The Oxfordshire Governors’ Association aims to further the education of pupils in Oxfordshire schools and to promote cooperation.

OGA was established in 1995 to provide county wide representation for school governors and to affiliate to the national representative organisation which, through amalgamation, has become the National Governors’ Association (NGA), which enables the representation of governors’ views at national level. A voice for governors and directors of state funded schools is important in view of the considerable responsibilities they bear. OGA continues to hold Local Association membership of NGA, but also actively encourages governing bodies to hold NGA membership in their own right in order to give everyone concerned, including clerks, access to NGA’s information and guidance documents. 

All members of governing boards of state funded schools (i.e. including academies and free schools) in the county are members of the Association. The officers and the executive committee are elected at the Annual General Meeting. The executive committee has representatives from across the county and across different types of school. Over recent years it has mainly been comprised of experienced governors from different kinds of schools who bring with them a wide range of expertise and knowledge of governance, though we welcome all new members willing to work for the benefit of the community of schools.

Aims

The Association aims to further the education of the children in Oxfordshire schools and to promote co-operation between schools. OGA is a non-party political and non-sectarian forum for the exchange of information relating to the needs and interests of the county’s schools. It endeavours to ascertain and represent the views and opinions of the broad body of school governors, to bring to the notice of the authorities concerned, the needs and interests of our schools, and to press for action where it is required.

It acts as a consultative body on behalf of Oxfordshire governors and is represented on the County Council’s Education Scrutiny Committee, the School Organisation Stakeholder’s Group, the Workforce Advisory Group and the Strategic School Partnership Board and, currently, the Schools Forum. Members of the OGA committee also meet regularly with the Director of Children, Education & Families, LA officers and Councillors.

Events and meetings are organised by OGA in support of governors’ needs, usually three times a year, independent of training provided through Governor Services.