Could you be a school governor?

WESTBURY Infant School is seeking more people to apply to become a new governor at the school.

The volunteer role would see you hold the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils, as well as the performance management of staff, help oversee the financial performance of the school and help make sure money is well spent. You do not need a background in education, have children or have specific qualifications for this role.

School governors are expected to attend regular meetings throughout the year (at least one per term), and they would be expected to take on a role in areas such as safeguarding, early years, special educational needs and disabilities, or health and safety. Governors should aim to be visible to the children and support the headteacher, staff and the wellbeing of the pupils.

The governing body at the school says, “We are looking to recruit experienced governors to join our very small but committed governing body to continue and support the good work that is already in place. Please take a look at our website, https://www.westbury-inf.wilts.sch.uk/, to get a feel of our lovely school, which we are very proud to serve.

“Like so many of you, we work hard ‘behind the scenes’ to ensure the school is always striving to be the best it can be and have adapted our ways of working, because of our low number of governors to be effective, filling core roles and working together to ensure we deliver on the core functions of governance.

“We are looking for likeminded volunteers who are enthusiastic and committed to the improvement of the education of all children in the county we live in. We are looking to fill some vacancies, even temporarily, as our constant recruitment drive has not been forthcoming. We meet approximately seven times a year on Wednesdays at either 6pm or 9.30am.

“Here at Westbury Infant School, we provide high-quality education to the children and families living in Westbury, and we are proud to serve our vibrant community. We would be pleased to arrange a visit to the school to discuss the vacancy.”

Pupils at the school have highlighted the importance of the role, “Could you listen to our parents’ concerns about problems like keeping us safe and choosing the correct way to approach us little people in a way that we will understand more?

“Most importantly, can you become a familiar face everyone enjoys being around and be fully prepared for us to shout your name down the fruit aisle in our local grocery store when spotted out of school hours?”

Some of the projects that the current school governors have been involved with over the years include seeing the conversion of a space into a new library to create a calm and cozy ‘enchanted forest’ environment, creating a sensory garden project, and helping the school receive a ‘Good’ judgement by Ofsted.

For more details or for an informal chat about becoming a governor, contact the clerk to governors, clerk@westbury-inf.sch.uk