SCHOOL governors from across Hampshire have been rewarded for their outstanding service by Hampshire County Council.

Twenty-two governors have received the Don Allen Award, among them Maria Fordyce, a governor at St Mary’s Primary School in Bentworth, William (Bill) Wilde, of Chawton Primary School, and David Wright, of Sun Hill Infant School in Alresford.

Of the award recipients, 10 attended a special celebratory event hosted by Peter Edgar, the county council’s executive member for education, where he thanked them for their dedication to supporting schools.

Mr Edgar said: “School governors play a vital role in ensuring their schools give children a good education. I am delighted that Hampshire County Council is able to formally acknowledge and celebrate the valuable contribution that they make to the quality of children’s education in this county.

“We recognise that they are volunteers, giving up their time freely to meet the demands of this important role and we are immensely grateful for their commitment and hard work.”

The county council honours for outstanding service by governors were renamed the Don Allen Award in 2005 following the death of the former executive member for education, who first introduced the awards.

Hampshire has more than 450 governing bodies with about 7,000 governors, who play a crucial role in supporting and challenging schools.

Governors play an important role in supporting headteachers to ensure pupils receive the best possible education. Governors can become involved in a range of school matters, which can include recruitment, finance and curriculum. They also provide a strong link between the school and the community, and an independent view to support the school on long-term development and improvement.

Mr Edgar added: “Being a school governor can be a rewarding and fulfilling role. We always need more governors and I would urge anyone interested to get in touch.”

For more details, call governor services on 01962 845706.

n Hampshire County Council is holding an information event at St Mary’s Church on Goat Lane in Basingstoke on March 8, from 10am-6.30pm, for anyone interested in becoming a school governor, where they will get the opportunity to find out more about the role and talk informally with some school governors and governor services staff.