Recruiting a school governor is a notoriously challenging task. Here, Duncan Grant -Partnerships and Development Director of education charity, Future First- explains how schools can fill vacancies whilst improving board diversity through an alumni network…
School governor vacancies have reached their highest level since 2016, with this year’s National Governance Association’s survey reporting vacant posts across 67% of boards. Out of those, a further 38% have reported having two or even more openings, with the overall total of unfilled positions currently exceeding 20,000.[1]
One of the reasons for this absence of applicants is that there is a common misunderstanding of what the governor role is, what it entails, and more importantly, who can apply for it. This alone has had a huge impact on both the diversity of applicants, and the number of people applying.
The most common misconception of the governor role is that a strong knowledge or background in education is a prerequisite for the position. In actual fact, schools are looking for a broad range of skills and backgrounds from their governors, yet many believe being a parent or having a knowledge of the education system is a strong requirement.
As well as the current vacancy crisis, there is also a pressing need to improve diversity in governance roles. In a recent GovernerHub survey[2] 90% of the 4,000 governor respondents were white, and in the aforementioned NGA governance report, it was also revealed that just 6% of governors and trustees were under 40 years old. More than half (51%) were over 60 years and just 1% were under 30.
As a result, schools are now looking for a way to fill the governor vacancies, appeal to new, younger candidates, with a broad range of skills, whilst improving diversity. The question is how do they do this?
Well, one simple way is by harnessing the power of an alumni network.
The power of past pupils
There are numerous benefits to a school developing an alumni network. Firstly, children can have their horizon’s broadened by hearing from the people who came from the very school they attend. They can better understand their potential, seek new opportunities, discover pathways, and learn about skills, whilst developing experience and confidence.
But the power doesn’t stop there. The school itself can also benefit from its alumni too. As you develop this network, you provide yourself with an ever-growing pool of local people, who you can easily contact to fundraise, organise events, and call on for their skills to- for example- fill the role of a school governor.
Utilising your alumni network will mean that the candidates you attract will already have a vested interest in your school and its community. They will be volunteers with a strong connection, many of which may have already been involved in helping the school. They will also best represent the local population and understand life in the area.
It is often cited that governors in disadvantaged areas are harder to recruit than in higher performing schools in more affluent places. Connecting to an alumni group helps tackle this issue. Tapping into a community of volunteers who have grown up in the vicinity, have experienced life in the school and are already poised to help young people, can offer enormous potential for prospective candidates.
Furthermore, the applicants from an alumni group will most likely have experienced school much more recently than the typical candidate, solving the issue of governors predominantly coming from a more senior age group.
Understanding the role
The 2022 GovernorHub survey, demonstrated that the lack of younger applicants was not based on a disinterest for the role, but more of a lack of understanding for what it is. In the report, those who had not been in governance role were surveyed, and it was found that younger potentials were more likely to consider the role in the future, if they knew more about it.
At Future First, we have found that an alumni group provides the perfect platform to make governor opportunities more visible to all, whilst also educating potential candidates on what the role entails and who can apply. In a recent webinar that we hosted in association with Governors for Schools, we reached out to alumni groups to talk about Governor vacancies whilst offering access to positions. We were delighted to find that after the webinar event, 42% of attendees applied for a governor vacancy- a hugely significant proportion.
Creating a network
With the vast number of technological tools and social platforms at hand, any school can develop their networks by reaching out to former pupils to join the alumni. And, if support is required, Future First can help schools develop these thriving networks through our bespoke networking platform, to aid them on their development.
In summary, the lack of candidates for governance roles can be solved, but schools must first communicate clearly what the job is, whilst making the position visible to all. This is best done by connecting to an established alumni community with a proven interest and a willingness to help. It should also be made very clear, that the role of school governor is not exclusive to any particular groups. Then, schools will inevitably see an increase of applicants, fewer vacancies, and a more diverse board of governors.
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