National School Governors Awareness Day

The 28th February is National School Governors Awareness Day. A day to raise awareness of the hard work and dedication that school governors provide to schools and to recognise the fantastic contribution they make to improving the lives of children and young people. 

Hazel, a school governor in Kent has shared her experiences of being a school governor with Kent-Teach and what the role has meant to her. 

“I was persuaded by a friend to stand for a parent governor vacancy. I was working part time and thought it would be a good way to use skills I had, support my boys school and learn something new. Before I had children, I worked as a legal clerk and spent many hours in court for child protection cases, safeguarding was therefore a natural area for me to get involved in.  

I am legally blind but that is no barrier to being a governor. All the papers are distributed to everyone electronically so I can use assistive technology to access everything. As governors we are a team and work to our interests and strengths. I really enjoy talking to the children about their learning and their interests. I love reading for pleasure, although as a child it was a real struggle, so instilling a love of books for children is a passion and monitoring how the school encourages all children from the most able to the reluctant reader is fascinating.  

I have now served at the school for 12 years and most recently as Chair of Governors. I have learned a lot in that time. As well as the ever changing world of education I have also developed knowledge of school finance, health and safety and risk management. There is always something new to learn and there are plenty of support and training options available.  

There have been many challenges along the way but governors, school staff and our School Improvement Advisor have worked together as a team and the school is continuing to develop both in meeting the educational and the ever increasing social needs.  Schools really are the centre of our communities and as governors we can contribute to their success.  

This will be my last year as a governor at this school but I would definitely serve at another. I now work in school governance as a clerk, providing the admin support and guidance to other schools."  

Interested in Becoming a School Governor?

If Hazel’s story has inspired you to become a school governor then start your search for a voluntary governor post in a school with Kent-Teach, we currently have a number of governor roles advertised. If you don’t see a role that interests you now why not register for an account and set up alerts to receive notification when governor roles are added to our website?  

Have you ever wondered what a Clerk to the Governors role entails? Find out with our series of guest blogs from Trevor, a Clerk to the Governors in Kent.