Greentrees’ Governing Body is responsible for the overall management of the school, in conjunction with the Leadership Team. It must ensure that Greentrees is following the national Curriculum as laid down by the DfES, and that it manages its affairs correctly within the allocated financial budget it receives from the Local Education Authority (LEA).

Every school has a governing body which comprises members of the local community, parents, teachers, staff and representatives of the Local Education Authority. The actual size of the governing body depends on the size of the school.

Governing Bodies are required by law to meet at least three times a year, but can meet more frequently in order to discuss specific matters.

Would you like to be involved?

We are keen to welcome people in our community who could commit some time to help us develop our school.

You may have a background in an area where your skills are logically linked to the life of a busy school such as education, conservation, public relations, catering, IT or Finance. Equally, you may not have any formal qualifications or work experience. What is most important is an interest in, and commitment to, the education of children, common sense and a desire to serve the community.

As well as the benefits to Greentrees, and a sense that you are helping your local community, being a governor can enhance your CV. Increasingly, employers are recognising the valuable skills and experience that can be gained by volunteering in this way.

Governors are ordinary people, drawn from many areas of our community. They need to be able to devote time to getting to know the school well and to be active and available in their support.

To be a Governor you have to be over 18 years of age and undergo a check by the Criminal Records Bureau. The term of office is normally four years (but clearly if a governor’s situation changed and they were no longer able to commit their time, they could stop sooner).

What does a Governor do?

Commitment

• Show an interest in children and their education and participate in many of the school's activities.
• Get to know the staff, the pupils and their work.
• Offer support and expertise.
• Attend the meetings of the full governing body.
• Attend committee meetings as required.
• Read reports and background papers prior to meetings.

Attend other occasions such as concerts, open evenings, sports day as often as they can.

Knowledge

• Follow educational news and debates.
• Attend training sessions. This may be about 2 days a year, or more if desired.

Skills

• Work co-operatively and creatively with others.
• Use personal qualities and expertise in the interest of the school, its pupils and teachers.

Examples of Recent Involvement by Governors

To give a flavour of the tasks with which governors are involved, they have recently;

• Assisted in commissioning our new website and providing content.
• Worked with the architect to develop the plans for a new classroom and reconfiguration of existing accommodation.
• Undertaken a feasibility study on the possibility of converting the kitchen area to provide school meals.

If you were involved, what would your ideas be …?

Being a governor can be undertaken by people who are in full-time or part-time employment, retired, caring for school or pre-school aged children, self-employed etc. If you are not able to give enough time to be a full governor, there are opportunities to be an ‘associate governor’, where the time commitment can be less, but you are nevertheless a valuable asset to our school. In addition, there are many opportunities for other types of volunteering to support the school – so please do get in touch with us if you would like to help.

To find out more about becoming a Governor or volunteering at Greentrees more generally, then please contact the Clerk to the Governors, Mrs Claire Demetri, on e-mail at admin@greentrees.wilts.sch.uk or enquire at the School Office.