Governor visits

Be clear about the purpose of governor visits and how best to conduct them. Get guidance on visits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last reviewed on 15 February 2022
School types: All · School phases: All
Ref: 5395
Contents
  1. Purpose of governor visits 
  2. Visits should have a clear focus
  3. Staff governor visits
  4. How does COVID-19 affect visits?
  5. Share resources with your governors

Purpose of governor visits 

Your board needs to know your school well to hold you and other school leaders to account. Visits during the school day will help governors find out more about your school, including:

  • How your policies and school improvement plan (SIP) are working in practice
  • The views of pupils, staff and parents

Remember that governors are not:

  • Inspectors - it's not their role to assess the quality or method of teaching
  • School managers - they shouldn't interfere with the day-to-day running of the school

After the visit, the governor will report their findings back to the full board to help it make better strategic decisions.

Visits should have a clear focus

If you find that this isn't the case, encourage your governors to clarify