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Access and Widening Participation

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UCL Governor Network

A network for UCL staff who volunteer as school or college governors as well as staff members who are looking to get involved in school governorship

The UCL Governor Network is a volunteer-led initiative which will provide support and training for UCL staff members who already serve as governors of schools and sixth form colleges, as well as looking to inspire more staff to take on governor roles and shed light on the work they do.

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Aims of the network

Through this network, we aim to:

  • Support members through training and opportunities to share best practice, enhancing their skills as governors and improving outcomes for their schools.
  • Advocate for school governorship as a voluntary activity and ensure the skills gained are recognised by UCL as contributing to staff development.
  • Connect governors with the latest research from across the institution to strengthen their knowledge and confidence to challenge and innovate.
  • Act as ambassadors for UCL within schools, ensuring governors have information about relevant UCL activities (e.g., open days, AWPO activities such as school visits, summer schools) to share with their communities.
  • All governors to be aware of and able to access the range of programmes offered by the Access and Widening Participation Office for their schools (e.g. school campus visits, in school tutoring, summer schools).
  • Support the UCL 2034 Strategy, particularly Principal Theme 4 (Accessible and publicly engaged) and Key Enablers 2 (Valuing our staff) and 6 (Communicating and engaging).

How the network can support you

If you are a governor, or are interested in becoming one, the network can help you by providing:

  • A calendar of knowledge and skills training events to enhance your effectiveness as a governor
  • The opportunity to meet and network with other governors at UCL sharing knowledge and experiences
  • Recognition by UCL of professional development acquired by governors to their work at UCL through the Career Framework
  • Access to related information from the IOE, the world’s leading destination for education.

How to join the UCL Governor Network

Sign up to the network via our Teams site:

Join the UCL Governor Network

Become a school governor 

If you are not currently a school or college governor but would be interested in taking on this role, you may wish to contact one or both of the following organisations:

  • Inspiring Governance, the national online matchmaking service which connects skilled volunteers interested in serving as governors or trustees with schools and colleges.
  • Governors for Schools, an independent charity which recruits volunteers to serve on school governing bodies across England.

Governor vacancies may also be advertised directly by schools and colleges, local councils or academy sponsors.

Contact

For further information about becoming a school governor or the UCL School Governor Network, join the MS Teams site.