Become a governor

Are you interested in becoming a school governor?

Governors play a crucial role on Local Governing Bodies at Ark Schools. Through bringing their own unique skills, experience and connections, they challenge and support the school to ensure that every pupil, regardless of their background, has the opportunity to succeed.

The governor recruitment process follows the principles set out in Ark’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Statement, with the aim to ensure our Local Governing Bodies are representative of the local communities served, and have a diverse range of governors appointed:

“We aim to build a diverse and inclusive organisation where everyone – staff and students – can do their best to work and achieve their full potential. We want to reflect and represent diverse perspectives across the organisation because we know that doing so will make us strong and more effective”

The Ark Schools Decision Making Framework outlines where responsibility and accountability sits for the key functional areas within Ark Schools between the ‘tiers’ of governance.

Please visit the website of your local school and see the Governance page for further information on the Local Governing Body and the governors appointed at present.

The Ark governor role descriptions are listed below:

Ark Appointed Governor

Ark Link Governor

Parent Governor (advertised to the parent body when a position becomes vacant)

Staff Governor (advertised to the staff body when a position becomes vacant)

 

How to apply

We are looking for new governors to support our schools in Birmingham, Hastings, London and Portsmouth.

For all regions, parent and staff governor roles will be advertised by the schools when vacancies arise.

If you have an interest and commitment to improving education, and would like to make a difference within your community, please register your interest in becoming a governor by completing our online Governor Application Form. If you have any questions about a governor’s role or responsibilities please contact us at governance.team@arkonline.org

A full programme of induction, training and support is provided.

How does school governance work at Ark?

Our governing bodies work together to drive the vision and ethos of our schools, monitor educational and financial plans, and to provide support to the school in a way that is tailored to their priorities. Each governing body normally consists of 8-15 governors creating a balanced group with the right experiences, skills and connections to support the school in achieving exceptional performance.

Hear from an Ark Governor

Josie Verghese became a governor at Ark Walworth Academy in South London in 2012. She talks about how governors come from many walks of life, and explains that volunteering doesn’t require specialist skills – just a desire to get involved and offer your time and experience to become a critical friend to the school.

Read her blog here.