Contributing as a school governor

Schools benefit from the involvement of all parents. The participation of refugee parents as school governors can assist schools in supporting refugee integration and marks a genuine contribution to the wider community. The Accessing school and other services area of this website gives further information on the role of the school governing body in supporting refugee integration.

Many refugee parents have high expectations of school and are keen to help their children succeed. They have skills and talents that can make a significant contribution to the life of the school. For example, many refugee parents have useful qualifications, including teaching in their home country. Bilingual parent governors may be able to assist in a variety of ways. Parents also share the cultural background of their children and have an understanding of some children’s needs.

The school governing body area of this website contains more information about governor representation and responsibilities.

Governor recruitment

The Government has a strategy for recruiting school governors, a key plank of which is to increase the number of governors from under-represented groups. Refugees are in the category of under-represented groups. The strategy focuses on three areas:

Helping schools and Local Authorities (LAs) to reduce the number of governor vacancies
Providing support to under-represented groups to make governing bodies more reflective of the local community
Raising the profile and public perception of the role of the school governor.

The School Governors' One-Stop Shop (SGOSS) is a small, highly successful charity which recruits volunteers to become governors in schools across England. They identify people with business and management skills from the private, public and voluntary sectors who are interested in serving as school governors and then work with schools and LAs in the target areas to place suitable individuals in governing bodies as community (previously co-opted) or LA governors. Its services are FREE to Local Authorities, volunteers, employers and schools.

Help Schools Help Children This DfES leaflet offers guidance about the role of a school governor and how to apply.

Help Schools Help Children - How to Become a School Governor and Recruitment Toolkit , is specifically designed to help schools and LAs recruit school governors. The toolkit CD-ROM includes letters for parents and other potential governors, articles for inclusion in school newsletters and general advice to assist recruitment. The material can be adapted to suit local use and can be downloaded from governornet. Materials are available in 11 ethnic minority languages as well as in English.

The DfES School Governance Unit commissioned the Institute for Volunteering Research (IVR), a national volunteering organisation, to research and identify barriers preventing under-represented groups from becoming school governors. DfES wanted to look at such areas as ethnic minority groups, the disabled, the young, low income groups and lone parents. Schools and LAs can use the survey results as a good starting point for becoming more aware of how to recruit governors. For more information view the DfES: Barriers To Participation For Under-Represented Groups In School Governance (.PDF)

Becoming a school governor

By becoming school governors, refugee parents’ skills can be utilised and their voices heard. Nearly all refugee parents will need some assistance to become a school governor. This can be for a variety of reasons, such as:

They need time to look after more pressing and immediate settlement needs, especially accessing training and employment
They are unfamiliar with the role of school governors
No one they know has been a school governor. Word of mouth is a crucial factor for governor recruitment and may perpetuate the present lack of diversity
Schools are not succeeding in recruiting governors from Black and ethnic minority backgrounds
The formalities of nomination and election to serve on a school governing body may seem alien and forbidding to some parents
Some parents may lack the confidence and self-esteem to believe they have something positive to offer.

The benefits of involvement

Those from under-represented groups who have become school governors report a range of positive outcomes. Taking part has led to a sense of pride and satisfaction. New transferable skills have been learned that are transferable. Friendships and networking opportunities have developed and for some there have been enhanced employment opportunities.

Supporting refugees into governorship

Encourage refugee parents to become school governors. Raise their awareness of the fact that they will receive training.

Training and Recruitment area of governornet has information about national training materials and where to get further help and information on recruiting governors.

Develop information, translated into community languages, about becoming a school governor. This information could be included in other welcome information about the school so that new parents see that they are encouraged to participate.

Recognise the need for ongoing support for those who have little prior knowledge of school governance and who will need to grow in confidence and expertise over time.

Case Study

Making a difference’: school governor recruitment DVD (.PDF)

Camden Education Department has produced a professionally made DVD to support their campaign to recruit more school governors from black and minority ethnic communities. The case study provides information about how the DVD was developed, its content and how it is used.

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