Despite an extending welfare role for schools, an analysis of recent government data reveals that only 13% of the parent governors of schools are parents elected by their peers.
In London and across England, schools are assuming welfare responsibilities, as the Government are asking schools to tackle an increasing number of childhood problems.
Recent Department for Education announcements include extending breakfast clubs, guidance on mobile phones, and programmes to break the links between pupil disadvantages and outcomes.
Moreover, Department of Education data shows nearly half (45%) of children in London travel out of their neighbourhoods to get to school.
This geographical distance from home to school reduces everyday contact between parents and schools, so becoming a governor is one of the few ways families can formally influence how schools tackle new initiatives.
Retired headteacher Jane Arnstein said: “Parent governors can bring enthusiasm, knowledge and skills from their own workplace, support and energy to help the school reach its aims.”
However, Arnstien also acknowledged the role presented new challenges for parents, as they ‘can be seen as a mouthpiece for discontent by some parents’ and therefore ‘harangued at the school gate over issues’.
The data shows that parents are reluctant to be governors of their children’s schools, with almost two-thirds of governors appointed by the schools Trust or Boards, rather than elected by other parents.
Mark Emly, previously a member of a Trust Board and a Chair of an Academy Trust, said: “Positively, they bring a parental voice and perspective to the governing board/committee.
“They can bring an understanding of parents’ viewpoints and can ensure strategic decisions are cognisant and mindful of the parental community.”
However, Emly also recognised that it could be difficult for parents.
He added: “It can be hard to get parents to put themselves forward to be parent governors, they can feel daunted by the potential of challenging the leadership of the school in their role as a governor.”
Recent reports from the National Governance Association revealed a serious shortfall in governors, with more than 40% of schools carrying vacancies in 2024.
Their analysis indicates that governors are also disproportionality retired, and more than a third previously worked in education.
According to the NGA survey, 94% of Governors were white, a representation challenge for London and other large multi-cultural conurbations.
A London secondary school teacher, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “My relationship with school governors is overall quite limited.
“In my experience of meeting/interacting with school governors they have tended to be late to middle aged, and fairly evenly split across genders.
“The majority of them seem to be from a London background, however the impression I have is that this is not necessarily a similar background to the children studying in the school.”
The Government’s own data reveals little about governors. It provides no information about background or motivation, and does not capture gender, ethnicity or age.
But the data does provide some details about how people become governors, and the extent to which parents are represented.
Appointment by the board is by far the most common way of becoming a governor, with more than half of those appointed done so through the existing board, trust or have held a role in the leadership team.
An analysis of the most popular routes into boards shows parents elected by their peers form a small percentage of those taking up a governor role.
A more detailed analysis shows even fewer parents move on to become chairs of the governing body, when compared with those appointed by boards or trusts.
Schools are expected by this Government to tackle critical issues that affect children and parents beyond the school gates. Despite these developments, the data shows minimal parental involvement in school leadership.
As an announcement from the Department of Education launching the new breakfast clubs initiative declared: “As well as helping children thrive academically and socially, breakfast clubs give parents and carers more choices in childcare, and support families with the cost of living.”
London schools are hosting anti knife crime sessions, piloting extended days and running breakfast clubs and as schools assume these broader childcare responsibilities, understanding who becomes parent governors and how they are selected, will become increasingly important.
The data shows that voluntary membership of boards is reliant on older white retired volunteers, despite the young families and diverse communities that use schools.
With only 13% of governors elected by parents, securing representative parental support for school leadership teams tackling the policy initiatives developed by this government may well prove problematic.
Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash
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