It is widely recognised that an effective clerk is an invaluable resource for a governing body. The NGA believes that all governing bodies should employ a skilled clerk. In recognition of the importance of the clerk to a governing body the NGA developed the biennial Outstanding Clerk of the Year Award.
All governing bodies must have a clerk and there are certain duties which clerks are required by law to carry out, but a skilled clerk can contribute significantly to a governing bodies effectiveness. Governing bodies need to recognise that a professional clerk is a valuable asset and should be remunerated accordingly.
It is the NGA’s view that it is bad practice for a governing body to appoint a clerk who does not provide at least a Level 2 service. The Level 2 Service includes:
- Convening meetings
- Taking and distributing termly governing body meeting minutes
- Maintaining attendance records
- Offering procedural advice and guidance during and between meetings
- Taking follow up action as required.
Governing bodies can employ a clerk directly, or where such a service exists subscribe to the local authority’s clerking service. In describing the position of the clerk, Clerking Matters said:
“... a clerk’s first loyalty must be to the whole governing body- not the LEA, not the diocese, not the headteacher, not the chair. The clerk should be the constitutional conscience of the governing body.”
The NGA supports this view and for this reason we do not believe it is good practice for the clerk to the governing body to be employed in the school in another capacity, e.g. school secretary. Such a dual role can lead to blurred reporting structures and an inherent conflict of interest.
To ensure that a governing body gets the right clerk for the job it needs to be clear about what it wants the clerk to do and develop a job description that details the duties and responsibilities – a model job description based on the Level 2 service accompanies this policy statement.
The appointment should not be the end of the process; the NGA believes that governing bodies should continue to support their clerk by ensuring that s/he has access to appropriate training and is encouraged to attend. Local authorities should be required to provide access to appropriate training for clerks.
A model job description can be downloaded here