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What is the make up of a governing body?

There are several different types of school governor.

Parent governors

Parent governors are elected, by the parents of pupils attending the school.  Parent governors are able to continue in their role as a governor, until the end of their term of office, even if their child is no longer a pupil at the school.

Teacher governors

Teacher governors are employed to work at the school and elected by the teachers within the school.

Staff governors

Staff governors are staff employed at the school other than in a teaching capacity and elected from amongst the non-teaching staff at the school.

Local authority (LEA) governors

These governors are appointed by the elected members of the council.  LA governors can be elected county councillors or applicants appointed by them.

Community governors

These governors are appointed by the governing body.  Community governors usually live or work in the community of the school area and bring their own particular expertise to the governing body.

Additional community governors

Where a community is served by a community council, the community council can nominate a representative to sit on the governing body.

Foundation governors

These governors are appointed for voluntary aided (church) governing bodies to represent the interest of the church authority which set up the school.  They have responsibility to ensure the beliefs of their church are represented.

Headteacher governor

By virtue of their appointment a headteacher is a voting member of the governing body of their school unless they choose not to be a governor. Headteachers attend all meetings of the full governing body.

Clerk to governors

The clerk is not a member of the governing body but has an important role to play in ensuring that the governing body runs efficiently.  They are responsible for the administration of the governing body; they convene meetings, take the minutes etc.  In many governing bodies they also provide procedural advice to governors.  The clerk to governors is not a governor and has no voting rights.

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