The governors handbook

The DfE have published a new Governors’ handbook which makes a number of important changes to the September 2014 edition. The DfE have summarised these on page 128.

In relation to governance, the new handbook builds on the dual themes of increased professionalism of governing bodies and regulation of governor conduct. A new section has been added on ‘attracting the right people’ (section 1.8.2) and an interesting and potentially controversial link has been drawn between local authority/foundation/parent/staff governors and conflicts of interest (1.7). Governing bodies of academies and schools are also required to provide greater transparency by ensuring that the register of governor interests includes details of any relationships between school staff and members of the governing body.

In addition, the handbook includes important new guidance on local authority governor appointments (2.1), cultural education (3.1.4), sex education (3.1.5), SEN (3.5.1) and employment checks (5.2.2). Guidance on admissions has also been updated to reflect the revised School Admissions Code issued in December (6.5).

Governors handbook - January 2015