Local authority governors

There are a range of Local Authority school governor opportunities in schools across Knowsley. Find out more about the role of a governor and how to register your interest here.

Role and responsibilities of a local authority governor

A school governor is a very rewarding and key voluntary role. It’s a great way to contribute to your local community, make a difference and improve the life chances of all children to ensure they have the very best educational opportunities.

What will I be expected to do as a local authority governor

School governors provide strategic leadership and accountability in schools. Governors appoint the headteacher and deputy headteacher.  It is governors who hold the main responsibility for finance in schools, and it is governors who work with the headteacher to make the tough decisions about balancing resources.

Each individual governor is a member of a governing board, which is established in law as a corporate body. Individual governors may not act independently of the rest of the governing board. Decisions are the joint responsibility of the governing board. 

The role of the governing board is a strategic one, it has three core responsibilities

  1. Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction.
  2. Holding the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils; and
  3. Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.

In order to achieve these responsibilities, the Governing Board works with the school on planning and developing polices and keeping the school under review. Its powers and responsibilities must be exercised in partnership with the Headteacher and staff.

Effective governance is based on six key features

  1. Strategic leadership that sets and champions vision, ethos and strategy.
  2. Accountability that drives up educational standards and financial performance.
  3. People with the right skills, experience, qualities and capacity.
  4. Structures that reinforce clearly defined roles and responsibilities.
  5. Compliance with statutory and contractual requirements.
  6. Evaluation to monitor and improve the quality and impact of governance.

The headteacher is responsible for the internal organisation, management and control of the school and the implementation of the strategic framework established by the governing body.

There are different types of school governors that sit on a governing board. 

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