Royal award for University’s school governor programme

Buckingham Palace

The University’s School Governor Initiative (UMSGI) which supports staff to take up school governor positions in local schools and colleges has been honoured with the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK.

Volunteer school governors play a crucial role in raising educational standards. The University’s School Governor Initiative aims to contribute to the leadership and improvement of state schools by engaging staff and alumni in becoming the employer that recruits the largest number of school governors in the UK.

As part of the University’s widening participation and social responsibility strategies, the UMSGI encourages and supports staff and alumni to become school governors by helping them to find volunteering placements in local schools and providing a network and training opportunities to support them.

At the end of 2014/15 the total number of staff and alumni governors stood at 433. This equates to 36,372 volunteering hours, 5,196 days reaching 94,850 learners. The economic impact from the contribution of staff governors exceeds £1 million per annum.

Ian Fenn, Headmaster of Burnage Academy for Boys, Manchester, who supported the nomination said: “We are fortunate to have such an engaged university that wants to contribute to schools in the community in such an ongoing and strategic way, which has been achieved by the considerable volunteering effort of their staff. I know that they are actively supporting other universities to develop similar schemes which will increase the number of skilled volunteers being placed in schools across the country.”

UMSGI is one of the University’s Social Responsibility Signature Programmes. Professor James Thompson, Associate Vice-President for social responsibility said: “It is fantastic to see the time and commitment of staff and alumni recognised in this way. UMSGI is a great example of how the University is making a difference in the community through harnessing the skills and expertise of our staff, and more recently our alumni.

“In Manchester alone, University volunteers are contributing to the improvement of schools in the most challenging areas - 79% are in schools where the number of pupils in receipt of free school meals is above the national average and 53% are in schools where over half the pupils receive free school meals.

“Despite these challenging circumstances, 80% of the Manchester schools that benefit from University staff expertise are judged good or better by Ofsted and over half have improved their Ofsted judgements in recent years. Good governance is one of the key criteria considered in order for this judgement to be made.”