If you are applying to be a parent governor or trustee you will be asked to write a short statement saying why you are interested in volunteering and what skills you would bring to the role. If an election is needed this statement will help other parents choose between the candidates.
In many schools volunteers are thin on the ground so the statement may not be vital, as you will be elected unopposed if you are the only volunteer. However, it is still a good idea to show you understand the role of governor/trustee in your statement.
This page provides guidance on what to include in your statement and some parent governor statement examples of 50, 100 and 250 words you can adapt for your circumstances.
Your Connection To the School
Say how old your children are and their current year. If your children have just joined the school you have a reason to want it to succeed for years to come and the same applies if you have more than one child attending.
Mention any other ties you have to the school such as previous volunteer work, helping out in classrooms or on trips, or supporting the PTA; anything that shows your commitment to the school and your reliability as a volunteer.
You could mention how long you have lived in the area and what the school means to you. If it is a church school talk a little about your faith and show you understand the aims of the school in this respect.
Your Understanding of School Governance
All school governors have three main roles.
- To ensure the school has a clear vision, ethos and strategic direction.
- To hold the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school.
- To oversee the budget and finances and make sure money is well spent.
Write about any aspects of governance you could contribute to. Governor responsibilities are wide but include scrutinising budgets, approving policies on all aspects of school life, planning how the school will improve, discussing why some groups of children are not achieving as well as others, making sure children are safe and dealing with staffing issues.
Governors are often described as being a “critical friend” to the school. They are there to support the school and help it improve, but they must also be willing to challenge the headteacher and senior leaders when necessary, ask why the school is struggling in a particular area and what can be done to improve it.
Search for the school’s latest OFSTED report and look for any remarks about governance. Are there any weaknesses of governance you could help to improve? Do you understand the challenges a school might face in terms of catchment area, budget restrictions or high levels of children with special needs?
If you are volunteering at an academy within a multi-academy trust show that you understand whether you will be governing as a trustee on the main governing board or a local governor on a local governing body.
What skills can you bring to the role?
Any of the following skills will be useful on the governing body:
- accounting, budgets and finance experience
- management of buildings
- health and safety
- data analysis
- human resources experience
- interpersonal skills, working in a team
- knowledge of education, the curriculum, special educational needs and safeguarding or child protection
- managing staff and hiring employees
- work where you had to keep things confidential.
You could also write about your commitment to undertake training and show that you understand governors need to attend regular meetings and visit the school.
What Not To Include!
If you mention any of the following items you will show that you do not understand the role of the governing body. Parent governors do not:
- fundraise – this is usually done by a parent teacher association (PTA)
- represent parents – this is a common misunderstanding but parent governors are not the voice of the parents. They have the same role as any other governor on the board
- vote in favour of whatever the majority of parents want – if there is a controversial issue that parents are angry about it is any governor’s job to vote for whatever they believe is best for the school as a whole
- discuss individual children (in most cases) – governors take an overview of the school and make strategic decisions about budgets, policies and development plans (although one exception would be if a child is at risk of exclusion)
- interfere with the day-to-day running of the school – the headteacher runs the school, governors hold the headteacher to account
- rubber-stamp everything that comes their way – you will need to be confident enough to ask some difficult questions if results are disappointing or mistakes are made
- get paid!
Parent Governor Statement Examples
Here are some example statements you can use as a starting point. I have written these with the assumption that you are a new parent governor, but if you are already on the board you should also include details of your governance work, eg: feedback from OFSTED or external advisers about how the board is run or what contributions you have made in a link role.
Don’t worry if you don’t have a job that particularly fits in with governance (or you’re not working at all) as people from all walks of life can do the role – just show your enthusiasm and demonstrate your understanding of school governance.
Parent Governor Statement – 50 words
My son Tim has just joined the school in Y1. I work as an accountant and would like to use my financial skills and experience analysing budgets to give back in a volunteer role. I am keen to attend training and get to know the school.
Parent Governor Statement – 100 words
I am keen to join the governing body as many of my family members have attended this school. My two older children attended and my daughter Sarah is in Y9.
I have volunteered for many school trips and I would now like to become a governor to help steer the school in the right direction and retain its excellent reputation for academic success and happy, friendly children.
I have been in retail for 10 years where I have worked well with people from all backgrounds and gained knowledge of health and safety. I understand the need for governors to be demanding but fair.
Parent Governor Statement – 250 words
Malory Towers Primary is a terrific school with an outstanding OFSTED rating and I would like to help the school continue to improve and develop.
My name is James Mallow and my twins are in Y4. My day job is in data analysis and I believe these skills will transfer well to the work of school governance, helping the school to analyse the attainment gaps between groups of pupils and pinpoint where the school needs to be doing more for our children.
I am lucky enough to have the time to commit to a demanding volunteer role as my firm provide time off for school governors. This means that I am able to attend meetings, governor training and visit the school during the day.
I am particularly keen to ensure that all children are safeguarded well and can fulfil their full potential whatever their background, special educational needs or disabilities.
I am not afraid to ask difficult questions if necessary on behalf of all the children this school serves. I am also keen to support the school and all of its dedicated staff who work so hard to keep this place running smoothly.
Although I have no experience of school governance specifically I have served on the board of a small charity which had responsibility for a modest budget and made tough decisions about which projects to fund and how money could be best spent.
I hope that you will consider voting for me and thank you for reading.