Final-year law student and national-award-winning poet, Ife Alabi, has been appointed to the governing board of Langley Park School for Girls (LPGS) at the age of 20.
The young governor was appointed to the non-selective girls’ comprehensive school board on October 8th, 2025. He previously attended the school’s sixth form between 2021 and 2023.
The law student’s appointment marks a historical achievement for young people in local governance.
Currently, 90% of school governors are aged 40 and over, according to recent data from the annual school and trust governance survey.
Announcing his appointment on LinkedIn, Alabi said: “Langley Park School for Girls gave me the foundation, confidence, and opportunities that continue to guide my journey, and now I have the chance to give back and help shape its future.”
Trust Careers Lead at LPGS commented: “I really could not be prouder of you, Ife Alabi! Having your fantastic young mind on our governing board will be such an asset.”
Alabi’s movement into a local governance role is the next step in his long history of leadership in education. During his time at LPGS, he served as Head Boy, Head Prefect, and Head of Student Body.
Additionally, the governor was formerly ranked as a top 150 Future Leader in the UK at 19-years-old.
What will he do in the role?
Speaking with Alabi, he plans to use the skills he developed at LPGS to ensure ‘decisions are made from a student perspective’.
He added: “I want to make sure that as a school governor, schools are setting up students in the best position so that even after sixth form and even after university they are still carrying the skills they learnt in sixth form into their adult life.”
The role of governors across the country centres around providing strategic direction and oversight in schools. Key responsibilities include creating long-term strategies and plans for school improvement.
According to the National Governance Association (NGA), there are currently over 230,000 governors and trustees volunteering across the country. This makes them one of the country’s biggest volunteer forces.
Additionally, Alabi plans to focus on implementing early-career programmes in the school. His goal is to ensure students gain the skills needed to succeed in the next stages of their lives.
He emphasised the importance of students’ time in education beyond academic achievements by adding: “I don’t want schools just to prioritise getting the best grades.
“Although that’s excellent, from my experience, getting the best grades is only half the story. It’s about making sure students understand where they want to go and gain the right skills and experience needed to get there.”
Why are young voices in local governance important?
Alabi further explained that having governors who are still in education enables boards to understand the nuances of student life better. He emphasised the importance of ‘having representation on the board to advocate for those voices’.
The Younger Governors Network (YGN) has reiterated this point, adding that ‘governing boards should reflect the community they serve’.
Founded by the NGA, the network has stressed the importance of bringing a ‘range of perspectives to discussions and decisions’. This is in addition to creating ‘role models for young people’.
Speaking to Ella Colley, head of content and publishing at the NGA, she said: “We know that representation for governing boards across the country and pretty much any metric you look at isn’t where we would like it to be, particularly in terms of ethnicity and age.”
She added that one of the key factors behind the lack of younger governors is concern over the sustainability and manageability of governor workloads. For those still in education, such as Ife, or those with young children, a volunteer role in governance can be difficult to balance.
To encourage an increase in the number of young governors, she explained that the NGA is working to encourage boards to adapt their recruitment practices and target individuals from outside of their own networks. This is in addition to encouraging greater transparency around the role’s workload and responsibilities.
Navigating governance as a young voice
The Warwick student explained how he plans to navigate the role as a younger person in a traditionally older space.
He said: “It’s a balance between making sure my voice is heard and reminding myself that I got selected and my perspective is valued.
“Just because I’m younger doesn’t necessarily negate what perspective I can bring to the board.”
This is not the only step Alabi plans to take into the world of local governance and politics. The law student hopes to step into politics as a councillor for the Bromley Constituency after his 4-year term ends.
Finally, Alabi made a call to action to other young people who have thought about pursuing local governance roles.
He said: “Representation matters and representation can only happen if we place ourselves in these roles, and I’m really happy I was selected as a school governor.
“I’m young, I’m black, and these things are very important, and I’m very happy I’m in this position so I can make sure I’m representing voices that have been underheard.”
Featured image credit: Pixabay
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