How to become a Governor
Who can become a governor?
The governing board at Fircroft is always keen to encourage applications from people representing all aspects of the school and our local community. We look for individuals who can bring specific skills and areas of experience to match to the needs of the individual sub-committees. Some places on the Full Governing Board (FGB) are taken by associate governors. These positions hold voting rights in their sub-committees but not on the FGB.
What does being a governor involve?
Our governors are appointed for a four-year term of office. Meetings and in-house training sessions are held at the school, mainly in the evenings and they are required to attend a sub-committee and a full governing board meeting each term.
We expect governors to come in sometimes during the school day, to find out more about how the school works. The role also involves working with other Fircroft governors, school staff and outside agencies on specific initiatives and projects. This includes asking you to be the 'link person' for a key area of our school improvement plan. This will mean spending some time each term in school understanding how that area is progressing.
We also expect all governors to devote some time to keeping abreast of national and local changes in education.
How do we support and train our governors?
New governors are given an in-school induction by the Chair of Governors at a time to suit and are required to attend training for new governors, provided by Wandsworth Borough Council Governor Services. Follow-up training can be tailored to your interests and matched to the needs of the governing board. All governors are provided with ongoing in-house training as part of our annual meeting schedule and we encourage attendance at some parts of the school’s professional development days.
Are governors paid?
While all governors give their time on a voluntary basis, reimbursement is available for travel and childcare costs incurred in attending meetings.
How do I apply?
We have three elected parent governors. When one of these current governors comes to the end of their term of office the vacancy will be advertised by letter, through the school newsletter and here on the website. Once a vacancy arises, if you would like to stand for election you will need to complete a nomination form which will ask for brief details plus a short paragraph about yourself that can be sent out to all parents to help them decide which parent to vote for. If no other parent stands against you, then you may be elected unopposed. When nominations have opened, a nomination form will be made available in this section of the website.
How can I find out more information?
There is a wealth of information on the GOV.UK website. Please use the link below to access it and the search term ‘governor’.
If you are interested in finding out more about being a governor at Fircroft please don’t hesitate to contact our Chair of Governors, Tara Coffin via her school email address: tara.coffin@fircroft.family
