School Governance Unit: Document Bank

Additional Governors
Additional Governors are experienced governors who have been nominated by the LA to a special ‘pool’.  They are then deployed to assist governing bodies in difficult circumstances.
Link to KCC information pack 2005

Amalgamations Guidance

• Amalgamation Information Booklet
  A helpful information booklet for governors on the amalgamation process
• Amalgamation Action Plan
  An Action Plan template 
• Discontinuance of a Governing Body - Checklist

 Building Schools for the Future and Acadamies Programme

Link to KentTrustWeb Building Schools for the Future section

Code of Practice
The following draft code should be amended where appropriate to reflect the situation in each school but should broadly be applicable for all schools. In Church schools, relevant reference to the Diocesan Board should be made. It is recommended that governors sign an individual copy of the code as part of the induction process.
Code of Practice for Governors (2007)

Collaborations Guidance
Collaboration information for Governing Bodies

Community Cohesion
The Education and Inspections Act 2006 introduced a duty on all maintained schools in England to promote community cohesion and on Ofsted to report on the contributions made in this area.  The duty on schools comes into effect from September 1st 2007 and the duty on Ofsted will commence in September 2008.

• An overview of the duty
• DCSF guidance on the duty to promote community cohesion
• Case studies on Teachernet website

Community Governor Appointment
Advice on Procedure for appointments of Community Governors
This document may be used as a paper to support the development of a process for the appointment of a Community/ Partnership Governor.  

Complaints Procedure
Model Complaints Procedure  

Decision Planner
Governing Body Decision Planner
This decision planner is a useful guide to assist you in deciding which responsibilities are to be delegated to a committee or an individual on the governing body. It is provided by GovernorNet.

Discontinuance of Governing Body
Discontinuance Checklist
When a governing body comes to an end (amalgamation, federation, academy or school closure), the attached procedure should be used to dissolve the governing body. 

Federations Guidance
Information Pack on forming a Hard Federation

Financial Management Standards in Schools (FMSiS)
Below are two documents for information and guidance to Clerks and Governors in decision making and evidence towards achieving the FMSiS standard.

• FMSiS Finance Annual Year Planner
• FMSiS Governors Minutes  

Foundation Status
LGPS Resolution for Schools going to Foundation Status

Governors Allowance Guidance
This link was published by the National Governors Association with the policy on page 10.
Governors Allowance Guidance

Link to Policy A-Z: Governors Allowance (Schemes for Paying)

Governor Visits: Guidance and Forms

Developing and Operating an Effective Governor Visits Policy

GovernorMail

• Letter sent to Clerks to create database May 2007
• Letter sent to Governors May 2007

Guide to the Law for School Governors

All school governors need to know what thier legal responsibilities are and how these fit in with the responsibilities of  the headteacher, the local authority and the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families. This Guide sets out the statutory requirements relating to governing body responsibilities. The explanatory text should be read alongside the Law and Guidance section listed at the end of each chapter, and any information on governance provided by the local authority.

 GovernorNet - Guide to the Law for School Governors

Local Authority Governor Nomination Form

• LA Governor Nomination Form
• Guidelines for the appointment of LA Governors

Please note that governing bodies must inform the LA, through the School Governance Unit, of LA governors' resignations as these vacancies have to be advertised before the governing body can put forward their own nomination.

New Structures for School Governance

• Reviewing the Structure of the Governing Body
• The Pyramid (including terms of reference)
• The Circle  (including terms of reference)
• 2 Teams  (including terms of reference)

 Policies will be found in our Policy A-Z section

Skills Audit
These documents may be used to help the governing body to identify any skills gaps when considering appointing new governors.

• Governing Body Skills Audit Example A or
• Governing Body Skills Audit Example B  

Trust Schools
The attached documents may be helpful to governing bodies considering aquiring a 'trust'.

• Trust Schools Toolkit
• Trust Schools - a quick guide to governance

Guidance on the Uniform Policy
Guidance on Uniform Policy