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Supporting Trust and Foundation Schools
Keywords Key documents

The governing body

Every maintained school has a governing body which is responsible and accountable for all major decisions about the school and its future. Governors have a legal responsibility to conduct the school with a view to promoting high standards of educational achievement. Governors:

  • Set the school’s vision and strategic aims
  • Monitor and evaluate performance
  • Approve the school’s budget
  • Ensure the school is accountable to those it serves
  • Appoint the headteacher
  • Act as a critical friend by providing support and challenge

In a trust school the governing body remains responsible for all aspects of the conduct of the school. It is a separate entity from the trust.

Governors in a trust school

The governing body for a trust school must be a minimum of 11 people and include the following:

  • An elected parent
  • A total of two staff
  • A local authority representative
  • A community representative and six governors appointed by the trust (including three parents)

On setting up the trust, a school can decide if they want to appoint the minority or majority of governors. A third of governors must be parents.