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Parent governors

Every Church school will have at least one governor who is elected by the parents at the school. In many Church schools one or more of the governors who are nominated by the Church will also be parents of pupils at the school. Details of the names of all the school governors for your school are available from the school office. While it is expected that one of the major contributions that parent governors bring to the work of the governing body is the experience of being a parent in the school and having contact with many other parents, their role is not just to be a channel for parents' views.

All governors have a responsibility to act in the best interests of the school, to help it develop and to promote it within the community. The different governors bring different experiences and ranges of contacts to this shared task. In the broadest terms they are responsible for the overall policy framework in the school and for ensuring that the school is run in line with these policies. The headteacher has responsibility for the day-to-day management of the school.

In most schools the parents who are members of the governing body work hard to ensure that as many other parents as possible know them and feel able to share their experience of being a parent in the school with them. Most of the time this will be the joy and excitement of sharing in children and young people's learning and growing. Occasionally it may be sharing a concern about something which the school is rumoured to be doing or not doing. The point here is that parent governors should not be seen as a channel for complaints. If there is a concern or a complaint it should be taken to the relevant teacher, or possibly to the headteacher, before it is taken to a member of the governing body. Only if the response to the issue from the staff has been unsatisfactory should the complaint be discussed with individual governors.

Governors who receive complaints will always want to check that the teacher or the headteacher has been given a chance to discuss the matter directly with the complainant before they undertake to do anything on behalf of an individual parent.

Parent governors give a great deal of time to the school, through their participation in the work of the governing body. It is important that other parents support them and let them know that their sacrifice of time and energy is appreciated.

Further information

Introducing Church schools
Diocesan Education contacts
Appeals
Parent governors
PTAs / Friends

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