The University of Bristol is committed to supporting local educational outcomes in line with our work in Widening Participation and alongside our Civic agreement.
Within a local context, we have two commitments: Firstly, to support students across the city in line with the university’s overarching commitment to our local area
Secondly – where appropriate – to prioritise those students from the city who are most in need of additional support. Part of this support package is to provide local schools and colleges with continuous engagement with their local higher education provider, often in the form of good governance.
The University of Bristol is well placed to provide skilled support and expertise to our local community of educators, and the UoB School Governance Network aims to centralise this wealth of knowledge and target this support where the need is highest. The new Network aims to provide a Bristol specific space for governors and educators to come together, share challenges and co-create solutions to affect long lasting positive change in the local community. We want to actively recruit University staff to local governing boards, to facilitate a meaningful connection between us as a Higher Education Institute and our wider local education community. And it’s not just about us as staff members adding value to local governing boards – there’s much value to be gained in terms of our own professional development.
Interested in becoming a governor?
Did you know that the university supports staff to engage in school governance by providing staff with up to 18 days of paid absence per year to engage in public duties? Public duties can include acting as a Justice of the Peace, a Local Authority Councillor, and as a School Governor.
You don’t need any specific qualifications to become a governor, and no previous experience in education. We really want to increase diversity in school governance so that our school governing boards better reflect the incredibly diverse and culturally rich population within the city of Bristol. So, even if you have never considered volunteering as a school governor before, we would love to hear from you as you could provide a fresh perspective or transferable skills that a local governing board may really need. We particularly want to encourage young people and people from global majority backgrounds to consider volunteering, to help improve representation on school governing boards.
Working in collaboration with Inspiring Governance, signing up is a simple process. We really want you to thrive in your new Governor role, so as well as supporting you to find the most appropriate placement for you, Inspiring Governance also provides a wealth of support and information for both new and existing governors. You can find additional support in our School Governance Network Teams Group.
How does it work?
Please register for Inspiring Governance using the sign up link on this page and OPT IN to share your data – this allows us to track your placement journey and provide support where most appropriate.
Your journey starts with a simple online registration which will include your existing skills, experience and preferences in relation to being a governor.
Your profile can be seen by local schools and trusts seeking new recruits.
If your profile catches their eye, they will contact you through the website for an initial chat to start the process. Your commitment at this stage is simply to find out more.
You can also view governor vacancies near you and express an interest for more information.
