Literacy: role of the link governor

Understand your role as a literacy link governor and see examples of questions you can ask literacy subject leaders to challenge and support them.

Last reviewed on 4 March 2024
School types: All · School phases: All
Ref: 4389
Contents
  1. Your role
  2. How to monitor your subject
  3. Questions to ask the subject leader
  4. Data questions to ask the subject leader
  5. Ofsted and the curriculum

Your role

In your role, you should do the following:

Work closely with the subject lead

You're not expected to be an expert, to judge the subject the same way an inspector would or to know as much as the headteacher.

You do need to work closely with the subject lead to get the insights you need to help the board hold staff to account and drive improvement.

Be the board's specialist

Your job is to act as the link between governors and staff and to report to the board on things like:

  • Subject delivery
  • The impact of interventions
  • Use of resources
  • Attainment and progress

You can help other governors understand what aspects of teaching and learning look like in practice.

You should bring your more detailed knowledge of the subject to important decisions (e.g. about school improvement priorities or policy approval).

How to monitor your subject

These should be linked to