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School Governors: Frequently Asked Questions

How is a governing body made up?

Schools decide how many governors they want, between 9 and 20 in most cases, and this is put into their legal constitution.

There are different categories of governor:

Parent Governors: elected by parents of pupils at the school.
Staff Governors: elected by staff at the school.
LEA Governors: appointed by councillors from the Royal Borough.
Foundation Governors: usually appointed by the diocese (in Church schools only).
Community Governors: elected by other members of the governing body.
Head Teacher: automatic membership.

In some schools there are additional Co-opted Governors:

Sponsor Governors: nominated by the schools sponsor who is giving financial support to them.

In addition, schools may choose to appoint associate members to bring a particular expertise. They are not governors but may be members of committees and attend governing body meetings.

Please contact us on 01628 796960 or email governors@rbwm.gov.uk , or of course you could just call into the school and ask. If you are a parent or member of staff, the next time you get a nomination form why not fill it in and join the largest volunteer group in the country.