School Governors

One unexpected result of "Local Government Reorganisation" (ie, the Cheshire East project) is that there are significantly less Councillors to appoint to outside bodies.

One area that this has been especially felt is in the appointment of Governors to schools. These positions are grouped into different types: Parent Governors, Staff Governors, Community Governors and Local Authority Governors. It's obviously the last category which is giving us problems now as there are not so many Councillors to go around.

As it happens, an LA governor does not have to be a Councillor, and they don't even have to be a Political individual. My understanding is the most important criteria is that they put the priorities of the Council first when they discharge their duties as a Governors - just as the parent governors are expected to consider the views of the parents/pupils first.

Why don't you consider if you could become a governor? It's not as time consuming as one might expect, usually there's only 4 or 5 meetings a year. There is no minimum education or skill requirement, and there are plenty of good reasons.

I'm told the top 5 reasons for becoming a governor are:

1. Helping future generations gain access to the best possible education.

2. Being able to contribute to your local community.

3. Gaining new skills in HR, finance, and management.

4. Accessing business networking opportunities.

5. Utilising your current skills in a new environment.

Visit the website of The School Governors' One Stop Shop to find out more about becoming a governor - or drop me a line at cllr.darryl.beckford@cheshireeast.gov.uk