Who are school Governors and what do they do?

School Governors come from every walk of life. There are over 300,000 school Governors in England and they form the largest volunteer force in the country.

Each individual Governor is a member of a governing body, which is established in law as a corporate body. Individual Governors may not act independently of the rest of the governing body. Decisions are the joint responsibility of the governing body.

The role of the governing body is a strategic one, its key functions are to:

• Set the aims and objectives for the school.
• Set the policies for achieving those aims and objectives.
• Set the targets for achieving those aims and objectives.
• Monitor and evaluate the progress the school is making towards achievement of its aims and objectives.
• Be a source of challenge and support to the Headteacher (a critical friend).

The Headteacher is responsible for the internal organisation, management and control of the school and the implementation of the strategic framework established by the governing body.

Types of school and categories of Governor

There are a number of different types of state schools in England:

• Community.
• Voluntary controlled.
• Voluntary aided.
• Foundation.
• Foundation trust – a type of foundation school.
• Academies & City Technology Colleges (CTCs) – independent state funded schools.

There are also different categories of Governor:

• Parent.
• Staff.
• Community.
• Foundation.
• Partnership.
• Local authority.

Who are appointed in different ways.

Within limits, governing bodies are free to determine their own size and membership. Regulations specify how many Governors schools should have in total (between 9 and 20) and also what proportion of Governors in each category the different types of school should have.