Academy GovernorsEDV/2026/OAT/86660

About This Role

This is an amazing volunteering opportunity for a committed person to make a difference in their community and join a great team of voluntary local governors at one of our academies. At Ormiston Academies Trust, we’ve been dedicated to transforming education since 2009. We’re proud to be one of the oldest, largest and most established school trusts in the country, supporting over 35,000 pupils in 45 schools. At the heart of everything we do is a simple yet powerful vision: a school system where every child can thrive, and our mission is to ensure every child has excellent learning opportunities, inside and outside of the classroom, which enrich their lives and afford them choice and opportunity in the future.

At OAT we have a Board of Trustees; volunteers with overarching responsibility for all schools in our Trust. We also have amazing local governors in every school, whose work provides an essential layer in the checks and balances which ensure their academy is being run well, that children are getting the best possible education and the community is being well served.

Core Purpose and Scope

OAT’s School Governors provide invaluable support to our schools whilst unlocking a myriad of opportunities for their own personal and professional development. Successful applicants will:

• Develop their own careers by experiencing leadership.
• Build and improve their technical and interpersonal skills.
• Grow their professional networks.
• Bring their lived experience, skills and new perspective to a governing board/school.
• Ensure voices from different groups and communities are heard.
• Feel fulfilled by making a difference and helping shape young minds.

About The Role

School governors offer strategic guidance as ‘critical friends’ of the school; they do not manage the school or involve themselves in operational matters. This means:

• Holding the academy principal to account.
• Ensuring children receive the best possible learning opportunities and that academy culture is child-centred.
• Challenging senior leaders and scrutinising school processes to drive improvement.
• Monitoring school practices in relation to safeguarding, quality of teaching and spending.
• Championing the best interests of the children and the school community.
• Ensuring that the voices of children, parents, staff and the local community are heard and considered.

What’s Involved

All governors receive an induction and ongoing training opportunities, both online and in school. There will be meetings to attend (usually 1 – 2 hours each, schedules agreed by each governing body):

• At least 4 full governing body meetings.
• Ad-hoc meetings (for hearings like admissions appeals, employee panels, exclusions).
• Preparation includes reading papers and preparing questions.
• Regular school visits are essential and very rewarding (meeting pupils, staff and parents where possible, attending school events etc.).
• Many governors take on a link governor role, wherein they develop a specialism in some aspect of academy life and operations. Examples include being the link governor for careers, special education needs, safeguarding, wellbeing and curriculum areas.

About You

This role is perfect for someone who cares about the education provided for children in their local community. You may be looking for experience in a leadership role at this point in your professional career – or you may have past leadership experience and now have time to give back to local projects. Be assured, you do not need any specific qualifications or experience to be a governor – you just need to be 18 or over, have an interest in supporting a school and be willing to learn!

Our aspiration is for all governing bodies in the Trust to be inclusive and diverse. We know that a range of lived experiences on governing bodies improves the quality of questioning and challenge, making schools better places for children to learn. Your unique viewpoint could be just what we are looking for.

How To Apply

To apply, please complete the interest form on our trust website here: https://ormistonacademiestrust.co.uk/our-academies/be-a-governor. Please don’t use the 'apply now' button. If you’d like an informal chat or have any questions about becoming a governor, before completing our online form, please contact us at governance@ormistonacademies.co.uk or call us on 0121 262 4721.

Ormiston Academies Trust embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. All successful appointments will be subject to suitability checks appropriate to the role in accordance with KCSIE, including identity, Right to Work, qualifications, online searches, prohibition check, two references and enhanced DBS check including Children’s Barred List. The post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974.