School governors wanted

15th February 2024

Sandwell Business Ambassador Brian Cape is urging Sandwell residents to volunteer as school governors to mark School Governors’ Awareness Day.

Brian is CEO of SIPS Education, a not-for-profit education support services provider for Sandwell, the Black Country and the West Midlands. SIPS is celebrating school governors throughout this month, leading up to National School Governors’ Awareness Day on Thursday 29 February.

Governors perform an important voluntary role within education, and becoming a governor is a great way to contribute to your local area. There are currently many vacancies for governors on school boards across the region.

Sandwell Council is also encouraging local people to take up posts on school governing bodies. It is promoting the value to businesses in having a team member serve as a school governor.

The benefits of being a school governor

By sitting on a school board, you can help improve the lives of local children. It’s also a great personal development opportunity, with the chance to meet new people and learn something new. 

Many organisations allow time out of work for school governor duties, and many board meetings are held virtually.

What it takes to be a school governor

You don’t need any prior knowledge or experience to be a school governor. However, you should be able to get on well with people and have an interest in education. 

You would also have to commit to a minimum of three meetings a year, and undertake training for the role, which SIPS Education can provide. You would be expected to stay in the role for at least four years.

The school board

As a governor, you would sit on a school board alongside parents, members of the local authority, people from the community and school staff. There might also be representatives of faith groups or education trusts.

The board is responsible for making sure the school provides good quality education. It also sets the school’s aims and policies, selects the head teacher, makes decisions about budgets and staffing, and plans for the future. It is also responsible for ensuring the school delivers the national curriculum, encourages pupil development, and meets the needs of all its pupils.

Brian said: “People with business skills are a real asset on school governance boards. It’s also an important part of community life that employers and business owners can support as part of their corporate social responsibility. Plus governors can play a part in developing future talent. Business and education have a lot to offer each other.”

To apply, visit the SIPS Education website.
See also Sandwell Council’s school governor campaign.