Join us as a governance volunteer

Working in partnership with the Trust Board, school governors offer strategic guidance, rather than getting involved in the operational aspects of a school. They oversee and monitor the effectiveness of the school in areas such as finance, school improvement and pupil outcomes, safeguarding, estates, policy and compliance and HR. They hold the senior leadership team to account whilst also acting as a critical friend to the headteacher. Most importantly, they help to ensure that children are safe and happy in school and achieve the best possible outcomes.

Academy trustees are volunteers. The Charity Commission defines trustees as the people responsible for governing a charity and directing how it is managed and run. The board of trustees works closely with the local governing bodies of the schools within our Trust.

The purpose of the board of trustees is to provide strategic leadership of the Trust by helping set and embed the Trust’s vision and strategy, and use these to monitor how the Trust and our schools are progressing towards our strategic goals. 

Trustees also bring accountability and assurance, ensuring that the board has robust oversight of the operations and performance of the Trust, including education, pupil welfare and finance. Trustees monitor these areas and hold trust leaders to account for performance and compliance in them.

Trustees support engagement by having strategic oversight of relationships with the Trust's stakeholders; parents/carers, pupils, staff, local communities. By ensuring that our schools and our Trust are communicating with and involving these groups, we can be assured that decision-making is supported by meaningful engagement.

Governors and trustees typically attend between 4 and 6 governing body meetings per year, each of which can last between 2 and 2.5 hours. They may also attend school events and carry out other activities in school including monitoring visits. There is also some time spent on preparing for meetings, reviewing documents, and engaging in professional development. Trustees also hold committee and link trustee roles.

Giving Back: Governors and trustees contribute to the education and well-being of young people. 

Skills Development: Gain valuable skills in strategic planning, communication, and leadership. 

Personal Growth: Being a governor or trustee can be a rewarding and fulfilling experience, helping individuals develop personally and professionally. 

Impact: Governors and trustees have a significant impact on the school, the Trust and the lives of its pupils and staff. 

There are no specific qualifications or requirements for the role - every governing board needs to be balanced and have diversity of knowledge, skills and experience. You don't need to have a background in education to be an effective governor or trustee. Skills such as negotiation, collaboration and organisation are vital to the role. Having an interest in education, schools and young people is crucial, as is an ability to listen to other people's views, to discuss them and make decisions. Training opportunities are available to help update your skills in key areas.

To be eligible to volunteer for a governance role you need:

• the time to contribute
• to be aged 18 or over
• not to be disqualified under the relevant rules and procedures 

Governors and trustees usually serve a four-year term of office.

Different types of school governors are appointed in different ways:

Academy or co-opted position: The governing body or Trust Board will vote to appoint you as a school governor or trustee.

Member appointed trustees: Trust Members (who are akin to shareholders) appoint trustees.

Parent governors: Your parent peers will vote to elect you.

Staff governors: Your staff colleagues will vote to elect you.

Foundation governors: These are appointed by the church.

All non-elected school governor appointments are subject to the approval of the Trust Board.

There are typically between 10 - 12 governors on each of our local governing bodies.

There are a similar number of trustees on the Trust Board.

All governance meeting dates and times are agreed in advance of the beginning of the school year. Agendas are sent out two weeks prior to each meeting in order for governors and trustees to adequately prepare.

Most schools hold their governing body meetings outside school hours, often early in the evening. Some schools have a mix of in person and online meetings, others hold all of their meetings in person at school.

The Trust Board usually meets mid week at 4.30pm/5.00pm.

In the first instance, complete the Governance Expression of Interest Form at the bottom of this page.

If we feel that your skills are a good match for any current governance vacancies, we will contact you to discuss the next steps. 

Should we mutually agree to take your interest forward, we will ask you to provide a few additional pieces of information and a declaration that will be provided to you in order that we can carry out an enhanced Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check and other safer recruitment checks. 

All governors and trustees have access to a comprehensive training and induction programme and will have opportunities to meet with senior leaders of the school/Trust and other governors and trustees following appointment.