We currently have vacancies for Co-opted Governors

Are you looking to make a valuable difference to young people and your local community?

Hove Learning Federation is the home of West Hove Infant School and Hove Junior School. We provide high-quality education to all pupils. This is realised through strong, shared values, policies and exceptional, inclusive practice. We are looking to recruit co-opted governors who share our vision to nurture the promise and magic that is inside all our children.

Our governing board is looking to recruit co-opted governors who share our vision to nurture the promise and magic that is inside all our children. Following a successful outstanding Ofsted at WHIS and Inclusion Quality Mark Flagship status at HJS, this is an exciting time to join our board as we work together to generate creative solutions and collaborative opportunities to address city-wide challenges of falling pupil numbers and budget constraints.

Being a governor is a hugely rewarding role, where you can make a real difference to young people, give something back to your community and use and develop your skills.

Role of a governor
As school governors we are volunteers who work with the Headteacher and senior leadership team to:
o Set the vision, ethos and strategic direction of the schools
o Ensure the highest standards of teaching and learning, achievement, behaviour and safety
o Ensure the schools are financially well managed and that resources are used well
o Look after the well-being of staff
o Engage with parents and other stakeholders

The Local Authority offers training for governors, and we provide a programme of induction and mentoring, so previous governance experience is not a requirement.

Qualities we are looking for
We would be delighted to hear from you if you have:
o An enquiring mind and the ability to look at issues objectively
o The ability to collaborate, work well with others and build strong working relationships
o A willingness to listen, ask questions, join in debate and make informed judgements
o A willingness to be an open minded, curious and self-reflective critical friend of the schools.
o A willingness to play an active role on the board, dedicate your time to attend meetings and at times, visit the schools during the daytime.

We are hugely proud of our schools and their strong focus on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and their commitment to creating citizens of our extraordinary and ever-changing world. We are keen to encourage young people, retired people and people from diverse ethnic backgrounds to join us on the governing board. We believe that by having a greater range of lived experience and perspectives, the board will make better decisions in the interest of all pupils.

Skills and Experience
We would particularly welcome applications from people with experience in:
o Safeguarding
o SEND (Special educational needs and disabilities)
o EDI (Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion)
o HR (Human Resources)

To support succession planning, we are especially keen to recruit someone who would be interested in moving into the position of chair or co-chair.

Commitment
Our Governing Board has certain expectations of governors, which include:
o to attend and contribute to two full Governing Board meetings per term
o to attend and contribute to one subcommittee meeting per term (Finance and Leadership, Curriculum and Outcomes and Safeguarding sub committees)
o to monitor a link area within the school, e.g. Safeguarding, Special Educational Needs, Health and Safety, Maths, English, Early Years, Finance, Behaviour, etc., and meet with the relevant staff leader(s) on a minimum of a termly basis, reporting on each visit to the Governing Board
o to visit the school formally for monitoring purposes as directed by the Governing Board,
o to attend school events, such as new parents’ evenings,
o to commit to attend training courses,
o to comply with the expectations set out in our Code of Conduct.

Meetings are scheduled annually; time commitments vary depending on your role, but we estimate between 10 and 20 hours per month.

You can find out more information about our schools, our board and being a governor on our school websites: HJS and WHIS. Brighton and Hove Council have created some excellent films explaining more about being a governor – please see below. If you, or someone you know, would be interested in the role, you can download an application form here, or request the form in Word format from the Senior Clerk to Governors. If you would like to discuss any aspects of the role before submitting an application, please share your contact details with the Senior Clerk to Governors and a member of the governing board will be more than happy to call you or meet up for an informal chat. Please email your completed application form to our Senior Clerk to Governors, clerk@hovelearningfederation.brighton-hove.sch.uk. Once we have received your application you may be invited to have an interview with our Headteacher and Chair of governors.

Thank you for your interest.

‘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