Becoming a Governor

If you are interested in being a governor at St Wulstan's we have made this short presentation giving a little more information about this interesting role.

The role of the Governing board

The school’s governing board is responsible for providing confident and strategic leadership, and creating robust accountability, oversight and assurance for the school’s educational and financial performance.

The board is passionate about education and committed to continuous school improvement to ensure the best possible outcomes for our pupils.

The role of a Foundation Governor

All schools have a governing body comprising of different types of governors, for example parent-governors, teacher governors etc.
In addition to these categories, governing bodies in Catholic schools also include Foundation Governors, these Foundation Governors will always form a majority.
The main role of a governing body is to operate at a strategic level, ensuring that the Catholic vision and character of the school is upheld, holding  the Head teacher and leadership team to account and overseeing the financial performance of the school.
Governors also set the budget, manage the school’s admissions criteria and are involved in the recruitment of senior leadership.

Foundation Governors are appointed by the Bishop specifically to preserve and develop the Catholic ethos of the school and represent the Bishop’s education policy (e.g. worship and religious education) to the governing body. This is why Foundation Governors will always outnumber other  governors.
There is no magic formula about what makes a perfect Foundation Governor, they come from all walks of life and all ages. But it is important that each governing body has a good mix of skills, knowledge and experience.
Your Birmingham Diocese manages the process for the appointment of Foundation Governors and provides support to governing bodies in carrying out their responsibilities.

Foundation Governor Information

The role of a Parent Governor

As a parent governor, you’ll work with the board to make sure it effectively carries out the duties referred to above. You’ll also play a vital role in bringing a parental perspective to the governing board, but you’re not there to speak ‘on behalf’ of the parent body.

 To be a parent governor you should have:

• A strong commitment to the role and to improving outcomes for children
• Good inter-personal skills, curiosity, and a willingness to learn and develop new skills
• The specific skills required to make sure the governing board delivers effective governance