Parent governor representatives regularly attend and contribute to the council’s Overview and Scrutiny Commission.
They:
- are a voice for parents and make sure councillors are aware of parents’ views on educational issues
- report back to parents on the authority’s discussions and decisions on education
- have voting rights on matters of education
Parent governor representative roles are non-political.
The representative's role
Scrutiny is the function within the local authority that looks at what the council has done and scrutinises it. The overview function looks at the future plans of the council.
The Overview and Scrutiny Commission (O&S Commission) is the name of the overarching body that carries out these functions within Bracknell Forest Council.
Being a parent governor representative on the Overview and Scrutiny Commission is a chance to influence and shape decision making within Bracknell Forest as the roles have voting rights on matters involving education.
The O&S Commission has overall responsibility for the scrutiny of the council’s decision making process.
Part of the work of the scrutinising body is to make sure decisions taken provide due consideration towards the vulnerable in our community. This is particularly important in this time of change, when our council is going through a transformation process, and this is a wonderful opportunity for parent voices to be represented within the borough.
Scrutiny is important because it adds value. It makes a positive contribution to the lives of local people.
When scrutiny is carried out properly it is constructive and focuses on the priorities of local people, which feeds into the priorities of the council and its partners.
Good scrutiny:
- tackles issues of direct relevance to local people
- tackles issues where, through the unique perspective of elected councillors, it can add the most value
- is about talking to a wide range of people, drawing them together and building consensus
- is about challenging the accepted ways of doing things and acting as a champion for developing a culture of improvement in the local area
Time commitment
Sitting on the Overview and Scrutiny Commission is not a big commitment, but it is a valuable one.
Time commitment would typically be attending 10 meetings per year which last on average an hour and half. Meetings are usually in the evening from 7:30pm. You may decide to be involved in review activity, this would be an additional commitment of a mixture of day and evening activities.
There will be an induction (couple of hours), training and ongoing support.
Once appointed the positions are for 4 years.
Eligibility
There are 2 parent governor representatives in Bracknell Forest:
- one primary school stage
- one secondary school stage
Candidate eligibility
If you would like to become a parent governor representative you need to be both:
- an existing governor at any Bracknell Forest school
- and have a child attending any Bracknell Forest school (or have a child who is educated by Bracknell Forest in some other way), on the date of the election.
To be a primary parent governor representative you must be a primary school parent governor.
To be a secondary parent governor representative you must be a secondary school parent governor.
Applications to be a parent governor representative will need to be seconded. The seconder needs to be eligible to vote if there is an election.
Seconder eligibility
A seconder will need to be both:
- an existing governor at any Bracknell Forest school
- and have a child attending any Bracknell Forest school (or have a child who is educated by Bracknell Forest in some other way), on the date of the election
If you are applying to be a primary parent governor representative, your seconder must also be a primary school parent governor.
If you are applying to be a secondary parent governor representative, your seconder must also be a secondary school parent governor.
You cannot be a parent governor representative if you are:
- an employee of Bracknell Forest Council
- an employee of a school maintained by Bracknell Forest Council
- a councillor of any local authority
- a parent governor representative at another authority
More information
An allowance of £305 per year is available.
Bracknell Forest is committed to member development, and this begins from the moment co-opted members are appointed.
Should you be successful, we’d like to invite you to attend an induction programme to bring you up to speed on the current issues at the council, address practical arrangements and meet officers and councillors who will support you in your role.
We will aim to organise this with you before the first meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Commission.
How to apply
The closing date for nominations has now passed.
If there are not enough candidates to fill the vacant positions, nominations will re-open and this page will be updated