Here’s part of an email I received from my child’s school today:
“COMMUNITY GOVERNOR FOR THE CHERWELL SCHOOL
Are you a qualified accountant?
Are you a Cherwell parent, present or future, or a member of the local community, who would like the opportunity to gain a valuable insight into how the school operates whilst sharing your skills to make it an even better school in the future?
Would you like to be part of a team that is shaping and driving improvement in the education and experiences of young people in our community?
The Cherwell School is seeking to expand the skill-base and capacity of its Governing Body. If you possess expertise in accountancy and would be interested in joining our Governing Body as a Community Governor, please contact the Clerk to The Cherwell School Academy Trust”
From time to time, I consider whether to stand for election the next time the school is recruiting parent governors. But since it’s become an Academy, I can’t – the posts always involve the requirement to have a skill that I don’t have. Few people are accountants, and by definition, no people lacking in formal educational qualifications, but who might otherwise have a great deal to offer a school as governor, are accountants. Only a tiny pool of parents can apply. So, the role of school governor is thus removed from the vast bulk of parents, the schools’ accountability in this way limited. The more accountants, the less accountability.