Types of Governor

Types of Governor

Governance boards of maintained schools and academies are made up from various types of governors. Some are elected posts and for others the appointment is made by the board.

Co-opted Governors

Co-opted governors are appointed by the Governance Board They are people who in the opinion of the governing body have the skills required to contribute to the effective governance and success of the school.

The number of co-opted governors eligible to be elected or appointed as staff governors must not, when counted with the one staff governor and the headteacher, exceed one-third of the total membership of the Governance Board.

Parent Governors

Parent governors are elected by other parents at the school. Any parent, or carer, of a registered pupil at the school at the time of election is eligible to stand for election as a parent governor. Parent governors may continue to hold office until the end of their term of office even if their child leaves the school.

Schools must make every reasonable effort to fill parent governor vacancies through elections. However, the Regulations make provision for the governing body to appoint parent governors where not enough parents stand for election. Governing bodies may only appoint as a parent governor a parent who has, in their opinion, the skills to contribute to effective governance and the success of the school.

A person is disqualified from being a parent governor if they are an elected member of the Local Authority or paid to work at the school for more than 500 hours.

Find out more on Parent Governors and how to apply. 

Foundation Governors

Foundation governors (at voluntary aided, voluntary controlled and some foundation and foundation special schools only) are usually appointed by the school's founding body, church or other organisation named in the school's instrument of government. Some are governors as a result of being the local priest. These are ex-officio governorships which must be specified on the instrument of government.

All foundation governors are appointed to secure compliance with the trust deed and preserve and develop the religious character of the school, if it has a religious character.

Partnership Governors

Partnership governors are found only at foundation and foundation special schools which do not have a foundation of trustees.

These are former county grant-maintained and grant-maintained special schools. Partnership governors must be members of the community served by the school who are committed to the good government and success of the school.

The governing body is responsible for seeking nominations for partnership governors, and for appointing them. Parents of pupils currently at the school, people employed to work at the school, or elected members or local authority employees connected with education cannot be appointed as partnership governors.

Local Authority Governors

Local authority governors are nominated by the local authority but appointed by the governing body. The local authority can nominate any person who is eligible to be a local authority governor, but it is for the governing body to decide whether their nominee has the skills required to contribute to the effective governance and success of the school and meets any other eligibility criteria they have set. In practice, the nomination is made by the local Hampshire County Council councillor.

An individual eligible to be a staff governor at the school may not be appointed as a local authority governor.

Maintained schools have one local authority governor.