Vacancies:

Co-opted governor vacancies

Do you know someone who would make a fantastic school governor?

Hove Learning Federation (HLF), the governing body for West Hove Infant School and Hove Junior School, is looking to recruit two co-opted governors who share our vision to nurture the promise and magic that is inside all our children.

Governors play a vital role in our schools, working as a team with school leaders to provide both support and constructive challenge. The governing board helps set the vision and strategic direction of our schools, oversees their performance and ensures they are well managed, accountable and providing the best possible education and opportunities for every child.

Governors are not involved in the day-to-day running of the schools. Instead, we take a strategic view, asking questions, seeking assurance and bringing different perspectives, skills and experiences to the decisions we make.

You do not need to have worked in education or have previous experience as a governor. Training, guidance and support are provided, and we welcome people who can bring skills and experience from their professional, voluntary or personal lives.

A co-opted governor is someone from the community appointed by the existing governing board because they have skills, knowledge or experience that can strengthen the board. We welcome applications from parents, carers, family members and people from across the wider community.

Who are we looking for?

We are looking for people who are willing to collaborate, build strong working relationships, listen and work in partnership, while also being prepared to ask questions, contribute to courageous conversations and constructively challenge where needed. Our governors are open-minded, curious and self-reflective critical friends to our schools, and we are looking for people who want to play an active role in the life and development of HLF.

We welcome applications from people with a wide range of backgrounds and experience. At present, we are particularly keen to strengthen the board's skills and experience in:

• SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) – we would particularly welcome someone with knowledge or experience of SEND, whether professionally, through the voluntary or community sector, or through other relevant experience. Ensuring that children with SEND receive the right support, provision and opportunities to thrive is an important part of the governing board's responsibility. A governor with SEND experience would help us provide informed strategic challenge and oversight, understand the experiences and needs of children and families, and ensure inclusion remains at the heart of our decision-making.
• EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) – we are also seeking a governor who would be interested in taking on the role of EYFS Link Governor, providing focused oversight of early years provision at West Hove Infant School. This does not require someone to be an early years practitioner, although relevant experience would be welcomed. The role involves developing an understanding of our EYFS provision, meeting with school leaders and helping the board maintain oversight of children's experience, progress and outcomes during this crucial stage of their education.
• Safeguarding – professional or voluntary experience to continue to strengthen the board's oversight of safeguarding and the culture and systems that keep children safe.
• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) – experience that can help us continue to ensure our schools are inclusive places in which every child and member of staff feels they belong and can thrive.

These are areas we have identified as priorities, but please don't be put off applying if your experience sits elsewhere. A strong governing board benefits from a broad mix of professional skills, life experiences, perspectives and backgrounds.

Why join HLF?

Being a governor is a hugely rewarding role. It is an opportunity to make a real difference to children's education, give something back to your community and use, and develop, your own skills and knowledge.

We are a friendly, committed and engaged board and provide new governors with support, training and guidance as they get to know our schools and the role.

We are hugely proud of West Hove Infant School and Hove Junior School, their strong focus on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, and their commitment to creating citizens of our extraordinary and ever-changing world.

Like all schools across the city, we are also operating in a changing and challenging environment, including falling pupil numbers and increasing financial pressures. Our role as governors is increasingly important as we work alongside school leaders to protect the quality of education our children receive, support continuous improvement and explore creative and collaborative opportunities for the future.

Building a strong and representative board

HLF has 14 governor positions, including our Headteacher, one elected staff governor, two elected parent governors, one Local Authority governor (currently vacant and we are recruiting for this) and nine co-opted governor positions.

Currently more than half of our governors have children at our schools. Brighton & Hove City Council advises that governing boards should have an appropriate balance between parents of children at the school and members of the wider community, with no more than one third of governors normally being parents of children at the school.

Our parent and carer community has an enormous breadth of experience and expertise and parents and carers are very welcome to apply. At the same time, we are particularly keen for this recruitment to reach people beyond our immediate school community so that our board continues to benefit from independence, different perspectives and a broad range of experiences.

We greatly value and promote an ethos of inclusivity and want our governing board to reflect the diverse backgrounds, ethnicities, cultures and experiences of our school and wider community. We particularly encourage applications from younger people, retired people and people from ethnically diverse backgrounds, as well as anyone who feels their perspective is currently underrepresented in school governance.

Could it be you or someone you know?

Please help us spread the word by sharing this opportunity with your friends, family, colleagues and wider networks. We would also encourage you to think about people you know who could be an asset to our schools and approach them directly - you may know exactly the person we are looking for.

You can find out more about West Hove Infant School, Hove Junior School, our governing board and the role of a governor on our school websites. Brighton & Hove City Council has also produced a series of useful films about school governance, including Why Diversity Matters.

If you, or someone you know, would be interested in joining us, you can download an application form below.

If you would like to find out more before applying, please leave your contact details with our Senior Clerk to Governors and a member of the governing board would be very happy to arrange an informal conversation or meet for a chat.

Completed application forms should be emailed to clerk@hovelearningfederation.brighton-hove.sch.uk.

Following receipt of an application, shortlisted applicants will be invited to an informal interview with our Headteacher and Chair of Governors.

Thank you for helping us spread the word and find two brilliant new governors to support the children, staff and future of Hove Learning Federation.

Hove Learning Federation

 

 

‘Why diversity matters’ Brighton and Hove City Council film - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMNOzNU0bB8&list=PLkn6wzCIq2ylSji8OJtD_7-tOrBIpwyYY&index=3

Brighton and Hove City Council films about being a governor - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkn6wzCIq2ylSji8OJtD_7-tOrBIpwyYY