School governing bodies consist of appointed, elected and co-opted governors. Headteachers may choose whether or not to be a governor. The school's instrument of government sets out how the governing body is made up (with the exception of associate members).
The term of office for all categories of governor is four years, but the governing body can decide to set a shorter term of office for one or more categories of governor. This does not apply to the headteacher (or to any additional governors appointed by the LEA or the Secretary of State).
Below is a brief description of the types of governor that serve on governing bodies.
Associate Member
Governing bodies can benefit from being able to draw on expertise and experience from outside their formal membership. Given the title of associate members, they can include pupils, school staff and people who want to contribute specifically on issues related to their particular area of expertise, for instance finance. The governing body can appoint associate members to serve on one or more governing body committees and attend full governing body meetings.
Community Governor
The category of co-opted governor is replaced by that of community governor under the 2003 Regulations. Community governors are appointed by the governing body to represent community interests. They may live or work in the community served by the school but, even if they do not, the governing body will wish to ensure that they are committed to the good governance and success of the school. Registered pupils at the school, anyone eligible to be a staff governor or an elected member of the Local Authority cannot be appointed as community governors.
The number of community governors depends on the Instrument of Governance and the category of school:
Community schools - at least one-fifth.
Foundation and Voluntary Controlled schools - at least one-tenth.
Voluntary Aided schools - none
Foundation/Partnership Governor
A foundation governor is a someone appointed by the school's founding body, church or other organisation named in the school's Instrument of Government or who holds the governorship ex officio, as the holder of an office specified in the Instrument of Government. If the school has a religious character, they must preserve and develop this. They must also secure compliance with the trust deed (if any).
At foundation and foundation special schools that do not have a foundation or trustees, foundation governors are replaced by partnership governors. These must be members of the community served by the school who are committed to the good government and success of the school. Governing bodies are responsible for appointing partnership governors and must inform parents of pupils at the school that they may make nominations. Parents of pupils currently at the school, people employed to work at the school, and elected members or employees of the maintaining authority may not be appointed as partnership governors.
The number of foundation or partnership governors depends on the Instrument of Government and the category of school:
Foundation and Voluntary Controlled schools - at least two but no more than one quarter.
Voluntary Aided schools - foundation governors must outnumber the other governors by two and at least a fifth must be eligible for election or appointment as parent governors
Community schools - none
LEA Governor
This is a person appointed by the LEA/Local Authority. People eligible to be a staff governor of the school are not eligible for appointment as a LEA governor.
The number of LEA governors depends on the Instrument of Government and the category of school:
Community schools - one-fifth of governors
Foundation and Voluntary Controlled schools - at least one, but no more than one-fifth of all governors
Voluntary Aided schools - at least one but no more than one-tenth
Parent Governor
Parents, including carers, of registered pupils at the school are eligible to stand for election for parent governorship at the school. Parent governors are elected by other parents at the school. If insufficient parents stand for election, the governing body can seek to appoint parent governors, preferably (but not necessarily) parents of their pupils. Elected members of the LEA or people who work at the school for more than 500 hours (one-third of the hours of a full-time equivalent) in a school year at the time of election or appointment are disqualified from election or appointment as parent governors of a school.
The number of parent governors depends on the Instrument of Government and the category of school:
Voluntary Aided schools - at least one, but enough to make up at least one third of the membership of the governing body when counted with foundation governors who are also eligible for election or appointment as parent governors.
Other schools - at least one third of all governors
Sponsor Governor
The governing body can, but is not obliged to, appoint people as sponsor governors who give substantial assistance to a school, financially or in kind, or who provide services to the school.
The number of sponsor governors that may be appointed:
All types of school - a maximum of two.
Staff Governor
Both teaching and support staff paid to work at the school are eligible for staff governorship. Staff governors are elected by the school staff and must be paid to work at the school. Any election which is contested must be held by ballot. Unpaid (volunteer) staff are not eligible to stand as staff governors.
The number of staff governors depends on the Instrument of Government:
There must be at least two (including the headteacher) but no more than one-third of all governors. The headteacher is a governor unless s/he chooses not to be, in which case their position is held in reserve and cannot be filled by another member of staff.
Where there are two staff governor positions, the second must be filled by a teacher unless no teachers stand for election in which case a member of the support staff may be elected.
Where there are three staff governor positions, the third must be filled by a member of the support staff unless nobody stands for election in which case it may be filled by a teacher.