My name is Alexandra Lau and I’m a Business Planner for BBC Sport. I first heard about BBC Outreach during a departmental meeting when I found out that there were quite a few different volunteering opportunities available to me as a member of BBC staff. I wanted to make sure though, that whatever I chose to do would be of benefit to myself – with regards to my personal and professional development – as much as it would benefit others. I know that sounds a bit mean (!) but I was just being realistic, like most people I’m constantly busy and so I just wanted to make sure that there would be some return for the time and effort required in whatever volunteering I chose to do.
One of the opportunities that appealed to me was becoming a school governor. I ed my details using an easy online application form and a week later had an invitation to meet with the Head teacher and Chair of Governors at a local primary school. After an informal chat they asked if I’d like to their Board, to which I agreed, and I’ve been a governor at Cheadle Heath Primary School in Stockport since January 2012.
During the year of my Governorship I have been on an interview to recruit two new teachers and also sit on two committees, one focusing on the Curriculum and the other on Performance Management. In addition I completed the Head Teacher’s annual appraisal and am also paired with a reception class teacher.
Being a governor involves, as a bare minimum, keeping abreast of school news, reading the minutes of meetings, following up on any action points and staying up-to-date with any developments within education. Needless to say the effort I put in at the school is equally beneficial to me. The role has provided me with management experience, the opportunity to develop my interview skills, a chance to review the school budget and ultimately to learn about a sector other than the media. I started off wanting to be a governor because it would be ‘good for the CV’, but now I do it because I know that my contribution is important and makes a positive difference to the standard of education the children receive.
Although I spend very little time actually getting to speak with pupils I do know that I’ve made a difference to a few in particular as I was able to invite them along to MediaCity on the day that HRH the Queen visited - and they even made it onto the BBC News that day. I’m not sure there’s much more I can do as a school governor that will top meeting the Queen – but I certainly intend to try!
*Alexandra volunteered on an opportunity from SGOSS (previously the School Governor's One Stop Shop), which is one of BBC Outreach's ten national charity partners. By working in partnership with charities across the UK, we're able to offer our staff the opportunity to causes they care about with their time and expertise.
