Volunteer School Governor (The Boulevard Academy)

What will you be doing?

The Boulevard Academy is one of the newest schools in Hull, having welcomed its first pupils in September 2013, based in West Hull, with a PAN of 900. From the outset the goal has been to create an inclusive school which reflects the increasingly high expectation and aspiration of the local community.  Boulevard Academy is now joining the Thrive Cooperative Learning Trust that currently comprises 7 primary schools and 2 secondary schools.  A Thrive school is one that is a dynamic community of staff, pupils and their families all focussed on one thing - inspiring pupils to thrive in life.  The Local Governing Body (LGB) is a committee of the Board of Thrive Co-operative Learning Trust (Thrive) to which the Board of Trustees delegates aspects of the monitoring and support of each school and specific decision making power.  In these ways the Local Governing Bodies play a crucial role in assisting the Trustees in meeting the demands of their accountability, by providing focused governance at local school level, most accountability particularly in representing the views of the school’s stakeholders, including pupils, parents, staff and the local community. The core responsibilities include:

Ensuring accountability Acting as a ‘critical friend’ to the Head Teacher Monitoring and evaluating the school’s progress Budgetary allocation and control Shaping plans for school improvement and overseeing their implementation Setting the school’s aims and values Appointing senior members of staff including the Head Teacher

The governing body is usually split in to a small number of committees, each responsible for one area such as finance or pupil achievement. These committees will meet separately from the main governing body to discuss relevant issues in more detail. Discussion is then fed back at a full governing body meeting. A school governing body is made up of representatives from the school, the parents, and the local community.

What are we looking for?

You don’t need any specific skills or experience to be a school governor. You must be over 18, but you don’t need to be a parent or have experience working in education. Often, it’s the outside perspective you can bring that a school needs. Professional experience in areas such as HR, finance, law, or project management are all useful to a school. But soft skills such as leadership, communication, and problem solving are also great additions.

What difference will you make?

Governors make decisions that affect schools 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.  As a governor, you can visit the school to gain an understanding of the culture and ethos and to get the most out of the role. You’ll also have the opportunity to meet children, parents, and teachers, and see the impact of your work first-hand.