Here at Tove Learning Trust we are delighted to celebrate National School Governors' Awareness Day taking place on Tuesday 28th February 2023. Thank you to every governor who has given their time and expertise to help schools navigate the challenges of the past few years.
You have helped to shape the lives of the next generation by ensuring schools deliver the best experience for children and young people in our local communities. From all of us here at Tove Learning Trust, thank you for making a difference.
How to apply to be a Governor
We would be delighted to hear from anyone wishing to become a school governor and have various voluntary opportunities with schools across Northamptonshire, Milton Keynes and the West Midlands.
See below for the documents you need to be a Governor at one of our Schools. Application files are also available on our vacancies page.
Links to find out more information
Governor Testimonials
Hear more from our school governors about what motivated them to step into school governance and the benefits of doing so….
"As a Governor and subsequently a Chair of Governors I have found the roles to be extremely rewarding. Knowing that I am giving back to my local community gives me a sense of purpose and pride. I have dealt with a number of extremely challenging situations and the experience of this has helped me in my professional life, more so than any training course could! I would recommend being a Governor to anyone who wants to help their local community and gain self-improvement in return."
- Chair of Governors at Sponne School
"Having been a senior leader in education for several years I have benefitted immensely from the support of many other professionals on our governing bodies. They were in a position to challenge our practice and ask us to consider things from a different perspective. Therefore, in my semi-retirement I feel it is time for me to do the same for the next generation of leaders. As well as feeling that my skills and experience are valued, I am also able to continue to learn through the extensive training that is made freely available to me.
I bring my knowledge from working in education, but it is also vital that a governing body bring a whole range of skills particularly, but not exclusively, in finance and health and safety.
With schools now running as businesses, so many skills are transferable between education and industry, and vice-a-versa. All of which are needed to ensure that our school children and young people get the best start in life."
- Chair of Governors at The CE Academy
"Governors are not there to antagonise and criticise but to support and encourage the leadership team to help make the school a great place to send our children to. Being a Governor is allowing me to be part of the process of improvement, turning this school into one that the community deserves, and that the children deserve. It is slightly different being on the AIB of a school like Stantonbury which is long overdue an overhaul. The learning curve is very steep, actions to improve need to happen fast, there's no time to waste. Behind the scenes of a secondary school is no longer a mystery and the knowledge has given me a deep admiration for the people who work there."
- Academy Improvement Board Member at Stantonbury School
"I have been a school governor for nearly 10 years now which has been hard work but incredibly rewarding. Being a governor is a fantastic way to use your existing skills and expertise (in areas such as finance, strategy or policy development) to both support and challenge your local school. You can make a real difference to the standard of education and outcomes for the pupils. But, it's also great for your own professional development. You can gain experience of working at a strategic level (for example chairing a board or committee), broaden your leadership skills (such as collaborative leadership or leading through change) and develop your knowledge (in areas such as safeguarding, SEND and school improvement)."
- Governor at Lord Grey Academy
"Initially I became a parent governor as I thought it would be an opportunity to influence what happened in the primary school my children attended. Wrong! It is an opportunity to be a critical friend to a school. It is an opportunity to give something back to the local community. It is an opportunity to learn, to understand the challenges and the rewards of being involved with our young people and the adults who work with them. It is rewarding. As a governor you need to be able to listen but also be able to ask those questions, why are we doing that, what is the impact, how will the pupils benefit? These questions often lead to interesting conversations and discussions. You need to be able to give some time but probably not as much as you think (don't let time be the factor that stops you). You don't need previous experience but you do need to care about how our young people are educated. On a personal and professional level I have been able to learn new skills and gained experience of others, such as working as part of a senior leadership team, chairing meetings. There are not many times when what our knowledge and input can make a difference, but being a governor can and does."
- Chair of Governors and Trustee at Water Hall Primary
"I have been involved in school governance since 2006, in which time I have seen many changes but the core reason I continue remains the same as when I began: to provide the best support I can, whether personal or strategic, to our inspirational teachers and leaders who are striving to improve educational experiences and life possibilities for all students.
I would urge everyone to consider school governance, whatever your background; a school's governing body needs experience and constructive opinion from all areas of community and business life, not just from within the education sector. As a personal bonus, I have also many times been able to use experience gained from governance and leadership within my own career."
- Chair of Governors and Trustee at Rushden Academy
"I became involved in school governance when my son started in infant school. He's now 39!
The role as a school governor has changed beyond all recognition during that time. Nowadays governors have an integral role in helping schools develop into the best educational establishment that they can be. It doesn't just finish there because the road to school improvement is often long and not without bumps. Governors help with keeping schools ontrack, in touch with parents and in line with statutory developments. Often those with little or no educational experience can be best placed to ask the questions that need to be answered.
It is an incredibly rewarding thing to be involved in."
- Chris Watt Chair of Trustees for Tove Learning Trust
