Parent governors are essential in shaping our school’s vision, ethos, policies and strategies to benefit our students and staff.

To become a parent governor, you must be a parent of a student when your term starts, but you do not need to be an expert on education to get involved.

We need someone who:

• has an interest in the school and in the welfare of our children

• has the time and willingness to get involved

• can build relationships with a range of people

• can work as part of a team

• can question

• can make connections between different types of information

• can read straightforward budget reports and data on school standards.

Our governing body expects governors to:

• attend termly meetings of the full governing body (one per term)

• consider sitting on a sub-committee and attend the meetings which are usually one or two per term (depending on the committee)

• commit to attend training courses, perform additional research if required and take part in monitoring at least one area within the school

• respond to requests to attend as a panel member for interviews, appraisals, and disciplinary proceedings.

In return, we will:

• give you a full induction

• provide access to quality training via the Governors Learning Partnership

• provide you with an experienced governor as mentor

You might also like to look at the information for prospective governors on the Department for Education website www.gov.uk/government/publications/governance-handbook

If you join our governing body, you will serve a four-year term and you can continue to the end of the four years even if your child/children leave the school.

Being a governor does take up time, so you will need to be prepared to attend meetings and events at school throughout the year, including:

• Three governing body meetings each year (one per term), which normally take place at 4:30pm on a Thursday afternoon for around two hours

• Serving on at least one committee, meeting once a term.

If you would like to put yourself forward as a candidate, please:

• Download the official nomination form and eligibility declaration form

• Complete and return them to Mrs Clare Jennings, Clerk to the Governors, at Saints Peter and Paul CHS, Highfield Road, Widnes, Cheshire, WA8 7DW.

If an election is required, we will be in touch to let you know about the arrangements.

If you have any further questions, please email the Clerk to the Governors at jenningsc@saintspeterandpaul.halton.sch.uk or telephone 0151 422 6506.