Who are school governors and what do they do?

School governors form the largest volunteer group in the United Kingdom. Governing boards are the strategic decision makers and vision setters in every school and academy. They play a vital role in ensuring the best possible education for every child by creating robust accountability for school leaders. Every board has three core strategic functions as identified by the Department for Education (DfE)’s Governance Handbook:

Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction

Holding the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils and the performance management of its staff

Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent. The headteacher is responsible for the internal organisation and management of the school and the implementation of the strategic framework established by the governing board.