School Governor

kokuten · 13 Mar 2014 at 17:04

Hey,

I don't know whether anyone is but would be nice to hear the experiences from those who are, I am a member of my daughters school's PTA and have very recently applied to be a school governor, I understand this means taking on a lot of responsibility and even don't know if I will be successful.

So anyone here a school governor and if so how do you guys/gals find it?

Efour · 13 Mar 2014 at 17:07

My mates Mum did it.

Mrs Hitler we called her... Good luck! The kind of people that do it tend to be of a certain ilk, from which i cannot tolerate.

kokuten · 13 Mar 2014 at 17:08

Efour said:
My mates Mum did it.

Mrs Hitler we called her... Good luck! The kind of people that do it tend to be of a certain ilk, from which i cannot tolerate.

lol, I don't think i am from the breed which you hint :-)

but i am saddened our relationship may end

Stolly · 13 Mar 2014 at 17:14

Efour said:
My mates Mum did it.

Mrs Hitler we called her... Good luck! The kind of people that do it tend to be of a certain ilk, from which i cannot tolerate.

Parents taking an active role in ensuring the quality of education for theirs and others children.

Damn their eyes !

kokuten · 13 Mar 2014 at 17:15

Stolly said:
Parents taking an active role in ensuring the quality of education theirs and others children.

Damn their eyes !

this is the reason I want to be as involved as I can, my daughter has started at that school and it makes you realize the importance of what they learn and how crucial it is to their development as a person

Stolly · 13 Mar 2014 at 17:19

I've been a parent governor for two years, I've found it immensely rewarding. Can be time consuming and the amount of paperwork you have to digest before meetings is mind boggling.

Its really given me an insight into my children's lives at school, and I feel so much more involved in their lives as a result. I've also played a role in selecting new staff, including the new head and one other teacher both of which have been huge successes, and have improved the school for all.

kokuten · 13 Mar 2014 at 17:20

Stolly said:
I've been a parent governor for two years, I've found it immensely rewarding. Can be time consuming and the amount of paperwork you have to digest before meetings is mind boggling.

Its really given me an insight into my children's lives at school, and I feel so much more involved in their lives as a result. I've also played a role in selecting new staff, including the new head and one other teacher both of which have been huge successes, and have improved the school for all.

when you applied to be a school governor did you have any helpful background education as such?

Stolly · 13 Mar 2014 at 17:21

kokuten said:
when you applied to be a school governor did you have any helpful background education as such?

No involvement in education before, but my day job as a manager at a large company has transferable skills. In fact being a governor has really improved my soft skills.

kokuten · 13 Mar 2014 at 17:25

Stolly said:
No involvement in education before, but my day job as a manager at a large company has transferable skills. In fact being a governor has really improved my soft skills.

Its nice to see that you can get something out of it too, I was worried that with no prior involvement I'd be out of my depth but a challenge is a challenge and everything has a learning curve, plus, if I can gain skills from doing it then its a win win :-)

Stolly · 13 Mar 2014 at 17:39

kokuten said:
Its nice to see that you can get something out of it too, I was worried that with no prior involvement I'd be out of my depth but a challenge is a challenge and everything has a learning curve, plus, if I can gain skills from doing it then its a win win

You'll be out of your comfort zone for a bit ( I certainly was) as you learn all the new lingo....cohort, RAISEOnline, attainment, achievement, effective practitioner, pupil premium and a million other things.

Don't be afraid of challenging the status quo though....as a new governor you have fresh eyes and should remember that the role of a governor is to be a "critical friend"..basically its fine to be a pain in the ass !

Efour · 13 Mar 2014 at 17:40

To be fair The woman i mention was doing it purely from a selfish point of view as part of a strange game of one-upmanship with another couple, who were mutual friends.

I meant no disrespect and wish you luck applying.

kokuten · 13 Mar 2014 at 17:40

Stolly said:
You'll be out of your comfort zone for a bit ( I certainly was) as you learn all the new lingo....cohort, RAISEOnline, attainment, achievement, effective practitioner, pupil premium and a million other things.

Don't be afraid of challenging the status quo though....as a new governor you have fresh eyes and should remember that the role of a governor is to be a "critical friend"..basically its fine to be a pain in the ass !

Had no idea what any of those are, but I am ready to commit anything if I do get the opportunity to do so :-)

kokuten · 13 Mar 2014 at 17:42

Efour said:
To be fair The woman i mention was doing it purely from a selfish point of view as part of a strange game of one-upmanship with another couple, who were mutual friends.

I meant no disrespect and wish you luck applying.

Thanks mate and I didn't take it the wrong way and personal experiences always jar peoples perspectives :-)