School Governors: Frequently Asked Questions

Governors have three main roles:

The strategic role, which is about:

• vision for the school
• developing aims for the school
• planning so that all pupils can achieve the very best they can

The Governors Role in School Improvement - the 'Critical Friend' role, and in this role they:

• monitor and evaluate the school's work
• visit the school
• ensure that all meetings are effective by reading all papers prior to the meeting and preparing their questions and for areas that they would like to discuss at the meeting

The Accountability role of the Governing Body which is concerned with:

• reporting on progress
• reciprocal accountability between school leaders and governors
• the accountability to parents and the community they serve

School governors make important collective decisions and the governing body is answerable to parents and the community. The responsibilities of the governing body include:

• promoting high standards of education and achievement
• planning the school's long-term future
• setting the school's aims and values
• appointing senior staff including the Headteacher
• budgetary allocation and control
• deciding on the number of staff to be employed
• making sure that the curriculum is broad and balanced
• considering how the school will ensure that all pupils have access to the full range of extended services by 2010