True or False? Have a go yourself – then try it out on other members of the Governing Body …
1. It is possible to vary the composition of a Governing Body.
2. Failure to attend meetings for six months from the date of first meeting missed, means automatic disqualification.
3. The chair and vice chair must be elected annually.
4. A Governing Body doesn’t have to have any committees unless it chooses.
5. The clerk must be a member of the Governing Body.
6. Nominations for parent governors must be approved by the headteacher before election.
7. Part-time teachers may not be elected to serve on the Governing Body.
8. All governors serve a four-year term in office.
9. The LA can remove its representatives from a Governing Body.
10. Elected parent and staff governors can be removed from the Governing Body by the headteacher.
11. The headteacher must be a member of the Governing Body.
12. A meeting of the Governing Body may only be called by the clerk.
13. Governors should be informed of meetings at least seven days before they occur.
14. The frequency of governors’ meetings is not fixed.
15. Any governor may put forward an item for the agenda.
16. The headteacher has a right to attend all governors’ meetings.
17. Any governor may be elected to chair the Governing Body.
18. All members of the Governing Body have equal voting rights.
19. The complete minutes of governors’ meetings must be available for inspection.
20. The quorum for a governors meeting is always one-third of the total number of governor places, rounded up.
21. The LA can remove a chair from office.
22. The Governing Body must draw up a register of the business interests of governors, the headteacher and any other staff who influence financial decisions.
Check your answers: Governing-Body-rules-and-procedures-quiz-with-answers (Also see comments below)
From the National Training Programme for New Governors 2005 (updated) .
Hi
I enjoyed the quiz, but believe that you should include an exception to question 13 in accordance with GGTL:
The clerk must give each governor, associate member and the headteacher (if not a governor) written notice of a meeting, a copy of the agenda and any papers to be considered at the meeting at least seven days before the meeting. If the chair considers that there are matters that demand urgent consideration, he or she can determine a shorter period of notice, but the period of notice must be at least seven days if matters to be considered include the removal of the chair, the suspension of any governor, changing the school’s name or a proposal to close the school.