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Would you like to join our Governing Body?
Being a governor at St Mark’s is a really important role. At it’s heart it is about supporting and challenging the school in a friendly way, in order to make it better for the children and staff.
Governors are involved in the strategic direction of the school; they ask questions and hold the school to account. This is quite different to the operational running of the school, which is the responsibility of the headteacher.
Being a parent governor requires you to have a passion for our school because it requires dedication, time and effort! Notably, time for:
- Reading reports, minutes, and other paperwork
- Attending meetings – usually 2 per half-term, mostly on Thursdays from 6:30pm-8:30pm.
- Coming into school to meet with staff and pupils, and writing up a follow-up report.
- Having a responsibility for an area of the school, for example, for Maths or Health and Safety.
Why become a parent governor?
- You have input into making a positive difference and steering the direction of the school.
- You work alongside a fantastic group of other governors.
- You get full training for the role, as well as on-going training on all aspects of school life.
What the governing body isn’t!:
- It’s not a PTA!
- It’s not a way to gain preferential treatment for your child!
- It’s not a light-hearted role that you can drop in and out of!
The GB has one sub-committee called Resources, covering staff, finance, buildings etc. A governor may be on the Resources committee, particularly if they have a financial background. All governors attend Full Governing Body (FGB) meetings, where we look at the rest of the school (curriculum, assessments, safeguarding etc). There are other smaller committees such as Pay and Performance Management committees.
You can find out more about our governors, including pen-portaits, here.
What do I do if I am interested?
- Please email adminoffice@st-markscofe.hants.sch.uk to request an application form or if you’d like to find out more from either Mr Applegate or Aidan Kinnell (Chair).
- Applications must be recieved by 12pm on Monday 31st October.
- If multiple parents are interested, we will hold a ballot across the school and request all parents to take part in the vote. A pen-portrait will be given to parents to find out who they could vote for. This will take place in the middle of November, with the results announced towards the end of November.
Best regards,
Charles Applegate and Aidan Kinnell