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Becoming a Governor

We currently have over a thousand governors who offer their time and skills to support Southwark Schools. Governors have an important part to play in raising school standards and they do this by working strategically with the school to ensure that children and young people have a good quality education. 

Can I be a Governor?

Most adults over 18 can become governors. You don't need to be an education expert, a parent, or hold a senior position at work. All you need is a passion for education and a desire to positively impact your community.

Types of Governors 

 There are various different kinds of governors and different kinds of schools have different types of governors: You can find out more about this here. 

Who cannot be a governor?

School governors have serious legal and financial responsibilities. They play an important role in keeping children safe from harm. It's important that they have integrity and high ethical standards. This means there are some people who cannot become governors.

People who have had certain criminal convictions, who are disqualified from working with children, who have become bankrupt, or who have been disqualified from being a charity trustee are all barred from becoming a school governor.

All prospective governors must be checked by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) to ensure they are not disqualified in any way. If anyone refuses to make an application to DBS, they are automatically disqualified.

Southwark Governors Services can advise on specific situations. You can also read the official legal guidance here..

Other Restrictions

In some cases, individuals can become school governors, but they are restricted from taking on certain roles.

  • People under 18 and pupils registered at the school cannot be governors.
  • No-one can hold more than one governor post at the same school at the same time.
  • People cannot be a parent governor if they are a local councillor, or if they are paid to work at the school for more than 500 hours in a year.
  • School staff cannot be local authority governors.
  • People cannot be partnership governors if they are a parent of a pupil, a member of staff, a local councillor or work for the local authority in an education related role. 

Failure to Attend Meetings

A person is disqualified from being a governor of a particular school if they have failed to attend the meetings of the governing body of that school for a continuous period of six months. This begins on the date of the first meeting they failed to attend, without the consent of the governing body.

Apply to be a Governor

If you would like to become a governor in a Southwark school, please visit the Governors for Schools website as we take all of our applications through this organisation. 

If you are a practising Catholic and would like to be a Foundation governor at a Catholic school in Southwark, please visit the Diocese website.