A recruitment campaign is being launched for people willing to give up some of their time to become school governors.

A tenth of the posts available in the city of York are vacant, and the local authority wants to fill them and build up a pool of volunteers.

Its campaign ties in with a national effort to get more people involved in the running of their local schools.

By the end of this month, advertisements will start appearing across the city urging people to play their part.

York's figures compare well with other authorities across the country. However, the local education department's head of management, Craig Shaw, said it was still important to fill vacancies.

School governors do not need formal qualifications or particular skills, but do need an open mind, an interest in education, and a willingness to learn.

"For parents, it is a way of getting involved with their children's education," said Mr Shaw.

"For others, it is a way of putting something back into education. It's a very enjoyable thing to do."

Governors can be parents, teachers, other school staff, or just peope interested in contributing something to their local school. Often they are newly-retired people used to busy lives.

Others can be asked to join if they have certain skills to offer, such as a background in health and safety issues or finance.

Typically, a governor has to attend two large meetings each term, as well as perhaps two meetings of smaller groups, looking at detailed issues.

"Governors take a strategic overview of what happens in school, while the headteachers are the managers," said Mr Shaw.

Anyone interested should contact governance administrator Sue Pagliaro on (01904) 554258