Board of Education (NI)02 Mar 18

Reconstitution of Transferor Governors in schools

The role of the Church in schools is a vital link in the mission of the Church and it is so important that we keep our presence in the governance of schools through Transferor Governors. The Transferors’ role in our schools has been passed down from previous generations where the Churches owned the school and transferred them to the control of the government. The Education Authority (EA) is in the process of reconstituting all school boards of governors in Northern Ireland for the period 2018–2022. As Transferor Churches (Church of Ireland, Presbyterian and Methodist) we hold the nomination rights for over 1,800 governors in controlled schools. Transferor Governors are nominated in variety of ways, through local churches, dioceses, and central church education offices. The EA has already written to all those who nominate governors and many local parishes have been asked to nominate to their local schools.

Being a governor is both a rewarding and challenging role. Governors are asked to attend meetings in their school on a regular basis. They will deal with all aspects of governance of the school including finance, staffing issues, appointments, forward planning, safeguarding, complaints and inspections. The role of a governor can be challenging and they may have to deal with specific issues within the school such as staff discipline or complaints. This can be time–consuming and difficult but as Christians we believe that service to the local community is a vital witness. If you are interested in being a governor then ask your rector if there any places on your local school. If you require any further information contact Dr Peter Hamill, at the Church of Ireland Board of Education (Northern Ireland) on edunorth@ireland.anglican.org