• the ability to apply common sense
• enthusiasm and commitment to improve the quality of education the school provides
• the time to attend meetings and visit the school
• willingness to attend training

The School Governors' One-Stop Shop (SGOSS) is an independent charity dedicated to recruiting volunteers to serve on governing bodies across England. You can also find information about volunteering as a school governor by visiting the SGOSS website.

If you comply with each of the following statements then you should be able to be a School Governor

• you are not disqualified from serving as a school governor
• you are aged 18 or over
• you do not already hold a governorship of the school to which I am looking to be appointed (governors may not hold more than one governorship at the same school)
• you are not the subject of a bankruptcy restrictions order; an interim bankruptcy restrictions order; an interim debt relief restrictions order, or had my estate sequestrated and the sequestration has not been discharged, annulled or reduced
• you are not subject to a disqualification order or disqualification undertaking under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986, a disqualification order under the Companies (Northern Ireland) Order 2002, a disqualification undertaking accepted under the Company Directors Disqualification (Northern Ireland) Order 2002, or an order made under section 429(2)(b) of the Insolvency Act 1986 (failure to pay under county court administration order)
• you have not been removed from the office of trustee for a charity by an order made by the Charity Commission or Commissioners or High Court on grounds of any misconduct or mismanagement in the administration of the charity, or under section 34 of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 from being concerned in the management or control of any body
• you are not included in the list of people considered by the Secretary of State as unsuitable to work with children or young people
• You are not barred from any regulated activity relating to children
• you are  not subject to a direction of the Secretary of State under section 142 of the Education Act 2002 or section 128 of the Education and Skills Act 2008
• you are  not disqualified from working with children or from registering for child-minding or providing day care
• you are  not disqualified from being an independent school proprietor, teacher or employee by the Secretary of State
• you are  not subject to certain exceptions for overseas offences that do not correlate with a UK offence, have not  been sentenced to three months or more in prison (without the option of a fine) in the last five years
• yu are not subject to certain exceptions for overseas offences that do not correlate with a UK offence, have not received a prison sentence of two and a half years or more in the last 20 years
• you are not subject to certain exceptions for overseas offences that do not correlate with a UK offence, have not at any time received a prison sentence of five years or more
• you have not been convicted and fined for causing a nuisance or disturbance on school or educational premises

Statutory Guidelines for Governors

Can be found on the Government Legislation website.