Co-opted Governor(s) in Leicester

The Governing Body of The City of Leicester College are seeking to appoint two Co-opted Governors, and would love to hear from self-motivated and determined people who are interested in becoming a governor.

You can see whether you are eligible to apply for this role by looking at the Qualifications and Disqualifications in the attached information pack.

The role and functions of the governing board

• Working with the school leadership to plan the school’s strategic direction.
• Overseeing the school’s financial performance, ensuring money is well-spent.
• Holding the headteacher or school leadership to account.

The City of Leicester College

The City of Leicester College is a large vibrant and popular 11–19 College with a commitment to the highest level of pastoral care and academic achievement. We are a truly comprehensive multi-cultural College offering unique opportunities for all students. Our ‘motto,’ ‘Ambition for All’ reflects our aim to challenge every member of our community to be the best they can be, in every aspect. We have an extremely diverse community and respect, civility and honesty are at the heart of what makes The City of Leicester College such a wonderful place to work and to learn. Students and staff from all backgrounds can come and have their differences respected and their contributions valued.

The expectations of new governors

The role of Governor is an important public role and therefore Governors are expected to maintain the highest standards. Please see our Terms of Reference in the attached information pack. It is also important that you are clear about the way we work at the City of Leicester College. Please see our Code of Conduct in the attached information pack.

We have 8 full governor meetings a year and 3 training meetings. Governors are expected to attend all meetings. Papers are provided a week in advance of meetings and governors are expected to have read the material before the meetings. All governors are expected to take responsibility for one area of Governor scrutiny e.g. Curriculum or SEND and be involved in one visit per year focusing on that area. This would happen during school hours.

We are looking for governors with the skills qualities and potential to eventually lead a governing board. We are looking for governors with particular skills namely:

• The ability to understand the educational context “the classroom” and be able to evaluate the school’s educational performance. People with experience of the education sector would be ideal.
• The ability to hold the college to financial and regulatory account.

You may possess these skills from the role you do in your job however being a governor is a rewarding process and if you have the potential, we will enable you to develop skills and experience that could be useful to you in the future.

Being a governor could add the following skills and experience to your CV:

• Strategic planning
• Experience on a board
• Holding senior leaders to account
• Finance, and maintaining oversight of potentially multi-million pound budgets
• Human resources and performance management
• Project management
• Marketing
• Communication and teamwork
• Decision making

We believe that well trained governors are essential and so invest in training. As a governor you will be expected to partake in training much of which can be done on-line.

Common concerns

• Being a governor will take up all of my time. - Governance usually requires about 6 to 8 hours per month (term time only).
• Only parents can be school governors/trustees. – This is not the case anyone who is eligible can be co-opted.
• Obviously, the governing board wants to hear concerns from parents, but governors aren’t delegates and don’t speak 'on behalf' of the parent body. The role and responsibilities are outlined above.
• I’m not experienced enough. - Governors are often surprised that they do have skills to offer. There is always plenty of help and guidance to help you in the role.
• Won’t there be a better candidate. - Often people who think this are ideal candidates.

Applications should be submitted by 9:00am on Monday 12th January 2026. The City of Leicester College follows Safer Recruiting Guidelines for all posts including voluntary posts such as this. Applications should be made on the application form provided. This is an important safeguarding requirement. Please make sure all sections of the application form are completed and all declarations made.

Safeguarding Statement: The City of Leicester College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is eligible for a DBS check under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (i.e. it involves certain activities in relation to children and/or adults) and is defined as regulated activity under Part 1 of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006. This post is designated as a regulated activity and requires enhanced criminal records check for a regulated activity (including a barred list check).