Minutes guidance
Minutes are a legal record of matters discussed at meetings of
the governing body. More importantly, minutes are also a record of
decisions taken at governing body meetings and may be used as
evidence of those decisions in a case of legal dispute and are
required as part of Ofsted inspections. Decisions of the governing
body can be legally challenged if evidence is shown that a meeting
was not conducted in accordance with Regulations.
Recording minutes
Minutes should record:
- Attendance of governors at meetings, and apologies accepted or
otherwise
- Any updates on pecuniary interests of agenda items
- Main points of discussions
- All decisions accurately and objectively
- Person responsible for any agreed action
- Confidential items, if any, noted (in a separate document not
for publication)
- Date and time of next meeting
Remember:
Minutes are not meant to be a lengthy written record of
everything everyone said at the meeting but should be sufficiently
detailed to provide a clear and accurate account of the
proceedings.
Minutes should contain, for each item of business, the
following:
- What was decided.
- Who is going to do it (if applicable)
- When they are going to do it (if applicable)
If the Clerk is unsure what was decided about any item, he/she
should confirm with the governors what they actually want minuted
at the time and should not wait until after the meeting. Governors
would prefer clarity at the meeting rather than spending time
debating the accuracy at the next one.
Further guidance for Clerks is available in the Clerks corner.
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