In Bath and Wells we are blessed to have 182 Church of England schools. While they each support their children in their own unique way, their values are underpinned by the Church of England’s values of wisdom, hope, community and dignity. Supporting our schools with their own unique talents are our school governors.
Ed Gregory, Director of Education for Bath and Wells, says, “Governors are an essential part of the leadership team in a school or trust. You don’t need to be an expert in education, the strength of a governing board comes from skills and experiences each person brings. While we have some amazingly supportive governors, we also have many gaps to fill, particularly Foundation Governors and Trustees, so if you feel this is something you are called to do, why not find out more about how you could help? It doesn’t take much of your time, we provide lots of support and I have no doubt you will find it extremely rewarding.”
Headteacher Jayne Rochford-Smith, St Andrew’s Church School, Bath, says, “Governors are what I would call ‘critical friends’. They bring advice, they help us to move the school forward, and they also help us to make the right decisions.”
Foundation Governors are appointed as Governors and as ‘Champions’ for the preservation and development the religious character of our Church of England schools, a responsibility of the entire Governing Board. They can be from any walk of life and any age, over 18, and be a practising Anglican or a member of another Christian denomination within the Churches Together movement. If you'd like to be a governor, even if you don’t have a current church connection, if you have the support of the school and church community and are passionate about ensuring that the religious character of the school is flourishing, we’d still be keen to talk to you so get in touch.
If you would like to know more about becoming a Foundation Governor visit bathandwells.org.uk/governors.