Applying To Be A School Governor
Help make sure children get the best education
School governors help to make sure children receive a high standard of education, and achieve their full potential. They work with headteachers to support and improve schools.
There are four kinds of school governors in maintained schools:
- Elected governors
- Co-opted governors
- Foundation governors
- Local authority governors
If you want to be an elected or co-opted governor, you should apply directly to the school. If you want to be a foundation governor you should apply to the appropriate diocese (this is for church schools), if you want to be a local authority governor, you should apply to us. You’ll be invited to talk about your application with one of our Governor Services representatives, a governor and/or a headteacher.
Governors of academies are appointed by the Academy Trust Members - if you would like to be a governor or Trustee in an academy you should approach the school directly.
Be prepared to explain the skills and attributes you think you could bring to being a governor or Trustee.
Your role as a governor
You’ll be part of a governing body. Each body has between 10 - 21 people. They are responsible for:
- Agreeing development priorities.
- Setting targets.
- Agreeing policies and practice.
- Agreeing an annual budget.
- Appointing the headteacher and other senior staff.
- Developing services to meet a school’s needs as part of the wider community.
Application to become a local authority governor
If you want to be a local authority governor, you may wish to contact governor.services@bcpcouncil.gov.uk to establish if there are any current vacancies before completing the application form.
Useful information
Local authority governor appointments
Information for prospective governors