How governors are appointed
Your school's instrument of government will tell you the number and type of governors and how they are appointed. The process varies according to the category of governor.
Parent and staff governors are elected to the board.
Associate members are appointed by the governing board to serve (with voting rights) on one or more committees based on their expertise and experience. They may also attend full governing board meetings but do not have a vote.
Appointment regulations and considerations are further explained within Department for Education (DfE) guidance on governing board constitution (see Annex A) and governance structures and roles guidance.
Removing governors from the board
- We recommend that all governing boards set out expected standards of conduct and behaviour within a code of conduct.
- Removing a governor from the board should be a last resort. Our guide to effective teamwork provides suggestions on how to resolve issues at an early stage.
- Before removing a governor, the board should consider whether suspension is a more appropriate course of action – The School Governance (Roles, Procedures and Allowances) regulations set out grounds for suspension.
- We recommend that you seek local authority, HR and legal advice as appropriate.
- For guidance on when removal might be appropriate, refer to DfE guidance (page 24).
- Be aware that foundation governors can only be removed by their appointing body (who should be consulted at the earliest opportunity).
- LA governors can only be removed by the LA that appointed them.
Procedure for removal
The procedure for removing governors is included in DfE guidance (pg 24-25). In summary, it requires the board to:
- Include the removal as an agenda item at a governing board meeting.
- State the reasons for removal for inclusion in the minutes.
- Give the governor an opportunity to respond.
- Arrange a second meeting with the removal of the governor as an agenda item - the meeting should be no less than 14 days after the first meeting and allow a vote on the resolution.
Appeals
- Governing boards are expected to have an appeals process in place to enable any removed governor to test the reasonableness of the board's decision.
- An independent panel should conduct the appeal, which could include governors from another school and/or a suitable official from the local authority or a suitable diocesan representative.
- Any governor subject to removal should be provided with written details of the case against them ahead of any meeting, including details of how their case is being handled and the timeframes involved.