Most governing bodies also have committees to deal with particular areas of their responsibility and these will meet once or twice a term as well. In addition governors need to be able to visit the school from time to time, attend school events and keep up with reading on education matters. All this requires a considerable commitment of time, which will sometimes be during the working day. Being a governor can be hard work but LEAs provide support, often in the form of helplines, newsletters and a resource library. There are excellent training courses for new governors as well as training in particular topics.
Many people find that being a governor can be very rewarding.
They enjoy being involved in making decisions about their local school, and they often find that governorship provides useful skills and experience, for example chairing meetings, recruitment of staff, membership of an appeals panel. Many governors acknowledge that although the workload can be considerable there are significant benefits in terms of personal development. For more information about how to become a governor, check out the DfEE's Governor Centre. Thanks to Pennie Walker, Governor Support Unit, Norfolk County Council for her contribution to this article.