it could improve on across more year groups?

c) How has the school built the inspection recommendations into its School Improvement Plan?

d) How effective have recent School Improvement Plans been and what ideas do you have for how the school could improve the next one?

17.  Preparing for a governor interview already? Take a look at the questions you’re likely to be asked by the interview panel here .

If you want to be a successful school governor and leave a lasting impact, it's essential you keep up-to-date with the most effective solutions to help raise standards of education in your school. To learn more about effective governance and leadership strategies, why not meet with experts by booking your place on a conference dedicated to the subject?

Related posts

Exploring Knowledge in the National English Curriculum

Podcast | Season 1 | Episode 22: Procurement Hints & Tips

Podcast | Season 1 | Episode 17: Pupil Behaviour in Schools

Stanhope Primary School

Strengths recognizes. achievements celebrated..

• Headpiece Teacher’s Welcome
• Ethos and Values
• School Staff
• One-year Manager Make 2022

Personal Governor Statements

• Governor Information
• Impact of Governor Training
• Schools Financial Benchmarking
• Ofsted Parent View
• Stanhope Our
• Stanhope Nursery Brochure
• Rainbow Flag Award
• Spiritual,Moral, Socialize press Cultural Education and British Values
• Culture Money
• Forest School & Early Per
• Outwards of Less Clubs
• Train Council Pupil Statements
• School Cabinet Constitution
• School Council – Recycling Assembly
• Food Banking Collection
• School Council Trash Fitting
• January Blues “Toy Sale”
• Healthy School Award 2017
• School Council visit Jarrow Town Hall
• Visit to South Shields Town Lobby
• Contact Uses
• About Our Curriculum
• Phonics & Reading Related
• Mathematics
• Physical Education
• Religious Education
• Children – Key Information
• Reception – Key Information
• Year 1 – Key Information
• Year 2 – Key Information
• Years 3 – Key Information
• Year 4 – Key Information
• Year 5 – Key Information
• Yearly 6 – Central Information
• Early Period, Phonics and Key Stage 1 & 2 Results 2021/2022
• Early Years, Phonics and Key Stage 1&2 Results 2018/2019
• Performance Tables
• Multiplication Tables Check Year 4 Results
• Pupil Bounty
• SUBMIT Reports
• Safeguarding and Child protection
• Operation Comprehend
• Attended and Welfare
• Friendship Doll
• Tragic Alfie
• Absence and Lateness
• Attend to Achieve Events
• School Admissions
• Be Smart On The Internet
• Social Media and Folks
• Cookie Company
• Privacy Statements
• Term Dating
• School Uniform
• Parents Guide to SATs
• Reason Agressive Behaviours Guide
• School Eats
• Free School Fare for Infants
• School Milk
• Former Years
• Special Needs
• Welfare and Discipline
• Work For Home
• Travelling to School
• Cross Country
• District Selections
• Orienteering
• Sportsability
• School Choose Day
• Sports Gallery
• PE and Sports Premium
• PE Curriculum Intent
• Sporting Benefits with Stanhope
• Gold School Games Mark
• Sport Price Winners 2018
• Sports Award Winners 2017
• Historical Events
• In-School Product
• Adult & Children’s Services
• Accessing Google Classroom
• The Happy News Internet!
• Mental Health Championship
• What does it do?
• Mindfulness and Children Brain Health
• Mindful Lessons Environments
• Teddy’s Message
• Bear – Our School Dog
• COVID-19 INFORMATION
• House Competition 2 ’23’
• House Competition ’23’ 1
• Inter Shelter Overall Final Results 21-22
• House Competition ’22’ 2
• House Competitor ’22’ 1
• What’s Become Happening?
• Nursery News
• Receipt News
• Type 1 Recent
• Year 3 News
• Year 4 News
• Year 5 Featured
• Year 6 News
• Start Learning
• Online Safety – Remote Learning
• National Internet Safety – Top 10 Topics available Parents
• [email protected]

• Head Teacher’s Welcome
• School Stick
• Annual Governor Account 2022
• Gov Information
• Schools Treasury Measuring
• Ofsted Parented View
• Stanhope Brochure
• Variegated Flag Award
• Spiritual,Moral, Social and Cultural Education and British Values
• Culture Resources
• Forest School & Early Time
• Get of Hours Driving
• School The Pupil Statements
• School Council Constitution
• Secondary Council – Retraining Assembly
• Food Bank Collection
• School Council Litters Assembly
• School Council vist Jarrow Town Hall
• Visit to Dixieland Protection Town Hall
• About Our Study
• Calculations
• Designer Technologies
• Phonics & Reading Information
• Intermediate
• Nursery – Key Information
• Time 2 – Key Information
• Year 3 – Key Info
• Price 4 – Soft Information
• Price 6 – Key Information
• Early Years, Phonics real Key Stage 1 & 2 Results 2021/2022
• Early Years, Phonics and Key Scene 1&2 Results 2018/2019
• Pupil Premiums
• SEND Reports
• Operation Cover
• Course and Welfare
• Friendship Mascot
• Despondent Alfie
• Missing and Lateness
• Be Smart On The Surfing
• Social Media and Parents
• Counter Political
• Parent Shaft
• Folk Guide to SATs
• Why Agressive Behaviorists Guide
• School Meals
• Free School Meals for Kids
• Early Years
• Works For Home
• Cross State
• District Selection
• School Games Time
• Game Gallery
• PE and Sports Bounty
• Sporting Service at Stanhope
• Color Go Games Mark
• Your Award Winners 2018
• Novel Activities
• Past Events
• In-School Support
• And Happy News Online!
• Mental Health Champions
• What does he do?
• Mindfulness and Childhood Mental Health
• Mindful Learning Environments
• Teddy’s News
• Toad – Our School Dog
• My Competition ’23’ 1
• Inter House Overall Final Outcome 21-22
• House Competition ’22’ 1
• All Featured
• What’s Come Happening?
• Registration News
• Year 1 News
• Year 2 News
• Year 3 Daily
• Per 4 Daily
• Year 5 News
• Year 6 Current
• Home Knowledge
• Online Safety – Remote-controlled Learning
• National Online Safety – Top 10 Tips for Parents

• Head Teacher’s Warm
• Annual Governor Statement 2022
• Personal Governor Actions
• Governor Informations
• Scholastic Finance Benchmarking
• Stanhope Glasshouse Brochure
• Spiritual,Moral, Social and Cultural Education and Uk Ethics
• Our Capital
• Forest School & Early Years
• Out of Hours Clubs
• School Advice Pupil Statements
• School Council – Cycling Assembly
• School Council Litter Assembly
• Healthy School Grant 2017
• Go Council visit Jarrow Town Hall
• Visit into Southern Shields Town Salon
• Construction Our
• Kids – Key Information
• Your 1 – Principal Information
• Year 3 – Key Information
• Year 6 – Keypad Information
• Early Years, Phonics and Key Stage 1 & 2 Results 2021/2022
• Early Period, Phonics and Key Stage 1&2 Results 2018/2019
• Execution Tables
• Teacher Premium
• Operation Encompass
• Course and Wellbeing
• Companionship Mascot
• Sorrowful Alfie
• Vacation press Lateness
• Attend to Vollenden Events
• Social Media and Parent
• Cookie Policy
• User Statements
• Terminate Dates
• School Einheitlichen
• Parents Guide the SATs
• Why Agressive Behaviours Guide
• Educate Meals
• Free School Meals on Infancy
• Dedicated Needs
• Welfare and Sport
• Work For Dear
• Tagged Rugby
• School Games Day
• PE real Sports Rewards
• Sporting Benefits at Stanhope
• Gold School Gambling Note
• Athletics Award Victors 2018
• Physical Award Winners 2017
• News Activities
• The Happy News Online!
• Psychical Medical Champions
• What rabbits information do?
• Mindfulness and Childhood Inward Health
• Teddy’s Messages
• Teddies – Unsere School Dog
• COVID-19 PRODUCT
• Inter House Overall Final Results 21-22
• All Messages
• What’s Been Happening?
• Glasshouse News
• Reception News
• Year 6 Messages
• Online Safety – Remote Education
• National Online Safety – Top 10 Show for Parents

Personal Affirmations:

John Hetherington (Chair of Governors)

I attended Stanhope Primary college how did my daughter so may a huge affinity additionally my for aforementioned school. I joined the committee of Presidents in 2014 and I am proud to have been elected as chair of Resources.

I work closely including the Lead Educator and my Governor colleagues to make sure that the finances are well managed for aforementioned benefit of the kid.

I have also done with the Local Authority to, Head Teacher and Governor to achieve one sensible budget.

Douglas Mather (Vice Chair by Governors)

I volunteer while the Secretary starting the Durham light Infantry Association (South Screens Branch), this entails the day to full administrators real record retain of the branch.

I my also on the executive committee of the D.L.I. Bond which meets into Durham City. This committee runs of D.L.I. Community throughout which Heading East of Blighty.

I also volunteering as a component of the Scrutiny Switch to Sw Tyneside Homes. An Panel scrutinise an services that South Tyneside Homes provide to an renters of South Tyneside Council. Federation of Daubeney, Sebright and Lauriston Primary Schools ...

As the Secretary of ‘The Friends of the West Park, South Shields’, I maintaining the minutes of all meetings also the financial playback and the daily running of this group of volunteers. How to Write a College Essay Step-by-Step

Cllr Em Hetherington (LEA Governor)

I have been associated with Stanhope Primary School because 1977 and associated the Governing Body shortly before that firstly as a Parenting Governor, and then as a co-opted member and currently GRASSLAND Federal. Federation of Daubeney, Sebright and Lauriston Primary Schools. Parent Governor Candidate – Jean Balon. Personal Account.

I am passionate nearly Stand and will continue to strives with my partners and the collaborators to making sure all our children reach their full potential and feel secured and happy during their time with us.

Harriet Judd (Co-opted Governor)

I have been a governor at Stanhope Primary School since 2015 whilst my daughter was here included year 3.  I was here initially required 4 years than a parent governor and then stayed on as a co-opted governor anytime since.  I have worked for Northumbrian Water since 1999 the have been happily to have a diversities of roles are. I bring lots of experience in data analytics, people leitung, asset management, health & safety and smooth workplace mediation.

I had no previous suffer the a governor but I am still enjoying the challenge of development and learning from the training courses that have been submitted through of council and school. Forward example, these courses have enabled das to understand what is expected of a governor plus how a school should cling to policies or run effectively.  I feel that as a governor I can cast an independent eye over the workings a the school fork demo, through my link visits and I can bring additional challenge to decisions made within the governors meetings.

EGO am very proud to be a governor here and just love either parent in Stanhope Primary School, I want the very best for our our and IODIN can always bring a parents perspective to every meeting. I feel it is important that every kid during Stanhope be lucky, safe, confident and strive to become the very best you can breathe. As parents plus associates of the school we need to support items in their journey to become outstanding and when necessary we have furthermore put the school under hard dare. I am not coyness to ask difficult questions and I am able go speak out and up for what is important.

I’m ever happier to have a chat so if you see me around and want for ask me anything, feel free (alternatively i ability contact me via the school office). ... Personal Statement in support away application to become Go District ... variety of issues relating to their premises (a recent example being non-fire.

Abbi Adair (Safeguarding Link Governor) 

I have been an co-opted Governator since and summer on 2016.  I work like a children’s social worker for an North East children’s services, plus have worked there for 17 past in a number of different socially work roles.  I taking lot of experience in child safeguarding, people management, conflict management, multi-agency working, risk assessment and prioritize the needs of vulnerable children.  As the safeguarding link governor I have worked on the school to securing policies are up to enter with the most guidance, and provide updates to governors at termly meetings.

The school and council continues in provide le are the possibility to attend adenine wide range of training courses which carriers mysterious understanding of whatever is unexpected of me inches my cast as leader, and what politisch one school must adhere to, toward run effectively.  I am pride in be a governor von Stanley Key School, additionally to to endeavour to ensure ever child who attends is safe, happy, or enabled to develop their full potential. In order to do this, I feel it is essential up support the school in is journey to become outstanding.  MYSELF promote and welcome anyone anybody would enjoy to ask me anything, to contact me via the school office.

Angie Ali (Staff Governor) 

By default cookies become switch off with this site. You canister enable them by clicking the green button.

By not enabling cookies several features of the site maybe not becoming visible to you. For show, facebook feeds, Google maps and embedded YouTube my.

Cookie policy

• Skip to main content
• Skip to main navigation
• Skip to search
• Skip to talk navigation

Advertisement

to be a bit peeved re: School Governors

scotchcorner · 03/07/2012 12:00

I applied to be a school governor. I wrote a personal statement setting out my stall nicely. There are 4 of us going for 3 places and it looks to me like I will be the 1 that doesn't get in because the other 3 are better statements with 2 being very professsional. However, another parent emailed me last night and said that she reckoned that 2 of them were heavily plagiarised. Well, I have just had a very quick Google and in 5 minutes found that of the 2 professional looking ones, the first is about 20% lifted word for word from the internet and the other one in about 50% lifted directly from the internet - and in both cases the plagiarised bits are the best bits. Is this just how it is? I have not seen previous Governor personal statements before. I don't mind losing but am unhappy to lose to cheats.

I would let the school know and they can decide if they are happy to let them continue.

Is the information in the statement true? If they have just copied a good format that puts forward their reasons for wanting to be a governor then I don't have an issue with that - but if thay have lied and made false statements that should be exposed. It's parents who will be voting, not everyone will be impressed by the professional sounding statements.

I'd agree with what Cwtches says. When I applied to be a governor, lots of them detailed how important they were, all the professional roles they had and how experienced they were in this, this and this. I just said "Hi, I'm musicposy. My girls are in Year 3 and Year R and when I'm not running myself ragged after them I teach piano. I'd like to be a governor because I'm keen and enthusiastic" or something of that nature. I got voted in and the professional statement people didn't. Parents generally want someone like them because they think they will represent them better. But do alert the school if you think proper cheating is going on.

If the information contained in their statements is truthful then they are not cheating by presenting it in a professional format. That's not plagiarism, it's research. If, on the other hand, what they've written is a tissue of lies then that's worse than plagiarism. You might well find that they are looking for someone whose qualities go beyond the ability to write a statement however. Or at least they should be!

The information about themselves is presumably true, if a little inflated. The plagiarised parts are in their preamble, the list of their soft-skills, aims for the school and their conclusion. They haven't even changed the words from the original source, just entirely lifted them. It is just a shame that they didn't lift from the same source becuase that would have been amusing.

Our LA provides templates for people applying to be Governors. As long as they haven't told any actual lies, their statements will be fine. Then it's up to the parents to vote.

Parent Governors need to be approachable - quite often parents will approach you in the playground because you're less scary than the HT! A lot of parents will feel put off by parent governors who just look like more of the establishment and would prefer the less 'professional' look of yours.

Anyway, as long as they turn out to be good governors with a bit of time on their hands and a dedication to the school, it's all good. You might be surprised though, if your statement has a 'personal touch', that might make other parents more likely to vote for you. Good luck.

We didn't have a template, just asked to write a few lines on why we'd like to be considered. I thik there is a difference between research and plagiarism. If the exact paragraph has been used by someone else before it's plagiarism to copy and paste it but it would be reseach if the was used to inspire a new paragraph written by the candidate. My problem was underestimating the opposition!!

I think it would be churlish to try to get them disqualified on a technicality. Would you consider snitching if you thought your statement was better anyway? See how the vote goes, you might be surprised.

Generally people vote for the person they know. If they know all the candidates, they will then vote for the person they like the most. I read the statements because I sometimes find it interesting what people do in their life away from the school gates. But they don't affect my vote.

To be fair the other candidate who has not plagiarised gave a really good impression of herself without being stuffy. She gets my vote :)

It's just self promotion, the proof of the pudding will be in the eating, so to speak. Many people will have a slight idea of the actual person anyway and don't need the spiel to make their minds up for them.

Why are there so many vacancies at the same time? 3 sounds like an awful lot?

It is most definitely plagiarism. But I'm not sure that it is worth making a fuss over. In practice it is hard to penalise people for plagiarism unless (for example with academic work) you have specifically told them not to do this. And IME governor voting usually corresponds pretty closely to how many people recognise your name and know who you are. I've seen many excellent candidates with great statements lose because they work full time and people don't know who they (or their partner) are. It is a shit system IMO.

If you are applying to be a parent governor, are there any other vacancies on the governing body? If so you could approach the chair of governors or clerk if you don't get elected and ask if you can apply for that category instead. Do they have the full complement of Local Authority governors? They could nominate you for appointment in that case also. If you think you have something to offer that the governing body might lack, then you could also think about enquiring to be an associate member. You would be part of the governing body, but not have voting rights. That's often a way in. To the person who says 3 is a lot of vacancies - it isn't if the terms of office of 3 parent governors happen to have come to an end at the same time. That is quite common. When that happens, even if the ex-governors want to continue, the parent governor election process has to take place.

I second what schoolgovenor says: ask if you may be an Associate Governor if all the other positions are filled. A really excellent person with some very valuable skills (financial - gov bodies always desperate for financially literate people!) put herself forward to be a governor at my school. But - as others have noted - not being a "presence" at the school gate, she twice failed to get elected. She is an active associate governor now and most valued. I agree that the voting system is flawed (aren't they all?!) as often a tiny percentage of ballot papers are returned and the victorious parent is not the candidate most suited to the job. Such people are the first to throw in the towel, however, when faced with two hours of scrutinising RAISE-online data!

I would tell them, at the very least so that they can change any future instructions given to prospective candidates. It's not a personal statement if it's lifted from a template.

Interesting what people are saying. I was surprised there were 3 available since they were not due to complete their terms until 2013 and 2015. I suspect that people do a year or 2, get it on their CV and resign. I am not very well known by other parents since I work almost full-time so only see other parents at parties. I will look into the associate governor role.

Yes the voting can often be more of a popularity contest rather than a reflection of who would actually be the best candidate.

Worra, LA's appoint inexperienced school governors all the time. In my area LA governors are quite hard to find, so they aren't choosy. In any case, an inexperienced governor who has some useful qualities to offer, can commit to meetings, visits and training, is more use than some of the experienced governors I know. I think some people might not realise that only parent governors are elected by the parent body. On most governing bodies that will be 2 or 3 members out of a total of 7 or more. Staff governors are elected by the staff (the Head is automatically a governor unless they decline). Then there will be community (or similar) governors who are elected by the governing body. Plus the associate governors. This all varies a bit with category of school, but it gives an idea. So, if you don't get elected as a parent governor, there are other openings. Some of the best governors I've met have been parent governors, dedicated and willing to learn and with the best interests of the children at heart. Sometimes the people who look as if they will be best, the professionals, are more interested in something that looks good on their CV. They are the ones arriving late at meetings and saying they don't have time to go on training. They might even think they are so expert in their own field that they don't even need to go on governor training - completely wrong of course!

Don’t want to miss threads like this?

Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

Scotchcorner, google The guide to the law for school governors and have a read. That tells you about the membership of governing bodies and is good background info for anyone who wants to be a governor.

There is nothing to stop a parent at a school being a community governor, and if a governing body would actively avoid appointing a parent in that capacity I think they would be quite short-sited. One of our community governors is a parent who works for a large financial organisation in London, in addition to expertise she has been able to secure all sorts of support for the school from her company. This is what the law says: "Community governors are appointed by the governing body to represent community interests. Community governors can be people who live or work in the community served by the school, or people who do not work or live close to the school but are committed to the good governance and success of the school. 15. In community special schools and foundation special schools, the governing body must appoint as one of the community governors a person (if any) nominated by one or more voluntary organisations designated by the LA. If the school is based in a hospital, the community governor must be nominated by one or more primary care trusts, the National Health Service (NHS) trust or NHS foundation trust. 16. A person is disqualified from appointment as a community governor if he or she is eligible to be a staff governor at the school, or is an elected member of the LA to which the school belongs." As for not having elections, that is what happens if there are nominations from the same number of people as there are vacancies, or less. If there are more nominations than there are vacancies for parent governors, then by law the governing body must hold elections and give all parents/carers the opportunity to vote. As I said before, The Guide to the Law is the point of reference here. You might find some of the information shared on an internet discussion group a bit misleading.

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

Customer Reviews

Essay Writing Service

Have a native essay writer do your task from scratch for a student-friendly price of just per page. Free edits and originality reports.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Benefits You Get from Our Essay Writer Service.

Typically, our authors write essays, but they can do much more than essays. We also offer admissions help. If you are preparing to apply for college, you can get an admission essay, application letter, cover letter, CV, resume, or personal statement from us. Since we know what the admissions committee wants to see in all these papers, we are able to provide you with a flawless paper for your admission.

You can also get help with business writing from our essay writer online. Turn to us if you need a business plan, business proposal, presentation, press release, sales letter, or any other kind of writing piece for your business, and we will tailor such a paper to your requirements.

If you say, "Do not write an essay for me, just proofread and edit it," we can help, as well. Just provide us with your piece of writing and indicate what exactly you need. We will check your paper and bring it to perfection.

Finished Papers

Customer Reviews

Write My Essay Service - Working to Help You

Do you want to have more free time for personal development and fun? Or are you confused with your professor's directions? Whatever your reason for coming to us is, you are welcome! We are a legitimate professional writing service with student-friendly prices and with an aim to help you achieve academic excellence. To get an A on your next assignment simply place an order or contact our 24/7 support team.

• Password reminder
• Registration

Adam Dobrinich

Finished Papers

Calculate the price

Minimum Price

Finish Your Essay Today! EssayBot Suggests Best Contents and Helps You Write. No Plagiarism!