Chair of Governors Volunteer

Chair of Governors (Derby) – Volunteer

Do you want to be inspired by the impact of education? Do you have the skills to lead an established board of governors? A school in Derby is looking for a skilled volunteer to drive school improvement. What difference will you make? Governors make decisions that affect schools and their pupils for years to come; our recent impact survey found that our volunteers bring £9.9 million worth of value to schools each year, and 9/10 volunteers would recommend being a governor to a friend.

Becoming a governor gives you ample opportunity for personal and professional development, including exposure to finance and budgeting, safeguarding, HR, strategic planning, and more.

As a chair of governors, you can visit the school to gain an understanding of the culture and ethos as well as meeting children, parents, and teachers, and see the impact of your work first‑hand. Chair of governors act as a ‘critical friend’ to their head teacher ensuring accountability and helping to monitor and evaluate the school’s progress, budget and staffing.

You’ll also help your governing board to shape and implement future plans and guide the schools aims, ethos and values.

What are we looking for? You don’t need to be a parent or have any specific skills to become a chair of governors; you’ll need to be over 18 and happy to have a DBS check to apply! Professional skills such as HR, finance, law or project management are useful, but governing boards are often needing softer skills such as leadership, communication and problem solving alongside a fresh perspective and lived experience within their communities to help schools have a bright future.

As a chair of governors, you’ll be supported by the Vice Chair and Clerk to help ensure an effective, focused board utilising and building its skills, knowledge and experience.

The vacancy is for a 7‑11 junior school looking to find a chair of governor to sit on their board with experience of business and finance. They would ideally like their chair of governors to have had previous experience of being a governor. The school is proud of the outcomes it offers for its children, including use of a forest school, creating lifelong learners.

What will you be doing? As a Chair of Governors, you’ll operate at the head of a governing board and utilise strategic leadership skills, making decisions on a wide range of topics and improving education within your local community.