Volunteer Governor

What will you be doing?

We have a vacancy for new face to face governors. Our schools, Glenmoor and Winton Academies are part of a southern cluster which includes Cornerstone Academy in Poole and Avonbourne Boys and Girls Academies as well as Avonwood Primary in Southbourne.  We govern across the 2 schools (Glenmoor - girls and Winton - boys) being mindful of our role within the group of schools and within United Learning, we support other schools in our cluster. Governing body work, whilst voluntary, can be hugely rewarding and enjoyable. Our LGB meets once every term for approximately 2 hours on Mondays from 5 -7pm in school. We play a full part in the life of the school and each member makes at least one visit to the schools per term. We also need occasional availability to sit on panels during working hours on weekdays. Full training and support will be given by United Learning our Multi-Academy Trust. Individual governors are also appointed to work on behalf of the governing body as ‘nominated governors’, responsible for a discrete area of focus, for example special education needs. Within United Learning, governors are appointed to serve based upon the skills and expertise that they can offer. The recruitment process involves meeting with the chair, vice-chair and the headteacher and visiting the school during its working day. We will also ask you to complete a skills audit and submit either a CV or biography and 2 character references. If you are passionate about our schools and keen to support the teachers and leaders to provide the very best educational experience for the children in our care, we want to hear from you!   If you are interested in joining us or curious to know whether your experience is what we are looking for, do not hesitate to get in touch. We’d also love you pass this on to others in the community you know, people with some extra free time and enthusiasm. This role needs someone commutable to Bournemouth. We sometimes have online meetings but the commitment is mostly in person.

What are we looking for?

A great LGB has individuals who have lots of different skills so that, across the body, all aspects of our responsibilities can be effectively covered. We would love to hear form anyone with a legal, financial, or educational background. We are also keen to have additional people with an interest in safeguarding as this a big area.  Looking at how to enhance parental engagement and any experience with special educational needs and mental health would also be a bonus. Experience in health and safety and risk management would also be a useful skill set. Volunteers need to be dedicated people who care about improving education, but they do not need prior board or educational experience. They need to be able to be strategic and not operational. We are looking for people who will take advtantage of the numerous training opportunities provided by the multi academy trust so they can upskill themselves in relevant areas. We need to people to be a critical friend to the academies and to support leadership to help children to flourish. Positive networking in our local community is high on our agenda and we would appreciate ideas to promote and expand the academies reach in the community. 

What difference will you make?

You can be part of our improvement journey and support us as we look at creating a community hub and supporting our local cluster. We need external voices to help us think outside the box and explore new ways of providing support and challenge. Being a school governor is a chance to experience leadership at board level at any point in one’s career. Governors balance the school’s budget, hire the headteacher and make strategic decisions which positively impact the lives of thousands of local children and their families.