Governor Roles and Responsibilities

School governors have clear roles and responsibilities. 

The governance board plays a critical role in education. While the headteacher is responsible for the day-to-day running of the school, the governance board is responsible for strategic leadership and accountability. Some describe its relationship with the school as that of critical friend.

The governance board has three key functions:

• Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
• Holding the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils
• Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent

In practice, this is likely to include the monitoring of:

• Staffing – appraisals, new appointments, disciplinary issues and redundancy.
• Financial management – governance boards have a duty to set a balanced budget and to monitor and review spending. Schools usually agree a cycle of budget management linked to the School Improvement Plan. Governance boards also need to ensure financial integrity and that their school achieves value for money.
• Policies – ensuring that the school has the correct policies that are approved and regularly reviewed by the governance board.
• Performance – ensuring the timely collection and review of performance data to ensure that pupils are making the required progress and achieving good outcomes.

As a school governor, you’ll have a wide and varied remit and will need to respond to the changing landscape of education. It can be challenging and rewarding in equal measure and you’ll always have the support of your fellow governors and the Diocesan schools team.