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Governor and Non Governor categories and how to recruit

Governor promotion and succession planning

The most effective governing bodies are constantly promoting governance and are aware of the need for succession planning. The NGA have put together guidance "The right people around the table"  which you can access here. (pdf, 541kb)  If you need further support with Governor Recruitment please email Governor Services.

Governor categories and recruitment tips 

Co-opted Governors

Co-opted governors are appointed by the governing body to represent community interests. They can be people who live locally or other people who are committed to the 'good governance and success of the school'. Elected members of the Local Authority and people who are employees of the school are not eligible to be co-opted governors. For those schools that are trying to fill vacancies, Southwark Governor Services encourage  schools to register directly with Governors for Schools’  free service. In doing so, schools will have direct access to the prospective governors that are currently seeking positions as well as being able to utilise the specialist services that Governors for Schools have to offer. This will make is easier for schools to match candidates based on skills gaps that have been identified.
 

What can your board do?
-Register any vacancies with Governors for schools – they will match candidates based on any skills gaps.  
-Ensure that your governing board has completed an up-to-date skills analysis to ensure you know what skills you need on your board.
-Consider if the membership of your board reflects your school community. A session on How to Diversify your board will be held in March – you can book a slot here

Local Authority Governors

The Constitution (England) Regulations 2012 state that "the governing body of a maintained school must include one local authority governor.”

The Local Authority (LA) has a duty to nominate local authority governors, while the formal decision to appoint rests with the Governing Board.

An LA governor is someone suitably appointed with LA approval, but their role is not to represent the LA in any way. When making the appointment the governing body must consider whether the candidate has the required skills. The governing body can set any eligibility criteria they wish.

Please see here for more details. 

Parent Governors

Parent governors are elected by the parent body. Anyone whose child is attending the school can stand for election as a parent governor. They are elected by other parents (or elected unopposed if there is only one volunteer). You cannot be a parent governor if you work for the school for more than 500 hours “in any 12 consecutive months” or you are an elected member of the local authority. For guidance on Parent Governor Elections please see here. LA - Parent Governor Election Procedure - August 2023 (docx, 49kb)

Parent Elections – Can they be held virtually?

You can use online voting systems for your election, but this can't be the only option. This is because:

Multi-academy trusts (MATs): the model articles of association don't mention that you should include the option to vote by post, but do so as best practice. Again, double-check your own articles in case they cover this.

If you need any guidance on holding a virtual electionm do get in touch with Governor services. 

Staff Governors

One staff governor place is reserved for the Headteacher; the remaining vacancies are filled by staff elected by the staff body.

Anyone who is employed by a maintained school is eligible to be the staff governor in that school. They can be employed by the school directly or by the local authority but they must work at the school they wish to govern.
In academies the government strongly recommends that the headteacher is the only employee serving as a trustee, but staff members can sit on committees such as local governing bodies.
For guidance on Staff Governor Elections please see here. LA - Staff Governor Election Procedure - August 2023 (docx, 33kb)

Foundation Governors

Foundation governors are appointed in Voluntary Aided (VA) or Voluntary Controlled (VC) Schools. These governors represent the interests of the Church Authority or voluntary trust or organisation associated with the school. These governors are appointed by the relevant trust, Parish Council or Diocese, this should be set out in the relevant Instrument of Government.

Associate members

Associate members are not Governors; therefore they can't be elected as chair or vice-chair of the governing board. They can attend full governing board meetings, but don't have voting rights. They can be appointed to serve on committees to 'contribute specifically on issues related to their area of expertise'. Boards can appoint associate members to fill any gaps with a view to appointing associate members to governor vacancies when they occur.

The rules relating to Associate Members in maintained schools can be found here.

Key points about the appointment of Associate Members are:·

  • An associate member is not a governor and is not recorded in the instrument of government
  • They do not form part of the quorum for full governing board (FGB) meetings  but can attend. They do not have a vote at FGB meetings
  • They can be appointed to committees and can vote in committee meetings, if they have been granted voting rights. They can be chair of a committee (not chair or vice chair of Full board)
  • They can be excluded from any part of a meeting where the business being considered concerns a member of school staff or an individual pupil
  • Associate members can't be link governors and shouldn't make school visits. This is because they aren't governors and monitoring isn't part of their role. Their purpose is to lend their expertise to the board through meetings.
  • No Enhanced DBS checks or section 128 check is required unless in regulated activity;
  • They must declare any business or financial interests ·
  • They must confirm that Keeping Children Safe in Education has been read and understood