Would you like to help make a positive contribution to children’s education?
Being a school governor is a challenging but hugely rewarding role. It will give you the chance to make a real difference to young people, give something back to your local community and use and develop your skills in a board-level environment. You will also be joining the largest volunteer force in the country: there are over a quarter of a million volunteers governing state funded schools in England.
 
There is no requirement for you to have an understanding of the education system, just the necessary skills, character and time to contribute. There is plenty of training available to help you learn about education. At Frome College we  benefit from a wide  range of professional knowledge on our governing board including education, finance, human resources, legal, marketing and public relations, IT, employment, estates management and organisational change.
 
This is a particularly exciting time for the College as we see growth in Frome and the surrounding area, the debate about Academy Trusts continuing and a growing focus on the need to support pupils in so many ways as they emerge into an increasingly challenging and complex world.
 
As a governor you will be able to:

• Use your own experience of education and life beyond school to inform conversations
• Develop and utilise your skills in a board-level environment
• Make a valuable contribution to education and your community
• Support and challenge the school so that it improves for pupils and staff
• Bring your unique experiences, perspectives and insights into decision-making in the interests of the College community

 
What do governors do?
The governing board provides strategic leadership and accountability in schools. It 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

 
Governors set the aims and objectives for the college and set the policies and targets for achieving those aims and objectives. They monitor and evaluate the
progress the school is making and act as a source of challenge and support to the headteacher. In
action, this means:
 

• Engaging with pupils, staff, parents and the college community
• Addressing a range of education issues within the college including disadvantaged pupils, pupils with special needs, staff workload and teacher recruitment
• Looking at data and evidence to ask questions and have challenging conversations about progress
• Sitting on panels and making decisions about things like student exclusions
• Appointing and performance reviewing the head teacher and senior leaders, including making decisions about pay
• Managing budgets and deciding how money is spent

 
As a Full Governors Board we meet four times per year at 6pm on a Wednesday evening. Although meetings are currently online, we hope to return to meeting at the College again soon. We also have an annual all-day strategy day for the Governors and senior leadership team and offer other opportunities for Governors to be involved with the life of the College. There are currently three subcommittees on which Governors also serve, and these also meet four times a year in the evening. We also ask Governors to take on special responsibilities for important topics, and to link more closely with the College, for example Safeguarding, Health & Safety
 
We are able to offer training and familiarisation to help you undertake these roles and support the College. We currently have vacancies for both parent governors and co-opted governors. A parent governor must have a child in education at the College, whereas a co-opted Governor can come from any background. We are specifically looking for potential Governors who have experience in finance, human resources, data analysis , and/ or education.
 
If you are interested in a no-commitment discussion about becoming a governor at the College, please contact Max Wide on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Governor Access:

The role of the school governor is demanding but very rewarding and is a good way to give back to your local community. School governing bodies are responsible for working with the school to ensure that it delivers a good quality education. Together with the Principal, who is responsible for day-to-day management, they set the school's aims and policies. 
If you are interested in becoming a School Governor, please contact Stacey Fountain, Clerk to Governors, via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., for more information.

 

The College has a governing body of 15 governors which oversees the development of the school. Governors are volunteers and represent parents , the local community, staff and the local authority. The Board of Governors is responsible for the conduct of the college and is accountable for ensuring high standards of achievement for its pupils.  Governors have three core functions:

• Setting the college vision, ethos and strategic direction
• Holding the Principal to account for the educational performance of the college and its pupils
• Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure that its money is well spent

Governor details, including committee membership and Business Interests (click to enlarge):