A County Council is appealing for more black and minority ethnic people to become school governors.

In county schools, latest figures show 12.9 per cent of pupils but only 2.6 per cent of school governors across Leicestershire are from black or minority ethnic communities.

A recruitment drive by Leicestershire County Council to encourage members of the public to become local authority school governors has been successful, reducing the vacancy rate to 4.5 per cent compared with a national average of 10.5 per cent.

However, the number of black and minority ethnic governors is still unrepresentative compared with the number of pupils.

The County Council plays a key role in supporting school governors. The council holds induction sessions to give an initial overview of a governor’s role and responsibilities.

This is then followed up with ongoing training to keep governors up to date with new legislation and initiatives.

School governors are volunteers who do not need any special qualifications – enthusiasm and commitment are most important.

Mansour Dhifallah is a governor at Limehurst High School in Loughborough. He said: “Being a school governor is very rewarding. It would be excellent to see more people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds become school governors – making a contribution to education in their local area.”

Ivan Ould, Leicestershire County Council’s Cabinet Member for the Children and Young People’s Service, said: “We would like to encourage more black and minority ethnic people to become school governors.

"It is important to have diversity across Leicestershire schools and the county council provides excellent support for governors.”

Although Leicestershire County Council recognises there is a shortage of governors from black and minority ethnic groups, anyone interested in becoming a school governor from any background can contact the county council to find out more information.

For more details, visit the county council’s website at: www.leics.gov.uk/governors or call 0116 305 6517.