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Why volunteer as a school governor? - Panel discussion
413 Plays1 year ago
It's Volunteers' Week (1st-7th June), and we at Governors for Schools are excited to celebrate the fantastic work of governors across the country. Governors are the largest volunteer group across England and Wales, but there are still thousands of vacancies on school boards. Are you keen to get involved and help younger generations thrive? In this podcast, you'll learn more about the role, the commitment involved, and how to apply. You’ll also hear from two school governors about the difference they’re making by volunteering.
Ready to apply and start your governor journey? Head to the Governors for Schools website: Governors for Schools - Effective Governors, Excellent Schools
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Transcript
Introduction to Governors for Schools Podcast
00:00:10
Speaker
Welcome to the Governors for Schools podcast. I'm Ashley Callard, I'm the Communications and Engagement Manager at Governors for Schools, and I'm pleased to be hosting this episode focused on a topic that is very close to everyone's heart at Governors for Schools, and that is volunteering as a school governor. To help us on our journey, I'm delighted to welcome to the studio three very special guests. Dr. Fuschber is a governor at Primary School at Rosty Primary in Wrexham, lecturer in Business, Strategic Marketing and Human Resources Management
00:00:40
Speaker
at Rexham Glindor University. Andrew Dowsett, who's a Chartered Accountant at Ernest and Young, and a Governor at the United Colleges Group. And finally, Governors for Schools' very own Emma Harris, who's Head of Governor Recruitment. Emma is a Governor at a Primary School in Stockport, where she is an Inclusion Link Governor.
Roles and Responsibilities of School Governors
00:00:58
Speaker
Pushva, Andrew, Nemma, welcome to the Governors for Schools podcast. I'm so thankful to have you all on the podcast today. And at Governors for Schools, it is really clear that we are passionate about school governance. It permeates everything that we do. And for us, being a school governor is a really important and vital part of school life. But I think for me, what I'm really excited about today is that our listeners get a chance to hear from you personally about your experiences of being a school governor.
00:01:25
Speaker
Now our focus today is volunteering and some of our listeners may be thinking about volunteering and wondering why should I be a school governor? What is it all about? Why is it such a great thing and how can I get involved? So to kick us off I wonder Emma could you tell us a little bit about what a governor is? Yes absolutely Ashley happy to. So a school governor is a volunteer they work at strategic level rather than operational so it's not about
00:01:51
Speaker
Going to hear the children read, you might do that as an addition, but your actual governor role is strategic. It's about working with the head teacher and senior leadership team, working with the rest of the board to set a coherent strategic vision for the school. So what do you want to achieve for every pupil? Providing that challenge and that support to the senior leadership as well to make sure that there's robust and effective governance and overseeing finances to make sure that money spent in line with the strategic vision
00:02:19
Speaker
and that the school remains sustainable. You get the opportunity to get involved in so many different areas as a side to those three core strands but yeah it's a very enjoyable volunteer role. Thanks Emma, it sounds like there's a very wide element of responsibilities within a governor role.
Personal Experiences and Motivations
00:02:38
Speaker
I wonder Pushpa, could we bring you in? What made you decide to become a school governor?
00:02:44
Speaker
I have been very passionate about working in education for a long time and the timing was perfect, the opportunity was there and so I put myself up to volunteer and I have not looked back since because it's been such a rewarding experience. I work with an amazing group, an amazing team of people at the school.
00:03:14
Speaker
and I have also been able to impart some of my knowledge and my skills and share in the responsibility of a good governance at the school. Push for there's so much to pick there and I think lots of things that we can follow on throughout this podcast today so excited to hear more. Andrew I wonder why did you become a governor?
00:03:38
Speaker
So the reason I decided to become a governor first and foremost was that I've always been interested in helping improve the lives and outcomes of students in my local area. But the thing that sort of catalyzed me becoming a governor in the first place was I remember back in 2018 there was an article on the BBC News and it just said simply that there weren't enough governors volunteering in the United Kingdom. And at the end of the article after reading
00:04:01
Speaker
what governors do and how they get involved. There was a link to governors for schools and I followed that link and I think it all just kicked off from there and that's how my journey started. Well we're very pleased that you did and you mean you're completely right Andrew. On our books we've got thousands of vacancies across boards in England and Wales and it's just so important that people know that governance is one a volunteering opportunity but two it's a really important and really worthwhile opportunity as well.
00:04:28
Speaker
I wonder if you could both tell me a little bit more about your experience as a governor so far.
Financial Oversight and Strategic Planning
00:04:32
Speaker
It seems like you both have got lots of skills and you were doing it for lots of different reasons from giving back and contributing your skills and gaining new ones, but what's your experience been like so far? Andrew, should we start with you?
00:04:45
Speaker
So my experience so far as a school governor has been a very rewarding one and very exciting. It's enabled me to use my skills that I've brought from my chartered accounting career at Ernst & Young to improve the lives of the students. So primarily I've been responsible for the financial oversight of the school, being able to hold senior leaders to account, scrutinize the accounts and see where we can find efficiency savings. And most importantly, reinvest that in pupil outcomes and student experience. And that is
00:05:14
Speaker
in a nutshell, something I've thoroughly enjoyed. The other side about my experience as a governor is not just the meeting, but being able to involve myself in the life of the pupils and the students there. So being able to go in, understand what their educational experience is, visiting the classrooms, understanding really what they want out of their time in the classroom, and then being able to bring that back to the board and implement those changes. So it sounds like you've been very busy then, lots of things. Yeah, very much so.
00:05:43
Speaker
And Pushpa, how has your experience as a governor been so far? It's been nothing short of amazing. And what I feel that it has brought to the table is strategic planning is key because you are putting together the vision of the school and looking at ways where it can best benefit the community, the school and the students at the school.
00:06:11
Speaker
It's also being able to manage conflict within the stakeholders, the various stakeholders in the community. And, you know, working out what works best for the children involved. The other thing is to also have financial management because the budgeting is done at certain times of the year
00:06:39
Speaker
And they're working within a very, you know, very tight budget. So finding, you know, what are the best ways that the money can be utilized to benefit the students at the school is key. So those are the main things that I would say that, you know, we are most proud of, you know, coming up with good solutions or best practices at the meetings that we attend.
00:07:08
Speaker
I mean, on the topic of meetings,
Structure and Frequency of Governance Meetings
00:07:10
Speaker
because that is, you know, an important part of governance and one of the kind of key ways that you can fulfill your duty, although not the only way, but meetings are important. So can you tell me a little bit more about kind of the meetings that you go to? How do they operate? What are they like? The meetings are normally an hour long. And the meetings at Roasty Primary School is usually on a Tuesday from six to seven p.m.
00:07:41
Speaker
I believe the Secretary senses an agenda one week beforehand, so it's all very well managed and we have time to read through the minutes of the meeting and the agenda that's to come and make notes as we see fit and to bring up various points where we feel
00:08:07
Speaker
It needs more clarification. So the way the meeting start is, you know, we normally go through the minutes of the meeting from the previous week and make sure that everyone is comfortable with everything that has occurred. Then we move on to the present agenda. We go through, you know, each section methodically, you know, ask if there's any questions. Is everybody in agreement? And usually there are quite a few questions
00:08:36
Speaker
which prop up from those and we end with looking at what we are working towards or what we would like to achieve in the next meeting. So it's done in a very methodical way and everybody gets to contribute in terms of their skills and expertise and I believe it's handled very well.
00:09:06
Speaker
That's great to hear. Andrew, how often do you have meetings in your school?
00:09:11
Speaker
So our meetings are usually at least termly. I think there's almost two ways to segregate out the frequency of meetings. So usually in school governance you'll have a main board meeting which will cover all aspects of the school, which as I said usually happens every term or more frequently if there's big issues that are going on that needs addressing. But the other side of that is usually governors are assigned a subcommittee. So at the United Colleges Group we've got an audit committee, a finance committee,
00:09:38
Speaker
a people and resources and education committee and a few others and therefore where governors are assigned a responsibility on one of those, they will also meet terminally and report into the main board at the main meeting. So depending how you get involved will almost ultimately govern how often you meet because the more active you are, the more subcommittees you're interested in, you'll get to have more or less meetings depending which ones you choose.
00:10:06
Speaker
I think you raised a really good point, Andrew, in that governors can take on more responsibility. I wonder if either of you have any additional responsibilities as a governor. For example, are either of you a link governor?
00:10:17
Speaker
So in terms of additional responsibilities at the school where I was formerly governor, I took on the role firstly as chair of finance and then secondly as chair of governors. And each one of those, as you can imagine, the chair of finance is responsible for overseeing the financial performance of the school and takes on a closer look at both the internal operations of finance and the external support that we get through our external auditors and making sure those reports are correct.
00:10:43
Speaker
And the same is true at the United College Group where I've just joined, where I'm primarily sitting on their audit committee and it's very much the same function. It's holding the finance committee to account and scrutinizing the performance and almost monthly management accounts to making sure that we've got the cash flow and got the financial resources to keep going for, well, as long as the school wishes to keep its students. So it's almost a very important role, but it means that you can choose
00:11:10
Speaker
as a governor, which bits as a child accountant. That's where my skills are. So that's where I've invested the majority of my additional time.
00:11:20
Speaker
That's a great example of another type of responsibility as a governor that you can take on. So as well as being a link governor where you can take special accountability and responsibility in certain areas, you could be what's called a vice chair or a chair, which means that you can take on added responsibility for the organization and logistics of the bigger meetings themselves. So as a volunteer, you have an opportunity to really diversify your experience as well. And there's lots of different opportunities within governments that you can get involved with.
00:11:48
Speaker
Meetings we've just spoke about are an important part of governance, but they're not the only part. There are other things as a governor that you can do, for example, going into schools.
Engagement with Schools and Skill Development
00:11:56
Speaker
Pushpa, have you ever had an opportunity to go into school? And if so, what was it like? Yes, I've had an opportunity to go into the school. And it was to view during the Christmas season and to see how children took on their roles
00:12:16
Speaker
in various activities and it was delightful to see the effort that had gone into place and things like that so very rewarding. I think going into school can be a great way to raise your visibility as a governor and to show who you are in the school community and I think that's one of the nice things about being a governor is that
00:12:39
Speaker
As a volunteer you're there to help and being able to go into school events and show your support can be a big morale boost to the staff and the students because you know working in schools can be a real challenge and there's lots of difficulties and challenges that are facing the sector at the minute but as a governor you're going in there purely as a volunteer to offer your support and getting to do events going along to assemblies. I know Emma you were at an assembly recently is that right?
00:13:02
Speaker
Yeah that's right I went into delivery assembly about what does community mean and what does volunteering mean and hopefully inspire the next generation of school governors and it was genuinely life affirming to see all of the infants sat there kind of listening to every word and some of the answers that they gave were just fantastic.
00:13:22
Speaker
It was thoroughly enjoyable and a really good opportunity to see all the great work that we hear about at board meetings to see all of that in action. I'm really pleased that you've had the opportunity to do that and I'm really looking forward to having the chance to do that myself as a governor. I'm due to go into school very shortly to deliver a session around community as well so it would be nice to get into school and see lots of smiling faces and staff.
00:13:45
Speaker
I wonder, some of our listeners might be thinking, well, what skills do I need? What would I have to do to be a governor? Emma, are there any kind of key skills that people who want to be a governor need to possess? Yeah, so when a school registers a vacancy with us, quite often they will have a skill set in mind that can be things like finance, HR,
00:14:05
Speaker
data analysis, health and safety. It really is very, very broad. Obviously, they've already got education lists on their board, but some schools are looking for a different kind of side of that experience as well. Lots of schools come to us as well where they've got actually quite balanced boards, and what they need is somebody additional, but somebody
00:14:26
Speaker
from outside of the school who can bring a different perspective to the table. So somebody who can bring that objectivity. I think what's really core in terms of the skills that you need to be a governor, if we move away from the kind of career related, you know, finance, HR side of things.
00:14:43
Speaker
It's more about having the ability to ask questions, to be curious and definitely being able to make that commitment and to be able to champion the school and to really enjoy working with a diverse range of people because on your board, you'll have parents, you'll have staff, you'll have other governors that might not have a connection to the school and you really want to enjoy and thrive upon working collaboratively with the rest of that board. I think that's really key. Can I just jump in on that as well, Emma?
00:15:13
Speaker
What I found recently, I mean, I am a safeguarding governor as well, and I didn't know much about it at all, but they have had three online sessions so far, two hour sessions, and I've learned so much from just my interaction with other governors and learning about the safeguarding policies because they are constantly being
00:15:43
Speaker
updated on a yearly basis. So the wealth of knowledge you acquire just from these sessions is incredible. Yeah, I think that's a really good point, actually. You know, the vast majority of people that we place onto governing boards, they've not been governors before.
00:15:59
Speaker
And there is so much support there. Obviously, like your school will provide lots of additional training. We've got loads of training that people can tap into. So nobody should be put off by not having governance or education experience because that can all be learned.
00:16:14
Speaker
Absolutely and I think sometimes there's a bit of a misconception that you have to be a parent or have had children at school and that's not the case is it Emma? No absolutely not so we know that currently there are more governors over 80 than under 30 so we definitely want to try and move away from the idea that you have to be a parent already you have to have children at the school.
00:16:33
Speaker
You don't have to have children, you don't have to have worked in education and you just need to be aged 18 or above. So we really welcome applications from people from the whole wealth of experience in the community.
00:16:47
Speaker
And I think it's important to remember as well that schools aren't looking for a finished product. You'll develop so many skills during a governance journey. I wonder, Pushpa, Andrew, have either of you had an opportunity to develop skills? And Pushpa, you mentioned about safeguarding, which is a great example of having a chance to really develop those skills on the job. What I felt is that although I did have things like leadership skills, it has enhanced
00:17:14
Speaker
what I already was doing job-wise and put it all together because you're working with so many different or diverse group of stakeholders. So you have to be very respectful of everyone's opinion and some people are very passionate about doing things a certain way and come together and to realize what is the best policy to adapt
00:17:41
Speaker
for the school and for the students who go to that school. And sometimes that can be a challenge. But, you know, I think at the end of the day, all of us realize we are there for the betterment of the community as well as the school of the children. And Hanju, how did your experience compare?
00:18:02
Speaker
So I think the different ways that you sort of build your skills from being a governor is probably when you think of like your soft skills and then kind of applying sort of more your I say technical skills as time goes on. So in terms of say the soft skills as chair of governors you learn
00:18:18
Speaker
almost very quickly how to chair a board meeting which is applicable not just as a school governor but as you go say as a chart accountant into industry or presenting to our clients we have to do those very same skills and the same with public speaking. So I've had similar experiences to Emma and Pushpa where you go in and lead assemblies. I remember when King Charles visited our school I had to introduce him to our students and that requires a certain level of public speaking and being able to confidently address
00:18:45
Speaker
sort of very senior people. He's probably the most senior person in the country. So you've got to kind of build those skills up. And then in terms of your, say, technical skills. So as a financial, as someone from a finance background and sitting on the finance committee, we have to make sure that we understand the technical accounting standards for the presentation of the accounts. We have to present to the auditors our understanding of these technical accounts and being able to
00:19:12
Speaker
understand what we're signing off when we sign these accounts and submit them, not just to a company's house, but to the department for education. So that's building up those technical, that technical knowledge. And you can take that, I can take that technical accounting knowledge with me anywhere. I will apply that to schools. I'll apply it to companies. And that's very useful because in my day job I do, I do banks, but you know, those are the usual companies we audit, but at a school is a very different to a bank, but you still have to learn those different technical areas. And then I can bring that wherever I go.
00:19:41
Speaker
any industry that we audit or do financial accounting for in the future. So lots of opportunity for skill development and I just want to unpick a little bit about what you said Pushpa about challenges because I think it's important to our listeners that we do talk about challenges. Governance can present challenges but there's a lot of support and training available to be able to upskill yourself to a point that you're comfortable dealing with whatever comes your way as a governor. But I wonder are there any challenges that you faced within your role as a governor?
Challenges and Strategic Decisions
00:20:08
Speaker
The challenges that I faced were basically time management, being a little bit more organized in terms of managing my time, and also in terms of understanding the education landscape, because it is a very complex, in terms of policies and obligations that the schools need to follow,
00:20:35
Speaker
and to literally put everything together and make it workable and practical and also to be able to realize the school's vision, which is key to overcoming these challenges. But apart from that, I think if you're dedicated and you want to see the best in terms of what comes out of all the meetings that you've had, go in with a positive attitude, with a big smile,
00:21:05
Speaker
And everybody's happy to work with you, you know, to make it a reality and to make it beneficial. Absolutely agree. I think having that positive attitude is so important. Going in with a smile and just knowing that if you don't know the answer, everyone will work together to get it. Andrew, how about yourself? Have you had any challenges within your role as a governor? I was thinking the greatest challenge, I think, for any school, but especially with my background at the finance sides of schools is
00:21:35
Speaker
almost breaking even. A school is funded centrally from the government. You get a fixed amount per pupil. And with that, you've got to have great educational outcomes and improve outcomes with GCSEs and also even pay staff and keep up with cost of living inflation increases. And there's lots of therefore cost pressures on a school. And the greatest challenge is being able to take them all on, cover them, and then
00:22:00
Speaker
be able to provide a great educational experience for the children. And at the London Enterprise Academy and United Colleges Group, I'd like to think that we do that. But it's a very, it's an ongoing challenge. And it would always be a challenge, I think, in the education sector. It's not a sector that's sort of flush with capital or cash. And we've got to use that cash to the best ability that we can for the benefit of our students and pupils. One of the core functions of governance.
00:22:28
Speaker
Emma, how about you? Have you experienced any challenges with being a governor? Yeah, I mean, the one that I'm thinking of very much ties in with what Andrew's been saying. And this is a previous school where I was governor, not where I am currently, but we had to make some really tough decisions regarding keeping that school sustainable. And, you know, they weren't made lightly, those decisions, we had to go to panels, we had to involve unions.
00:22:54
Speaker
But although they were really difficult decisions to make, they did make sure that the school remained sustainable and that the children there were still receiving a good level of education. And so that was really tough. I've never had to deal with making kind of strategic decisions about employment before. But it did feel satisfying to have worked with the rest of the board and their leadership to be able to come to a satisfactory conclusion that meant the school could continue supporting children.
00:23:23
Speaker
that sounds challenging Emma but great to see that you've overcome it and you've been able to support the children along the way. I think for me one of the biggest challenges I found was imposter syndrome and I don't know if anyone can relate to that but for me I became a governor in my mid-20s I will say and I kind of felt gosh can I really take a seat at this table what can I contribute and offer
00:23:45
Speaker
but I think although that was my biggest challenge in a way that's been my biggest growth area because I've found that my board has been really welcoming, has valued my opinions and I've had so many opportunities to learn from new perspectives and new ideas that actually now going into my fifth year of governance now I feel much more confident and I feel able to support newer governors and their transition and role in the governance as well so for me that was a really big challenge but I'm glad I overcame it.
Benefits of Being a School Governor
00:24:13
Speaker
But moving on to some of their more exciting things, what's the biggest benefit that you've found from being governor? For me, it was getting more confidence. Pushpa, what about you? Making a positive impact because, you know, when you're there, the role isn't an extremely important one because you're contributing your knowledge, your skills, and you're also listening to other people's contributions on how
00:24:42
Speaker
they can make a difference so that I felt was my biggest benefit. Andrew, what about your experience? I think the most rewarding thing, I think being a school governor, is seeing the outcomes for the pupils and seeing where they end up. You'll hear, or I hear as chair of governors, I did hear as chair of governors, after a couple of years, once they've gone on and done their GCSEs, where they've ended up. And it's always very exciting to hear back
00:25:10
Speaker
as a chair of governors where they have ended up. Some of them have ended up in the big four chartered accounting firms like me. And that's probably, I'm very biased, but that's probably the most exciting thing I could think of. But beyond that, we've had people who have gone on to Russell Group universities to Oxford and Cambridge. We had someone who competed in the Olympics for their home country. And that's just incredibly rewarding. And I think that's
00:25:32
Speaker
it obviously is a benefit as well because we're here to improve the lives of the people in our local area through education and I just think it's a great rewarding and satisfying thing when you hear that these things have happened and it's because of the work that we all have done as school governors.
00:25:51
Speaker
Absolutely, and if any of our listeners are wanting to get involved in that and to be able to be part of that community and make those changes just like all of we are doing, Emma, how can people get
Becoming a Governor and Advice for Aspirants
00:26:02
Speaker
involved? How can you become a school governor?
00:26:04
Speaker
Thanks, Ashley. So yeah, we've got lots and lots of governor vacancies across the whole of England and Wales. So we really value anybody coming forward who would like to become a school governor. What you would need to do if you're interested is go to our website, which is www.governorsforschools.org.uk and you will be able to read more about the role and read more about other people's experience as a governor. And then you can start your application with this. When you complete your application,
00:26:32
Speaker
you're going to give us a bit of background about, you know, yourself and your motivation, why do you want to get involved, what kind of skills you think you can share, and you'll tell us about any preferences you've got in terms of the phase of education you want to support. One of our team will then match you with a school. They'll suggest that school to you. You can say yes or no, you know, you'd have a kind of brief look to see whether it was a good fit. But if you're interested with making introductions with the school and you'll go and have that initial conversation,
00:27:00
Speaker
If that conversation makes you realise that's not the opportunity for you, that is also fine. You come back to us. But our people are really good at matching you with school. So in most cases, you would then progress. If the school is happy, you'd usually observe a governing board meeting. So again, it just gives you a little bit more context about the school that you're going into.
00:27:19
Speaker
And then in most cases your appointment is voted on and you have a DBS check. So that's usually the process. Depending on where you are in the country and what sort of preferences you've put down on your application will inform how long the process takes. So if it is that you're in central London and you really want a secondary school,
00:27:37
Speaker
Realistically, it's going to take a bit longer to find you a good match than if you're open to any phase of education and you live somewhere like Birmingham or Durham or Manchester or most other places, really. And as I said, we do have lots of vacancies, but we will talk to you about how long we think it will take you to be matched with the school. And Pushpa, I wonder, do you have any advice for people who are thinking of becoming a school governor? I would say, you know,
00:28:07
Speaker
Talk to people who are current school governors. If you're able to do your research, go to the website, listen to podcasts like these, and make up your mind whether this is something that you can realistically take on. Are you able to dedicate your time to such a worthy cause?
00:28:36
Speaker
If you do decide it's something that is for you, then you're going to find it extremely rewarding. Thank you. Anand, any advice for our listeners today? I think my advice is to go for it as a short answer.
00:28:53
Speaker
I think what people touching on what you talked about before, people almost have a bit of an imposter syndrome thinking, why am I becoming a school governor? And I started the same as you in my twenties. And the idea of a governor isn't to tell the teachers how to teach better. It's not to tell the headmaster how to be a better headmaster.
00:29:09
Speaker
It's about using the skills you've gained externally to improve the outcomes of the students. So coming back to the fact that I've been a chart accountant, that doesn't give me the authority to tell the teacher how to be a better teacher. It gives me the ability to help the financial function improve outcomes and be able to sort of be a critical friend and challenge. And therefore, if that's what's holding people back, I
00:29:35
Speaker
My advice to them is to simply apply. And as Emma's touching on, the application process is very easy. I found it incredibly easy. It's almost the easiest job application in the world. You put your name down, you put your skills down. And then as Emma was saying, I received a number of offers from different schools in my local area and I found one that matched and then
00:29:54
Speaker
This is described the process from there. And that's almost the total opposite of every job application. I think everyone's ever done where you've got to send off thousands of applications and wait for results. But it means that with the benefit of governors for schools, you can just go for it. And I said it in a roundabout way. But I think the key take home message for anyone who's listening is simply
00:30:14
Speaker
put your name down, put your skills down. And if there's a school in your area that thinks those skills are what they need to increase the diversity on the board, then they will reach out and Emma will reach out and you'll be able to make a fantastic difference to those who are looking to improve educational outcomes in your area. Thank you, Andrew. And I guess, Emma, what should someone do if they want to become a governor? What are their next steps? What do they need to do straight away after listening to this podcast?
00:30:41
Speaker
straight away after listening to this do go and visit that website so just to give that to you again it's www.governorsfascools.org.uk and there you'll be able to find the application form as Andrew said it's really straightforward so once you've submitted that you'll be in touch with your local area representative you'll be able to start looking at vacancies for you.
00:31:04
Speaker
Pushpa, Andrew, Emma, thank you so much for sharing your experiences with our listeners today. And to our listeners, we've really enjoyed bringing our passion for school governance to you. And we hope that you will consider taking on this really rewarding and important role. I really encourage you to reach out to us at Governors for Schools and we hope that we can be of support. We'd be delighted to have you join us again for another Governors for Schools podcast in the future. But until then, thank you for listening and have a lovely day. Bye bye.