Sylvia Grice works in educational assessment and is a Community Governor at The Nicholas Hamond Academy. As a military spouse with extensive experience working in education, Sylvia brings a unique set of skills to the governor role.
Sylvia tells us about why she became a school governor and what she feels her skills and perspective will bring to the Local Academy Committee meetings. (Local Academy Committee meetings are equivalent to governing board meetings for academies).
”I have a lot of experience working in the education sector, having previously worked as a Science Teacher in Wiltshire and also spent some years teaching in Norfolk.
On top of this, I spent some time supply teaching in America, which has given me the benefit of seeing education from a different perspective.
Now I work in educational assessment so feel I have a lot to give the governor role drawing on both my teaching experience and the skills in flexibility and resilience I’ve developed as a military spouse”
”Schools have played a huge part in my life”
”The reason I decided to volunteer as a governor is two-fold. My experience in teaching means I understand some of the internal operations of a school. I feel I can bring this knowledge into my Local Academy Committee and provide a different perspective to fellow governors whose only experience of schooling may have been their own, a long time ago!
Additionally, as I move forward in my career in educational assessment I want to ensure my own understanding of schooling is kept current.
Schools and education have played a huge part in my life”.
”I can ask the right questions”
And Sylvia feels she is able to use her experience in education and knowledge of military life to ask the right questions in governance meetings.
”I’m fairly new to the Local Academy Committee, so currently I am not sitting on sub-committees, but being a military spouse and governing in a school with well over 10% of the children coming from service families, I feel I have the experience and perspective to ask the right questions. Especially around Pupil Premium and other issues that are unique to children with a parent in the armed forces.”
”A great way for military families to connect to the local community”
And Sylvia would recommend volunteering as a governor to anyone who wants to use their professional experience for the bettering of the local community.
”I would recommend volunteering as a governor. For people working in industries that work alongside schools it is an excellent opportunity for them to improve their understanding of schooling. And for military spouses it is a great way to become involved in their local community.”
Would you like to follow in Sylvia’s footsteps? Why not sign-up at www.inspiringgovernance.org/volunteers and search for a governor vacancy in your area.