Is now the time to become an ‘Educator on Board’?

The past two years have been an extraordinary period for everyone involved in education. As schools work tirelessly to right the ship after the pandemic, school governing boards have quietly played their critical part by challenging and supporting school leaders to achieve the best for their students in difficult and exceptional circumstances. 

There are colleagues from different fields of education on all of these governing boards, such as teachers and other professionals with knowledge and experience of the education landscape. 

These professionals bring their expert skills and experiences to bear in helping to make the right strategic decisions for schools. Some of these will be elected staff governors, but many are volunteers from different schools and from all parts of the education system. 

Research shows that more school governors are critically needed! 

Recent research undertaken by National Foundation for Educational Research for the Department for Education showed that three of the top seven skill sets sought by governing boards are education-related, namely: local, regional and national policy knowledge; educational expertise; and school improvement expertise. 

To help meet this need, our charity partner Inspiring Governance launched the Educators on Board campaign back in summer 2019 and, in this time, have worked with a range of organisations to get hundreds more educators on boards. 

School governance is a great opportunity to make a difference in a setting outside of your own education role. Bridget Ampofo, a primary teacher, volunteers as a governor at a secondary school and told us how governance offered her the development opportunity she was looking for: 

“While researching for a CPD session that I was running, I came across the Inspiring Governance website and thought – actually, this could be the perfect opportunity for me! I had always wanted to become a governor and reading through the information on the site inspired me to sign up. I wanted to further develop my professional skills and to gain more knowledge about the learning opportunities that are being offered to the students who live in my community.” 

Bridget Ampofo, Primary Teacher and Volunteer School Governor 

If you’re looking for a CPD opportunity and to increase your understanding of both governance and schools, take a look at the Educators on Board campaign to find out more about signing up and making a difference to even more children and young people in your community.

You can find out more about the role and sign up today!