Swansea governor takes on all-Wales role

A Swansea woman has become chair of an influential body which serves the needs of Wales' 23,000 school governors.

Carol Sayce will play a key role in helping Governors Wales support effective governance of schools. Governors are volunteers who have an important function in establishing the strategic framework for the school in close liaison with the headteacher.

A major element of the work carried out by Governors Wales is to support the personal and professional development of individual governors.

Mrs Sayce, of Sketty, said: "Governors Wales is proud to represent the views of governors on a range of matters affecting schools and in turn help them to govern their schools effectively.

"It's a real honour for me to become chair and I hope that my experience in this field will be beneficial to our work."

Mrs Sayce has been active in school governance since 1996 when she became a governor at Swansea's Bishop Gore School. She is currently the special needs governor there and sits on the personnel, curriculum and pupil support committees.

For eight years, Mrs Sayce was also on the governing body of a primary school where she was chair for three years.

She said there were many elements about being a governor which made the role rewarding.

Across Swansea there are around 1,600 school governors.

Swansea Council's planning and information manager Pat Davies said: "Becoming a school governor is one of the most important ways in which you can help your local school.

"The governing body has a strategic role working with the headteacher to set the aims and objectives of the school, agreeing policies, targets and priorities to achieve the objectives and monitoring and evaluating the aims and objectives in order to promote high standards of achievement. The headteacher has day to day management of the school.

"As a school governor, you are part of a team. Individual governors do not act alone. It is only the full governing body that has legal duties and powers and all governors share that corporate responsibility."