Election of governors
- Do parent governors have to resign when their
child leaves the school?
- Can parent governors be re-elected?
- What happens if no parents put themselves
forward for election?
- Do staff governors have to resign when they
leave the school?
- Can the headteacher vote in staff governor
elections?
- Is the headteacher a staff governor?
- Who appoints LEA Governors?
- What happens when a governor’s term of office
ends?
- Can an ex-officio governor be disqualified
due to non-attendance?
- Is there a checking process for new
governors?
1. Do parent governors have to resign when their child
leaves the school?
No. Parent governors can serve out their term of office if their
child leaves the school.
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2. Can parent governors be re-elected?
If a parent still has a child at the school he/she can stand for
re-election.
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3. What happens if no parents put themselves forward for
election?
Schools must make every reasonable effort to fill parent
governor vacancies through elections. Only if insufficient parents
stand for election can the governing body appoint in the following
order:
- A parent of a registered pupil at the school
- A parent of a former pupil at the school
- A parent of a child of or under compulsory school age
- This should ensure a vacancy does not remain on the governing
body.
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4. Do staff governors have to resign when they leave the
school?
A staff governor’s term of office ends when they cease to work
at the school. They can stand for appointment as a community
governor if they wish to continue on the governing body, if a
vacancy exists and the governing body agree to the appointment.
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5. Can the headteacher vote in staff governor
elections?
Under the new regulations which came into force in September
2003 all staff (teaching and non-teaching) have the right to vote
for any candidate standing for election (teaching or
non-teaching).
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6. Is the headteacher a staff governor?
The headteacher is a member of the governing body by virtue of
their office and counts as a member of the staff category. If the
headteacher decides not to be a governor they must inform the clerk
of that decision in writing. The headteacher’s place remains
reserved for them and cannot be taken by anyone else.
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7. Who appoints Authority Governors?
The Local Authority Appointments Panel appoints authority
governors. The Governor Support Service administers these
appointments. Persons interested in becoming an LEA governor can
obtain an application form from the Governor Support on 0151 443
3263 or governor.support@knowsley.gov.uk
or complete an governor application form (Word
73KB) .
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8. What happens when a governor’s term of office
ends?
At the end of a governor’s term of office arrangements should be
made to fill the vacancy. Governors may stand again for re-election
or re-appointment if they are still eligible. As good practice a
regular item could be placed on the full governing body agenda to
advise governors that elections and or appointments are forthcoming
and to put in place the required procedures.
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9. Can an ex-officio governor be disqualified due to
non-attendance?
No. A governor is ex-officio by virtue of being in a particular
post. In the school the headteacher is an ex-officio governor and
the vicar or priest of the school’s founding church usually has the
same status.
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10. Is there a checking process for new
governors?
A person is disqualified from being or becoming a governor
if they refuse a request by the clerk to the governing body to make
an application for a criminal records check. In Knowsley, new and
re-elected or re-appointed governors are asked to confirm that they
are not disqualified from being a governor by signing a declaration
form.
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