School Governors Awareness Day – Could You Make a Difference Beyond Your Day Job?
Could you make a difference beyond your day job?
National School Governors Awareness Day, on 28 February 2026, encourages us to take a moment to shine a light on one of the most impactful, and often misunderstood, voluntary roles in our communities: school governance.
Across the UK, schools rely on governors to provide strategic oversight, constructive challenge and community connection. Yet many governing boards still struggle to recruit people with the time, curiosity and integrity needed to help schools thrive. That’s where people like you come in.
I was a school governor at my children’s secondary comprehensive school for 10 years, 3 of them as Chair of Governors, and to say it was an eye opening and humbling experience doesn’t really do it justice.
What struck me most was how familiar the work felt. Governing isn’t about telling headteachers how to do their jobs; it’s about strategy, oversight and challenge. It’s about understanding risk, interrogating data, thinking long‑term and making decisions in the best interests of others. In many ways, the skills I used every day at work: project thinking, stakeholder awareness, judgement under uncertainty – were exactly the skills the board needed. Education expertise can be learned; values and behaviours matter far more.
It’s impossible to talk about school governance without acknowledging just how hard teachers work. The professionalism, care and resilience they show every single day, often under intense pressure and scrutiny, is extraordinary. Teachers don’t just deliver lessons; they hold communities together, notice the quiet child who’s struggling, and keep showing up even when the system makes that difficult. They are thoughtful, skilled, deeply committed people, and one of the privileges of being a governor is seeing up close just how much they give, and how much they deserve our respect and support.
You don’t need to be a parent – or an education expert
One of the biggest myths about being a school governor is that you need to be a parent, former teacher, or have a background in education. You don’t. In fact, it might benefit the governing body if you are neither of these things. As always, a broad range of people with differing lived experiences and ideas, makes for the most effective organisation.
What schools actually need are people who can:
- ask thoughtful questions
- understand risk, finance, people or strategy
- bring lived experience from outside education
- care about fairness, opportunity and public service
Whether your skills come from project delivery, finance, technology, HR, operations or leadership, they are directly transferable to the boardroom of a school.
Governance grounded in public service values
When someone becomes a school governor, one of the first things they commit to is a code of conduct based on the Nolan Principles of Public Life.
These seven principles underpin ethical decision‑making across public service – including education:
- Selflessness – acting in the best interests of pupils
- Integrity – avoiding conflicts of interest
- Objectivity – making decisions based on evidence
- Accountability – being answerable for actions and decisions
- Openness – being transparent wherever possible
- Honesty – declaring interests and being truthful
- Leadership – modelling these behaviours and challenging poor practice
In a world where trust in institutions is fragile, school governors play a quiet but vital role in protecting standards, fairness and accountability at a local level.
The Nolan Principles stopped being abstract concepts once I saw them in action. Selflessness meant keeping pupils at the centre of difficult decisions. Integrity and honesty meant declaring interests and being open about limits. Accountability meant being prepared to explain and stand by decisions, even when they were uncomfortable. Leadership, I learned, isn’t about authority – it’s about setting the tone, asking the awkward question, and modelling the behaviour you expect from others.
Why this matters now
Schools today face complex challenges, funding pressures, safeguarding responsibilities, inclusion, digital change and rising demand on staff. The Covid years have left an indelible mark on the lives of the children who lived through it, and this generation of school staff are working every day with the knock on effects of those years. Governors don’t run schools day‑to‑day, but they do help ensure that leaders are supported, challenged and held to account.
Good governance helps create stable environments where children and young people can succeed – often without the governors themselves ever being visible.
What governors gain in return
While the role is voluntary, the benefits are significant:
- deeper understanding of leadership and decision‑making
- experience of governance, risk and accountability
- exposure to a different sector and community
- personal fulfilment from contributing to public good
Many governors say the role has strengthened their professional confidence and sharpened their strategic thinking.
Could this be your next contribution?
National School Governors Awareness Day is an opportunity to reflect on how we each contribute beyond our core roles. Becoming a school governor isn’t about having all the answers – it’s about bringing values, curiosity and commitment to the table.
If the Nolan Principles resonate with you, and you’re looking for a meaningful way to give back, school governance might be one of the most powerful ways to do it.
Being a school governor was one of the most grounding experiences of my professional life. It has reminded me that trust in public institutions is built quietly, through people who show up, prepare properly, and act with integrity even when no one is watching. You don’t need to be a parent. You don’t need an education background. You just need to care about doing the right thing, and be willing to give your time and judgement in service of others. For me, that’s what good governance and good public service really looks like.
Gill Edwards, WUN Advocate.
Become a school governor or academy trustee – GOV.UK
Become a school governor – Governors for Schools
Education and Employers – Womens Utilities Network
Interested in becoming a school governor or trustee? | National Governance Association