Recruitment and retention of school governors

The document below has been produced to help schools, with the support of the LA, to tackle the area of governor recruitment and retention.

It contains tips, suggestions and ideas which schools may wish to follow through at a local level.  It also provides an opportunity to share good practice by encouraging schools to provide information about what has worked for them. 

Governor recruitment activity can take place on four levels:

1. National promotions initiated by the Department for Education and Skills.
2. LA-wide promotions initiated by the LA.
3. School promotions initiated by individual Governing Bodies.
4. Face to face recommendations by individual Governors to friends and colleagues.

Whilst all of these are equally valuable in raising awareness and generating interest, the more personal the approach the more effective it is likely to be.

Recruitment and retention should not be considered as an isolated activity to undertake only when a vacancy occurs. A Governing Body that is seen to work well as a team, doing a good job and making a real difference is an ideal recruiting agent.

There is no definitive answer to the question of how best to ensure that Governing Bodies remain at full strength at all times.  What works well in one area may not be as effective in another.  So perhaps the best way to address Governor vacancies is to make available a variety of potential suggestions and solutions that can supplement the knowledge and expertise that already exists locally.  This guide contains a number of tools to assist you in your recruitment activities.

Governor vacancies reduce the effectiveness of Governing Bodies because it limits the range of experience available to the school and increases the workload of other Governors.

Schools serve their local community and it is therefore important that the Governing Body reflects that community.

The school and its community will be better served where the Governors bring the perspective of the community to their decision-making and where the community feel connected to the school through the Governing Body.

Stakeholder groups, such as parents, school staff, people from the local community, the LA and, in the case of certain schools, the foundation body, reflect those with an interest in the school.

Vacancies result in the relevant stakeholder group being under-represented and this, in turn, disturbs the balance between the groups.

To download the Recruitment and Retention of Governors Good Practice Guide, in PDF format, please click on the icon below: