Q: Please can you clarify which link governors/trustees boards should have as a minimum?
A: There are specific requirements when it comes to the areas of SEND, safeguarding and careers. Further details are provided below, including how these requirements apply to multi academy trusts (MATs).
Safeguarding Governor
The statutory guidance, Keeping Children Safe in Education, sets out the expectation on boards in relation to the monitoring of safeguarding arrangements:
61. Governing bodies and proprietors should have a senior board level (or equivalent) lead to take leadership responsibility for their school’s or college’s safeguarding arrangements.
In the case of a MAT, this would mean an individual on the board of trustees. However, it is also important that academy committees (also referred to as local governing bodies) maintain oversight of safeguarding at a local level, and that this is regularly fed back to the trust board as part of its trust-wide oversight. Although not a statutory requirement, this process could include local safeguarding governors in addition to the senior board level lead, though it would be at the trust board’s discretion and would need to be recorded in the relevant scheme of delegation and terms of reference.
SEND Governor
In relation to SEND, the expectation is outlined in paragraph 6.3 of the SEND Code of Practice:
6.3 There should be a member of the governing body or a sub-committee with specific oversight of the school’s arrangements for SEN and disability.
Although the guidance is not explicit on whether, in the context of a MAT, the SEND governor should be a MAT trustee or local governor, it is sensible for the named board member with specific oversight of the school’s arrangements for SEND to be a trustee, with the option for further SEND governors at local level. Again, this would be at the discretion of the trust board.
Careers Governor
Following the introduction of statutory guidance for careers in 2018, the recommendation that governing boards of secondary schools should have a careers governor is outlined on page 68 of the Governance Handbook:
50. All boards have a crucial role to play in connecting their school with the wider community of business and other professional people in order to enhance the education and career aspirations of pupils. Boards are encouraged to have a nominated individual who takes a strategic interest in careers education and guidance and encourages employer engagement, which may in turn potentially lead to employers providing new, skilled individuals to serve on the board. Boards should engage with their Careers & Enterprise Company Enterprise Adviser (where appointed), who can help the school to develop its careers programme and to broker relationships between employers and the school.
Therefore, while not a legal requirement, secondary schools should endeavour to have a board-level lead on careers. Furthermore, as the guidance refers to ‘every school’, academy committees may wish to consider having their own careers lead, depending on what is delegated to local level.
Other link governors
Beyond the above roles, boards may want to consider assigning governors/trustees to improvement areas. This is an effective way of holding school leaders to account when it comes to delivering on various aspects of your school development plan. Alternatively, some boards prefer an approach of having subject or year link roles to help enable boards to understand in greater depth how the school operates in specific areas.
It is important to note, however, that appointing a ‘named’ or ‘link’ governor does not absolve the governing board of its responsibilities for any of the above areas. The governing board should therefore ensure that these areas are covered at full governing board meetings, and that all members of the board have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school in relation to these matters.