The information on this page relates to maintained schools. For details about how the role differs in academies, please refer to the GOV.UK website guidance on governance structure and roles.
School governors play a vital role in education. The governing board:
- Plans the strategic direction of a school
- Makes sure public money is well spent
- Holds school leadership to account
Schools across Peterborough need people to volunteer as governors. A strong governing board ensures robust debate, which leads to better educational outcomes for children.
Volunteer as a school governor and support education in Peterborough
Whatever your professional background, your skills could transform a school. In return, you will be supporting your local community and benefiting from the chance to develop new skills.
You don’t need to be a parent or have experience working in education to be a school governor. Governing boards need a variety of perspectives and thrive with people from different backgrounds and lived experiences.
What school governors do
The governing board has three core functions:
- Ensuring clarity of the vision, ethos and strategic direction
- Holding the senior leadership to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils
- Overseeing financial performance of the school and ensuring money is well spent
Apply to become a school governor
How we support school governors
We support school governors in Peterborough in their role by providing access to:
- Information
- Advice
- Support
- Resources
- Training
While volunteers don’t need any specific background or experience to become a school governor, completing training means you can be effective from your first day, helping improve educational outcomes for children.
The School Governance Team provides:
- Statutory functions for governors
- Termly briefings for governors
- Programme of training and support
- A professional clerking service
For more information about governor roles and responsibilities and the support we can provide, please email Governor.Development@peterborough.gov.uk.
Further information
Governors for Schools website
To find out more about the governor role, please visit the Governors for Schools website.
Governors for Schools is a national education charity that matches volunteers with local schools in need. They also have free e-learning modules, including an introduction to school governance. The charity holds webinars each term on key governance topics. You can register for upcoming webinars and watch previous recordings on the Governors for Schools website.
Department for Education
On the GOV.UK website, the Department for Education has published a governance handbook and competency framework. This provides guidance on the roles and duties of governing boards, and advice on the skills, knowledge and behaviours they need to be effective.
View the governance handbook and competency framework on the GOV.UK website.
National Governance Association
The National Governance Association (NGA) is the membership organisation for governors, trustees and governance professionals of state schools in England.
