School governors

School governors are people who volunteer their time to make a positive contribution to children’s education and school life.

Being a governor can be an extremely rewarding role and is a way in which people can support their community and play their part in making a positive contribution to the growth, development and wellbeing of young people.

Governors provide strategic direction and accountability in schools. They appoint the headteacher and deputy headteacher and hold the main responsibility for school finance.

As a governor, you are a member of a governing board, which is established in law as a corporate body. Individual governors cannot act independently of the rest of the governing board; decisions are taken jointly by the governing board. 

The role of the governing board is to:

• set the school’s aims, objectives and targets
• outline the policies that will achieve those aims, objectives and targets
• monitor and evaluate the school’s progress
• be a source of challenge and support to the headteacher

This short film gives an insight into what governors in Bradford do.

More information about becoming a governor and support information for school governors is available in the School Governance and Workforce Development pages on Bradford Schools Online.