School Governor or Trustee

Would You like to be a School Governor or Trustee?

Volunteering as a school governor or trustee is a challenging but rewarding role that offers the opportunity to make a difference for children and young people in your community. Partnerships for Jewish Schools PaJeS works with schools across the Jewish community. We would be happy to have a conversation with you about becoming a governor in a Jewish school.

Governors typically serve at schools that are maintained by the local authority whereas trustees serve on an academy trust board. In all cases, those who govern are responsible for:

• developing a vision and strategy for the school
• overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent
• holding the school leader to account to ensure that every pupil has the best possible education
• engaging with pupils, staff, parents and the school community to understand their views of the school

In practice, this means looking at information and evidence to have conversations and ask school leaders questions about the school. You will decide how the school's budget is spent and may also make decisions about pupil exclusions and staff disciplinary matters.

• Attend regular meetings (around six each year)
• Visit the school(s) occasionally
• Do some background reading
• Take part in induction training and ongoing development