2. 1: Who are SGOSS?
2: What do School Governors do?
3: The Need for School Governors.
4: The Benefits of School Governor Volunteering.
5: How you can get Involved.
3. Who are SGOSS?
• SGOSS is a charity that recruits volunteers to be school governors in
England.
• Starting as a small pilot program, we have now helped to place over
19,000 governors since 1999.
• We work with any school, college or local authority that has governor
vacancies and our services are completely free to everyone involved.
• We are funded by the Department for Education (DfE), Association of
Colleges and other trustees.
Who are SGOSS?
4. Who are SGOSS?
• SGOSS is a charity that recruits volunteers to be school governors in
England.
• Starting as a small pilot program, we have now helped to place over
19,000 governors since 1999.
• We work with any school, college or local authority that has governor
vacancies and our services are completely free to everyone involved.
• We are funded by the Department for Education (DfE), Association of
Colleges and other trustees.
7. Watch our 90 second introduction to the role at:
www.sgoss.org.uk/volunteers/volunteer-role
8. What do School Governors do?
• Ensure the school has a clear direction and vision working towards the
best possible education for every single pupil.
• Monitor and evaluate the school’s progress, ensuring there is
accountability for the school’s actions.
• Oversee the financial management of the school, ensuring that money is
being spent well.
9. • I’m too old / too young – governors must be 18+, and people of all ages can
make great governors.
• I don’t have any children – this isn’t a problem! Governing bodies need
perspectives from all stakeholder groups.
• I don’t know anything about education – the governor role is a learn-on-the-job
opportunity with free training provided by your local authority.
• I don’t have the time – most governors are professionals and can combine
governor volunteering with a busy career and a family. The time commitment is
initially 4 hours a month, mostly outside work hours.
Common Misconceptions
10. What do School Governors do?The Need for
School Governors
11. The Need for School Governors
• Historically, school governors have largely been well-meaning, but unskilled, local
community representatives.
• In recent years, pupil numbers, school budgets and the responsibilities of governing
bodies have increased significantly.
• The DfE is therefore trying to encourage more skilled individuals with business
experience to volunteer as governors.
• Lord Nash wants more businesses, especially large corporates, to encourage their
staff to get involved.
12. The Need for School Governors
“There can never have been a more important time in our
country’s recent history to be involved with education, and we
need skilled and motivated governors who are committed to
transforming our schools.”
- Lord Nash, Parliamentary Under Secretary for Schools
14. • Acquire the strategic skills involved in running the equivalent of a £1
million+ business, with free training provided.
• Forge stronger links with local schools and support those local
communities.
• Challenge yourself to succeed in a new environment, with new language,
colleagues, performance indicators and success criteria.
• Influence the standard of education for tomorrow’s workforce and the
business leaders of the future.
The Benefits of Governor Volunteering
15. MAKE SCHOOLS
YOUR BUSINESS
Watch our school governor professional development video at:
www.sgoss.org.uk/makeschoolsyourbusiness
16. How do employees benefit?
CPD Opportunities
Range of skills to be learnt / enhanced, including (some
year round, some ad-hoc):
- Budget control and allocation of a £1 million+ budget.
- Project management of new construction projects.
- Policy, review, creation and implementation.
- Analysis and evaluation of school performance, using
a range of available data.
- Performance management / appraisal of head teacher.
- Interviewing and hiring new senior staff.
- Leading a team (chair / vice-chair of sub-committees /
committees).
18. • The online application form should take roughly 15 minutes, please include 2
references!
• The form captures your location, skills and experiences and preferences for both
travel and school placement.
• If you are applying in Manchester, a meeting will be arranged with the Local
Authority.
• Once SGOSS has found a suitable school that interests you, we will help set up
a meeting between you and the Head Teacher or Chair of Governors.
• After this meeting, if both parties are happy to proceed, then you will be invited to
a governing body meeting, and your volunteering will start.
The Application Process
