Become a governor • Stanmore College

Introduction

Governors serve in a voluntary capacity and bring their skills, expertise and experience to the role. It is a responsible position and a governor is expected to abide by the seven principles of public life (the Nolan Principles). Our governors are required to sign a code of conduct which gives guidelines about what we expect and hope for from our board members, as well as what they can expect from their service on the Board.

What is expected

All our governors serve on the Board and on at least one other committee. The committee structure can be found using the menu on the right.

Our schedule means that a commitment of attendance at four Board meetings and three committee meetings is expected, along with participation in a training day, usually held on a Saturday. Meetings last around 1½ to 2 hours on average, with the training day being around 6 hours, so a full year's commitment would work out at around 30 hours.

Governors are also invited to attend College events such as Awards Evening, International Women's Day and our summer lunch and we have a programme of governor engagement which allows members to get to know an aspect of the College in more detail.

Governors are not paid for their work but can claim travel expenses.

Becoming a governor

The Board has a Governance Committee which oversees the recruitment of new governors to the Board. The standard term of office for an external governor (that is someone who isn't a staff or student governor) is four years. We do not advertise in a regular cycle but look to replace members who are approaching the end of their term of office or who have decided they are not able to serve further. The Board conducts a skills audit every year so that we can ensure that the skills and expertise of members match the needs of the College. Recruitment is often geared to filling 'gaps' in the skills matrix.

The recruitment process

After a provisional expression of interest, we hold an informal briefing with the Director of Governance and Principal to outline the role, responsibilities and suitability of a candidate
If the candidate wishes to apply and there is a vacancy details, such as a CV and supporting statement, are forwarded to the Governance Committee who will conduct an interview
If suitable, the candidate will be recommended to the Board who can then approve the nomination.

A role description is available which gives an indication of the responsibilities of a member of the Board.

If you are interested in serving on the Board you can contact the Director of Governance,

Robert Heal, r.heal@stanmore.ac.uk for further information.