CONSTITUTION OF GOVERNING BODIES
All governing bodies of community schools have to adopt a new model for their size and membership by 31st August, 2006. The size ranges from a minimum of nine to a maximum of twenty. There are four compulsory groups of governors.
Parent Governors
Parents (including carers) of registered pupils at school are eligible to stand for election for parent governorship. They are elected by other parents. A person is disqualified from election as a parent governor if they are an elected members of the Local Authority (L.A.), or if they work at school for more than 500 hours in a school year.
Staff Governors
Both teaching and support staff paid to work at school are eligible for staff governorship. Staff Governors are elected by the school staff. Any election that is contested must be held by ballot. At least one staff governor should be a teacher but if no teacher stands, a member of the support staff can be elected. If a governing body has three or more staff governor places, at least one must be a member of the support staff. The headteaacher is a member of the governing body by virtue of office.
Local Education (LEA) Governors
Local Education governors are appointed by the Local Authority. A person is disqualified from such an appointment if they are eligible to be a staff governor.
Community Governors
Community Governors are appointed by the governing body to represent community interests. They can be persons who live or work in the community served by the school or persons who are committed to the good governance and success of the school.
This table shows the proportion of places that should be allocated:
Parent |
At least one third. |
Staff |
At least two but no more than one third, including the headteacher. |
LEA |
One fifth. |
Community |
At least one fifth. |
The maximum term of office for all categories is four years and must not be shorter than one year. Any governor may, at any time, resign by giving written notice to the clerk.
What it means to be a Governor - click here
Back to top |