I was recently considering what it is to be a school governor or trustee (which we will refer to as a board member in this blog!) and came up with the following, I hesitate to say definition but hopefully capturing the value of this highly regarded volunteer role.
School governance is a finely judged balancing act, a journey of discovery, and a constant test of the volunteer role and its limits.
Seeking support and guidance, investing in skills and knowledge and wanting the very best for all the pupils in your school are the bedrock of good governance.
The rewards of the role aren’t always immediate or tangible, however when you look back at the difference you have made to future generations, this is why we do it.
As we come to the end of the first term of this academic year, as a new board member you may be feeling a bit overwhelmed or as an experienced governor thinking ‘well that’s one term down, two to go!’, so let’s reflect on this most respected of volunteer roles that makes you part of one of the largest volunteer workforces in the UK.
In the beginning; whether you are considering becoming a board member as a parent, staff member, local councillor, member of the local community, from the local business community or in retirement, the first thing to consider is this; whatever skills I have may be a great fit but will definitely need to be adapted for the unique world that is education! For many people who step up they can be quite perplexed that their professional expertise barely survives contact with the realities of the education workplace. The accountant trying to make sense of how the education year doesn’t align with the financial year - managing the rigours of the SFVS, 3-year budget forecasts, pay reviews all of which are out of sync with the drum beat of the education year. The HR professional finding that long established HR practice and conventions in the world of business need to be adapted to the uniquely nurturing world of school communities. The business leader long used to combining a level of risk appetite with quick, bold decision making having to adapt to collective long term strategic thinking, where risk appetite and planning need to be balanced in the interests of all stakeholders. There’s also some ‘hat’ removal that’s required as well - a parent needs to remove their child’s parental hat, a staff member their ‘staffroom’ hat, the councillor their political hat and for other co-opted governors’ potential conflict of interest hat or hats that may apply. The above requires some readjustment of skill sets and how best to apply them plus the consideration of ‘personal interest’ which are all a fundamental requisite to taking this first volunteer step. Equally they are certainly not a barrier, and all boards benefit from a range of skills ‘around the table’ where work and life experience will richly contribute to the effective working of the board.
Having taken that step, there is a level of investment that must be made in your own development to be able to fulfil the role, duties and responsibilities of being a board member. There’s no escaping the fact that training and support are vital to understanding your role and how to be the very best at it. This begins with induction training (ideally a combination of an internal induction programme and external training) and then the offer of a widertraining programme (whether it be internal or sourced from an external provider) to give you the tools and confidence to fully participate in board and committee meetings as well as the skills required for school visits and building relations with school staff and leaders. Of course, much of this can be learned ‘on the job’ through learning from your peers, attending FGB meetings & other key events (e.g. external advisor visits), and being curious by asking questions – the key is to be prepared as best as possible from the outset.
To ‘the job’ itself, for it is a job of work! You will need to factor in time to read meeting papers, prepare questions and write visit reports and keep yourself up to date with changes to education guidance and practice – together with attending meetings and taking part in school visits, you should be prepared to commit to at least 8-12 hours per month of the academic year. Whilst doing all this repeating the mantra to yourself that yes, I volunteered to do this, and I am making a difference and at the same time resisting with all your strength the notion that somehow by volunteering you can pick and choose what your level of commitment will be because ‘I’m only a volunteer’!
When it comes to one of the main functions of being a board member, namely attending meetings, the timeless scouting motto of ‘Be prepared’ is never truer. Reading meeting papers, preparing some questions to ask and then ensuring you get the opportunity to ask them is key. Whilst remembering to ensure your questions are ‘appropriately challenging’ (you are there in the role of a ‘critical friend’) and that you feel confident to follow up your question for clarification or to press for further evidence, which is commonly referred to as a ‘how do know this?’ follow up.
Overtime you will gain confidence in your role, possibly take on a link role or two and through training slowly find your voice and confidence to fully contribute at meetings and on those all-important school visits. For the board you have joined, one critical area that is often neglected is succession planning for the Chair, Vice Chair and Committee Chair roles. If you feel that in time you would like to take on one of these roles then make sure you make that known, at least to the chair. There is a lot of leadership development training available to help prepare for these roles and if your name ‘is in the frame’ then you will not be overlooked when opportunities arise. It’s sometimes feels awkward to make your ambition clear but as far as succession planning goes it is always best to be open, sowing the seed early and being part of a planned and well considered process to replace retiring governance leaders – your board will genuinely thank you!
After all this it’s equally important to know when it’s best to step away. There’s a 4-year cycle to a term of office for board members and its perceived wisdom that after two or three terms you should consider carefully if it may be time to step down to make way for new board members. However, the longer you are at a school, the more invested you can become in those long-term strategic plans and improvements and quite rightly would like to be around when they come to fruition. So, when considering retiring from your board, and ending that amazing volunteer journey, take your time, discuss how you are feeling with your Chair and, as with any job of work, step away when the time feels right (you can always offer your services to another school!).
Winstone Churchill said the following about personal fulfilment, the words could not be more apt for the amazing group of people who selflessly and voluntarily give up their time to support schools in their community:
We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.
