Parent Governor Vacancy
We currently have 2 vacancies for a Parent Governors on our school’s governing board, and we warmly invite nominations from parents and carers of children at Crowmarsh Gifford C of E Primary School.
The governing board has an extremely important role. They are responsible for the strategic direction of the school, working in partnership with the headteacher, promoting high standards of educational achievement and ensuring our resources are used to maximum impact. Governors individually have no power but when they act collectively, as a corporate body instead of as individuals, they are very powerful.
Parent governors are a vital part of the school’s governing board. They also help to ensure the board is connected with the parents at the school (although you are not expected to be a spokesperson for parents).
In looking to fill this vacancy the governors have identified the following skills, experience and attributes that they feel would help strengthen the governing board: Safeguarding, HR, Finance & Resources. However, enthusiasm, commitment, and a genuine desire to support our school’s continued success remain the most important qualities.
All governors receive training to help them carry out their role. Oxfordshire Governor Services runs a wide variety of training courses for governors which you can attend, including an induction course for new governors – we expect all our governors to complete induction training.
Nominations must be from parents or carers with children at the school on the day that nominations close Wednesday 6th May 2026. Please see our website for disqualification criteria to serve as a governor. Anyone standing for election must certify that they are not disqualified for any reason listed. All governors must apply for a DBS check. The school will arrange that. Parents/carers who have paid employment in the school for 500 hours per academic year or more or who are elected members of the Local Authority are not eligible to stand in these elections.
If you would like to stand for election, please complete and sign the nomination form and return it to the school office no later than 9am Wednesday 6th May 2026. You can nominate yourself. Please include a few details about yourself and why you would like to become a governor. This will then be circulated to all parents to help them decide who to vote for if an election is needed. You do not have to complete this section, but if you don’t you may put yourself at a disadvantage if there is an election.
An election, by secret ballot, will be held if more nominations are received than the number of vacancies. If an election is needed details of the procedure will be sent to all parents.
If you would like to know a little more about becoming a parent governor, please get in touch with Mr Angus Brettell, Mr Derek Bottomley, any of our Governors or speak with Mrs Eaglen.
Please think about taking on the role or encourage other parents to volunteer. We need committed parent governors to make the governing board as effective as it can be.
QUALIFICATIONS AND DISQUALIFICATIONS
QUALIFICATIONS AND DISQUALIFICATIONS
Regulation 17, Schedule 4 of The School Governance (Constitution) (England) Regulations 2012 covers the qualifications and disqualifications of governors for Maintained Schools.
A governor must be aged 18 or over at the time of his or her election or appointment and cannot be a registered pupil at the school.
A governor must not also be a clerk to the governing body at which they are a governor.
A person cannot hold more than one governor post at the same school at the same time.
A person is disqualified from being a parent governor if they are an elected member of the LA or paid to work at the school for more than 500 hours (i.e. for more than one-third of the hours of a full-time equivalent) in any consecutive twelve month period (at the time of election or appointment).
A person is disqualified from being a governor of a particular school if they have failed to attend the meetings of the governing body of that school for a continuous period of six months, beginning with the date of the first meeting they failed to attend, without the consent of the governing body. This does not apply to the headteacher or to foundation governors appointed by virtue of their office.
A person is disqualified from holding or continuing to hold office as a governor of a school if, in summary, that person:
· is the subject of a bankruptcy restrictions order; an interim bankruptcy restrictions order; debt relief restrictions order; an interim debt relief restrictions order; or their estate has been sequestrated and the sequestration has not been discharged, annulled or reduced;
· is subject to a disqualification order or disqualification undertaking under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986; a disqualification order under the Companies (Northern Ireland) Order 2002; a disqualification undertaking accepted under the Company Directors Disqualification (Northern Ireland) Order 2002; or an order made under section 429(2)(b) of the Insolvency Act 1986 (failure to pay under county court administration order)
· has been removed from the office of trustee for a charity by an order made by the Charity Commission or Commissioners or High Court on grounds of any misconduct or mismanagement in the administration of the charity, or under section 34 of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 from being concerned in the management or control of any body
· has been removed from office as an elected governor within the last five years
· is included in the list of people considered by the Secretary of State as unsuitable to work with children or young people
· is barred from any regulated activity relating to children
· is subject to a direction of the Secretary of State under section 142 of the Education Act 2002 or section 128 of the Education and Skills Act 2008
· is disqualified from working with children or from registering for child-minding or providing day care
· is disqualified from being an independent school proprietor, teacher or employee by the Secretary of State
· subject to certain exceptions for overseas offences that do not correlate with a UK offence, has been sentenced to three months or more in prison (without the option of a fine) in the five years ending with the date preceding the date of appointment/election as a governor or since becoming a governor
· subject to certain exceptions for overseas offences that do not correlate with a UK offence, has received a prison sentence of two and a half years or more in the 20 years ending with the date preceding the date of appointment/election as a governor
· subject to certain exceptions for overseas offences that do not correlate with a UK offence, has at any time received a prison sentence of five years or more
· has been convicted and fined for causing a nuisance or disturbance on
school or educational premises during the five years ending with the date immediately preceding appointment/election or since appointment or election as a governor
· refuses a request by the clerk to make an application to the Disclosure And Barring Service for a criminal records certificate.
Anyone proposed or serving as a governor who is disqualified for one of these reasons must notify the clerk to the governing body.