As part of the College’s commitment to public service, Community Action is trialling a School Governance Forum for staff and students who serve as school governors currently or are interested in finding out more.
Governors are one of the largest volunteer forces in the country and have an important part to play in raising school standards by providing strategic leadership and accountability. You don’t have to be a parent or have any teaching qualifications to be a governor – indeed schools need governors with a wide range of backgrounds and professional skills. Governors under the age of 40 are in particular demand.
The role of school governor is varied, rewarding and also challenging and it can be helpful to access support and good practice from others with experience of different schools and Local Authority contexts. Royal Holloway’s School Governance Forum will meet termly and provide an opportunity for mutual support and the sharing of advice, links, concerns and solutions.
The first meeting will take place on Thursday 19 October from 12-2pm in the Emily Wilding Davison event space.
The first hour (12-1pm) will be a chance for existing school governors to get to know one another and share initial insights and issues, in order to shape the forum’s future focus.
At 1pm, staff and students who aren’t currently school governors but would like to find out more are invited to join to talk to colleagues with experience of school governance and to hear from Adam Balzano, Senior Manager at the Department of Education’s School Governors One-Stop Shop. Adam will also be at the Volunteering Fair on 4 October in the SU Hall from 11.30am - 2.30pm.
Please email to register your interest, including any dietary requirements. A light lunch will be served from 12.30-2pm.
More information about school governance can be found here.