Clerks to School Governors

The Clerk is the official channel of communication to and from the Governing Body.

The Clerk will:

notify the Governance Service to convene meetings
take Governing Body meeting Minutes
maintain attendance records
offer procedural advice and guidance during and between meetings
follow up action as required
ensure that meeting Minutes and agendas are provided to the Governance Service for distribution
ensure that all members of the Governing Body are properly informed and are able to play a full part in the work of the Governing Body
notify the Governance Service as soon as possible when Governors are appointed, resign or change address.

Governing Body meetings

Governing Bodies of all schools have to meet as a full board of Governors, by law, at least three times a year (usually once a term).

Meetings are held to guide strategy, review the performance of the school, consider and discuss any problems, make decisions and fulfil the statutory obligations of the Governing Body.

Before the meeting

The agenda and supporting papers for the meeting will be sent to you at least seven days before the meeting by the Governance Service.

Each term a Clerks' briefing will be held by the Governance Service which will go through those items that are common on all Governing Body agendas for that term. This will provide you with an opportunity to clarify any issues that you are not clear about.

It is important that the Clerk has fully read the papers prior to the meeting.

Before attending the meeting the Clerk will be provided with all documentation from the Governance Service.

During and after the meeting

The Clerk should:

arrive promptly to ensure the room is laid out appropriately
make contact with the Chair or, if the Chair is absent, arrange for the Vice-Chair to lead the meeting. If both the Chair and Vice-Chair are absent, then the Governing Body must elect another Chair for the meeting
ensure that the meeting is quorate
record the names of all those present, including any non-Governors or observers
record any apologies provided and whether the apologies were accepted by the Governing Body
ensure the Minutes of the previous meeting are checked for accuracy and signed off by the Chair following approval
record any pecuniary or business interests declared at the meeting
record discussions, decisions and votes taken on each agenda item
provide advice and guidance in relation to procedural issues, precedents and previous decisions as necessary
ensure a date is agreed for the next meeting and that this is communicated to any Governors who were not present at the meeting
complete any relevant information on the ‘Gold Sheet’ and return this to the Governance Service as soon as possible
complete an action sheet to provide Governors with any actions identified at the meeting

If a Governor fails to attend a full Governing Body meeting, without the consent of the Governing Body, for a period of six months starting with the date of the meeting first missed, they can be removed from office by reason of non-attendance.