Applying to Become a Governor

Become a Foundation Governor or Director

The bishop appoints Foundation Governors (directors in academies) to uphold the values and interests of the Catholic community.

The CES document “Governance of a Catholic School A Clarification of Roles and Responsibilities for England & Wales” states that:

“Foundation governors are, therefore, appointed by the bishop, or religious order, to represent their interests and those of the Catholic community as a whole. Foundation governors play a leading role in the Catholic community: they collaborate with the bishop in his ministry in education. It is, therefore, important for them to:

· Know and implement the bishop’s policies on education, including religious education;

· Represent those policies to the governing body;

· Understand and promote the distinctive nature of Catholic education;

· Act for the good of Catholic education as a whole within the diocese, considering not only the interests of the individual school or college, but the interests of other schools and colleges;

· Respond to the needs of the Catholic community as a whole, as represented by the bishop;

· Secure the long-term future of Catholic education;

· Always act in accordance with the mind of the bishop.”

Our schools cannot function without the dedicated service of the volunteers who act as governors. It is a rewarding job and helps maintain the high standards of education for which our schools are known.

The following pages give more information. If you would like to find out more about the role, please contact your local school or the Diocese Governors@rcdow.org.uk

Applications are made on a volunteers behalf by the school to which they are applying. If you would like to be a governor, but do not know which school to apply to, please contact the Diocese on the email above, or look on the vacancies page here to see if any local schools have vacancies.


Documents for Clerks and Schools

Governor Application Documents

Governor Documents Submission Portal