Parent Governor Opportunity
Dear Parents/ Carers,
We have a hardworking team of governors at Kingsley, vital in the school’s continued success. At Kingsley Primary our constitution requires that we have 2 parent representatives as part of our Governing Body.
At present our parent representatives are:
Mrs A Elmi (parent of pupils in y6, y3 and YR)
Mrs F Sahed (parent of pupil in y6 )
Mrs Sahed’s 4 year term of office came to its end this month. She has been a parent Governor for 8 years and has helped the school through many important decisions (these include Covid lockdowns, many changes to SEND provision in school, two Ofsted inspections and my appointment as head teacher back in 2016!) Mrs Sahed feels that the time is right to let another parents stand in her place, so that she can focus on family commitments and support her daughter in the move to secondary school. She has been an amazing support to me as a Head and to the school, and I am sure you will join me in thanking her for her support and service to the school.
This does, however leave us with a vacancy!
Would you like to be a parent governor and join our hard working, loyal and committed group? If so you have the opportunity to put yourself forward for election. We look for someone committed to helping our school improve further, to become part of our team! To be eligible for election, parents or carers must have a pupil registered at Kingsley Primary in September 2023. If there are more than one nomination then there will be an election and I will inform you of the procedures.
Parents and carers make an invaluable contribution to the management of the school. They are part of the decision making process which directly affects the quality of education we provide for our children, and are a big part of Ofsted’s judgements about the quality of leadership in the school. If you feel that you can contribute, and can attend two full meetings per term, plus occasional committee meetings and other events, then please consider standing. Regular attendance to all meetings will be a vital requirement. These meetings take place from 3pm – 6pm as well as attendance at other events. You must be able to attend regularly, and the expectation is that you prioritise these meetings unless there is an emergency!
Further information which may make the role clearer, is available on request in the school office, and all new governors will attend training . A parent governor is elected for a four year term of office.
Nominating Yourself.
Please write a short letter in support of your nomination, which I can circulate to all parents This should tell us something of your experience and the skills or attributes you can bring to the role. This also gives you the opportunity to say something about yourself and why you would make a good governor—this statement is important.
All nominations should be returned to the school office by Monday 9th October, in order to help us move forward quickly with a Governor action plan.
Many thanks
Time Commitment
So how much of my time would be taken up by being a Governor at Kingsley School?
At Kingsley School we encourage our Governors to visit the school so that they can get to know the school, its staff and pupils. However, we recognise that people have other demands on their time too. The minimum requirements for a Governor at this school are:
- You will be required to attend two full Governor’s meetings each term (there are three terms) from 3pm-6pm. You should expect to attend every meeting.
- You will be expected to take part in training held by the local authority as an induction, and at least one other training per year held in school.
- You will be expected to take responsibility for one “Subject” (for example, Literacy, Numeracy, the Arts, safeguarding ) as a Link Governor and meet with the appointed member of staff, who is that subject co-ordinator, at least once a term – again, if you feel you have a particular area of expertise or interest, we would encourage you in that field.
- You will be expected to attend core training and encouraged to attend other training courses to develop your role as a School Governor – these are paid for by the school and take place in evenings and at week-ends as well as during the day, to accommodate anyone who is working.
- You will take part in Governor week, as well a other events during the school year, also supporting on interview , or other panels.
Other Requirements
- You will be able to read and understand complex information, including data sets, and reports from the Department of Education. You will be able to ask relevant questions about these and join in discussion.
- You will agree to 100% confidentiality in all of your dealings with school, ad be able to balance discretion alongside any social interaction you may have with staff and parents.
- You’ll need to understand your role clearly, a parent Governor gives a parents view on discussions and decisions, they DO NOT speak for or represent parents on individual matters, which still go via the normal channels of school policy and procedure. You’ll need to ensure you are clear about this with other parents who may ask you to do things for them!
- You’ll be interested in education and keen to help our school improve further.
- You be fully committed to Kingsley’s ethos and rules and support the school in all of its statutory (legal) responsibilities, including attendance, curriculum and financial.
- A clear, enhanced dbs safeguarding check and reference from an employer or character referee.
Being a Governor is a significant commitment, but it can be very rewarding. If you feel that you could meet the minimum commitments and would like to support Kingsley School, as it continues to change and improve, then we would like to hear from you!