Too many school governors are either insufficiently qualified or unrepresentative of their school communities to do an effective job, according to headteachers and education officers.

Governing bodies, which include parents, teachers and co-opted members, are responsible for setting the school's aims and policies, raising standards, planning for the future, setting budgets and appointing the headteacher.

But according to Oxfordshire County Council, 45 per cent of governors in the county have not undertaken basic induction training, and only 2.3 per cent came from ethnic minorities, compared to 8.1 per cent of pupils.

The county has a vacancy rate of 11 per cent, and the council is so concerned at the shortage that it has launched a recruitment drive -- particularly aimed at people from ethnic minorities. The campaign began in Banbury and will be extended across the rest of the county.

Although there is a wealth of courses available to governors, there is no statutory requirement for them to be trained.

Carole Thomson, vice-chairman of governors at The Cooper School, in Bicester, said: "It's important to have training, because it helps them get into the job quicker and be more effective.

"But if the training isn't at times or locations that are possible for governors to go to, then they won't do it."

Local education authority managers have admitted the proportion of governors having training should be higher. Claudia Wade, chairman of the National Group of Governors' Services, and governors services officer at Oxfordshire County Council, said: "My view is that if people are taking on a new role with significant responsibilities, they should understand what they are and how they can be more effective.

"I'd like to see 100 per cent of governors have induction training."

She added: "Ethnic minorities are under-represented and we're trying hard to improve that. It's important that people from ethnic minorities become role models within the community and bring their perspective to the governance of schools."

None of the 19 governors at Cheney School, in Headington, Oxford, come from ethnic minorities, despite the fact the school's catchment area includes a wide mix of ethnic groups.

Head Alan Lane said: "There's a concern that ethnic minorities and certain social groups, where parents are not from professional backgrounds and don't feel at home dealing with the paperwork of governing bodies, are not well represented.

"Governors feel that although they are committed and hard-working, they are not a cross section of parents, so they're well-aware they can't assume that their views and interests are representative of all parents."

Most schools, and particularly primary schools where there are to be fewer pupils, often struggle to recruit governors.

Mr Lane said: "It is hard to recruit governors, particularly for primary schools. We haven't had a contested election for two years. Selection depends on who volunteers.

"It's difficult to persuade people to put in the time because governors have considerable responsibilities these days."