School Governors' Frequently Asked Questions

The most frequently asked questions about governors and the answers to these questions can be found on this page.

What is a Governing Body?

Every school has a Governing Body made up of various members of the community. There can be between 9 and 20 members (or more where a school has sponsor governors, or the Governing Body is for a federation of two or more schools). The Governing Body works closely with the Headteacher, who is responsible for the day to day management of the school. The Governing Body is responsible for strategic planning and holding the school to account. They work as a team to make sure the school provides a good quality education for all its pupils and they:

Help the school to set its strategic direction;
challenge and support the school as 'critical friends';
hold the school to account and provide an account of their own work to interested parties.

How are Governing Bodies made up / Who are the members?

Parents -every Governing Body will include parent governors, in community schools all of these will be elected by parents in the school (unless there are fewer interested parents than there are places), in Voluntary Aided schools a proportion of these parents will be foundation governors appointed by the church.
School Staff - These will be elected by the staff at the school. All Governing Bodies have positions for teachers and most have a position for support staff.
Headteachers are automatically entitled to be a member of the governing body but can choose if they wish to be a voting member or not.
Local Authority Governors – These governors are appointed by the Local Authority. The authority advertises for LA governors and seeks to appoint members of the community who are interested in education and committed to being fully participating school governors.
Community Governors – All Community School Governing Bodies have Community (previously known as Co-opted) Governors. These are appointed by the Governing Body .
Foundation Governors – Voluntary Aided and Controlled Schools have Foundation Governors from the Foundation that originally established the school. They are usually connected with the Church organisations. Some governors are appointed by the Diocesan Boards and some by various parish / parochial councils for the churches associated with the school. Trust schools also have foundation governors, appointed by the trust.
Partnership Governors – Foundation schools have partnership governors. A Partnership governor is appointed by the Governing Body from nominations sought from parents of registered pupils at the school and from others in the community they consider appropriate. An individual is disqualified from being a partnership governor if s/he is a parent of a registered pupil or pupil at the school, eligible to be a staff governor at the school, an elected member of the LA or employed by the LA in connection with its functions as a LA
Sponsor Governors – Schools can choose to have an organisation or individual which gives substantial help to the school, whether financial or in kind. Where the sponsor is an organisation the organisation will appoint the sponsor governor(s). Primary schools can have up to two sponsor governors and secondary schools up to four.
Associate members – Any school can choose to appoint associate members. An associate member is a person who is appointed by the Governing Body as a member of any committee established by them but who is not a Governor. Associate members can be given voting rights on the committee to which they are appointed (subject to certain restrictions) and are entitled to attend full Governing Body meetings.

Are Governors Paid?

No, all governors are volunteers and there is no payment for carrying out the role. Some governing bodies operate schemes to reimburse governors for necessary expenses.

I don’t know anything about education so what could I offer?

It is important that governors come from a wide range of backgrounds. The school staff and many of the parents will have a knowledge of education. Governors from other areas of work or experience bring a vital outside view and can make suggestions and ask questions which might not be thought of by people closely involved with the school. Although schools may occasionally be looking for a governor with specific outside experience, finance or personnel for example, personal qualities, such as enthusiasm, tact and the willingness to listen and to ask questions are far more important than specific knowledge or experience. Individual governors will have different beliefs, values, views and experience to contribute to the work of the whole governing body.

What do Governors Need to do to Carry out their Role?

Governors attend meetings of the full governing body three times a year (normally once a term). Most governing bodies have a number of committees or working groups and all governors are expected to join one or more of these. These usually meet once or twice a term. Governors need to be able to read the reports and papers circulated for these meetings and be prepared to ask questions about them. All new governors are strongly encouraged to attend the induction course for governors.

Are there any Reasons why Someone can’t become a Governor?

Almost anybody over 18 can serve as a governor but there are some understandable restrictions. No one can serve if they are barred from working with children or vulnerable adults, if they have severe mental illness such that they may be liable to be detained under the mental health act or if they are an un-discharged bankrupt. People with certain criminal convictions are ineligible depending on the nature of the offence and sentence and how long ago the offence took place:

not have been sentenced to 3 months or more in prison (without the option of a fine) in the 5 years before becoming a governor
not have received a prison sentence of 2.5 years or more in the 20 years before becoming a governor
not have at any time received a prison sentence of 5 years or more
not have been fined for causing a nuisance or disturbance on school premises during the 5 years prior to or since appointment or election as a governor
not be disqualified from working with children
Although full criminal records checks are not routinely required at the moment, any governor who refused to apply for one when asked to do so would be disqualified.

There are a few other restrictions which help protect the balance of interests on Governing Bodies. For example Local Councillors are eligible to be appointed as LA governors but not as Community governors. There is also a requirement that people who are paid to work in the school for more than 500 hours in a year will not be able to be appointed to any category other than staff governor in that school.

Why do Schools have Governors?

There have been school governors for at least 600 years although more recently they have been given more responsibilities and a higher public profile. They are part of a long tradition of involving lay people in policy making, as for example in local councils, or boards of health authorities and charities and they play an important part in local democracy and public accountability.

The Governing Body is responsible for setting the school budget and ensuring the money is being spent appropriately to obtain the best value possible. However accountability is wider than finances. What happens in schools affects not only children and their parents but also the whole community. It is important that schools’ ethos, aims, values, priorities and practices have the support of that wider community.

What are the Criteria for Authority (LA Appointed) Governors?

Information about Authority Governor Appointments can be found by following the link.

How can I Register to be a Governor?

To Register, please visit the New Governor Information page.

Is there a Training Programme?

There is a full training programme available to governors including induction training for new governors. Details of the current term's training programme are available by following the link. The Cheshire East Association of Governing Bodies holds a forum each term at which senior members of the Children’s Services Department are available. This is a good source of information for governors. There is also an annual conference for Cheshire East Governors. The arrangements for the next forum and conference can be found by following the link.