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Opportunities to be part of our School Governor Initiative

21 Mar 2024

Becoming a school governor supports local communities and gives you an opportunity to develop new and existing skills

As part of our widening participation and social responsibility strategy, our award-winning School Governor Initiative (UMSGI) provides  opportunities, training and support for all staff to become and succeed as school governors to support local schools in Greater Manchester. 

A shortage of suitably skilled volunteers on governing boards is recognised as one of the biggest challenges to schools. Over the years, we’ve worked with dedicated staff from our University to create a network of governors that are making a difference to schools across the Greater Manchester. 

UMSGI enables schools and colleges to draw on the vast range of skills and experiences that our staff and alumni can bring to a Board of Governors. In turn, it offers unique and rewarding CPD experiences to staff, and a chance to ‘give back’ to our city region.  We are proud to have supported over 1,000 volunteers through the initiative and currently have almost 200 staff subscribers to our community.  We would love to see this community continue to grow amongst our amazing colleagues. 

One of our current staff governors, Roz Webster, who is Governor for Safeguarding and SEND at Burnage Academy for Boys, has found being part of the initiative to be a hugely rewarding experience. She said: "Being a governor has been such a worthwhile role. It's enabled me to develop my skills in data and report analysis and ability to think strategically, as well as increasing my confidence in asking challenging questions and having difficult conversations. I also get to see first-hand the impact excellent educational interventions and pastoral support can have on a young person’s life, especially if their home life has its own challenges. Being able to play a small part in this is hugely rewarding and I’d really encourage colleagues to apply to be a governor." 

Inclusive Governance

According to a recent school governor survey from GovernorHub, only 4% of respondents were aged 34 or under, with a considerable 32% aged 65 or over. At the same time, only 8% of school governors and academy trustees surveyed were from an ethnic minority background.

UMSGI has a long-standing partnership with Governors for Schools. This year, they are launching Inclusive Governance to encourage a wider pool of volunteers to take up all-important governing roles.

More information: