Information about the Governor Website
The Governornet website is strongly recommended to all governors who have access to the Internet, as a way of keeping up to date with the latest news, policies and consultations published by the DCSF which are of interest to school governors.
The Topic Areas cover
- Roles and Responsibilities of Governors
- Training
- Pupils, Parents and Curriculum
- Staffing and Personnel
- School Finance and Property.
In addition, there are pages on recent DCSF publications, news and press releases, consultations, and links to related websites. There is also a discussion board on which any governor can post questions and suggest answers to others’ questions.
In the “Roles and Responsibilities” section, current documents include:
A Guide to the Law for School Governors: News of the new editions of this vital guide for all governors, which is being revised to incorporate the new regulations stemming from the 2002 Education Act. It was re-issued in July 2003.
Re-constitution of Governing Bodies: The new Regulations which came into effect in January 2003, and require all governing bodies to re-constitute themselves by September 2006, are introduced here, with a direct link to them. N.B. Full guidance on what these regulations mean for every governing body, in less legalistic and more everyday language, was issued by the DfES during May 2003.
Categories of School Governor: A useful two-page guide to the various types of governor and how each is appointed.
Committees of the Governing Body: a definitive 6-page guide to the scope for delegating decision making to committees, the range of committees which may be set up – some of which are a statutory requirement ,- and the function and conduct of committees
Clerk to the Governing Body: Information on the role, status, appointment and training of governing body clerks, emphasising that clerks are appointed by the governing body and are accountable to them, even if they also work in the school in another capacity (as is permissible). No governor may be the clerk to his/her governing body, except in an emergency if the clerk cannot attend a meeting.