Standing Orders
STANDING ORDERS FOR THE GOVERNING BODY OF
MONKS RISBOROUGH CHURCH OF ENGLAND PRIMARY SCHOOL
THE STANDING ORDERS COVER:
o Meetings of the Governing Body
o Term of office of Chairman and Vice-Chairman
o Election process for Chairman and Vice-Chairman
o Term of office for each category of Governor
o Appointment of the Clerk
o Quorum
o Committee membership and terms of reference
o Delegation of functions
BEST PRACTICE
The LEA recommends that each governing body compile a ?STANDING ORDERS? file that contains:
o The governing body?s Standing Orders
o A copy of the School Governance (Procedures) Regulations
o The current Instrument of Government
o The Terms of Reference for Committees
o The policy on governors? expenses
The file should be accessible to all governors. The clerk to the governing body should also retain a copy for their records.
MEETINGS OF THE GOVERNING BODY
The Governing Body notes the requirement to meet at least three times in each school year.
TERMS OF OFFICE
The Governing Body resolves that:
· The Chairman of Governors will have a term of office of one year and the term of office* will end on the date of the first meeting of the Governing Body after the first anniversary of his/her election or at the end of his/her term of office as a governor, whichever date is earlier.
· The Vice-Chairman of Governors will have a term of office of one year and the term of office* will end on the date of the first meeting of the Governing Body after the first anniversary of his/her election or at the end of his/her term of office as a governor, whichever date is earlier.
*Please note that the term of office as Chairman or Vice-Chairman cannot be longer than the remainder of the term of office of the governor in question. The Regulations say that, when the office of Chairman or Vice-Chairman becomes vacant, the governing body must elect a new Chairman or Vice-Chairman at the next meeting. This process would apply, even if an existing Chairman or Vice-Chairman was re-appointed after a term of office came to an end.
ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN AND VICE-CHAIRMAN
Please note that the election process must be agreed at a Full Governing Body Meeting. A Governor who is paid to work at the school or is a pupil at the school is not eligible for the office of Chairman or Vice-Chairman.
The Governing Body resolves that the following process will apply to the election of Chairman and Vice-Chairman:
· Governors will be able to submit written nominations prior to the Full Governing Body Meeting and verbal nominations at the meeting. A Governor can nominate him/herself for office and does not need to be present at the meeting to be considered.
· Nominee(s) will be asked to leave the room whilst the election process takes place.
· If there is more than one nominee, the remaining Governors will take a vote by secret ballot. Please note that if a secret ballot is agreed, the Clerk will tally the votes.
· The nominee(s) will return to the meeting and the Clerk will announce the result, with the nominee polling the majority of votes being duly elected.
· If there is a tie, each candidate will be given the opportunity to speak to the Governors about their nomination and a further vote will be taken.
· If there is still a tie, Governors should discuss the strengths of the Nominees further, and another vote will be taken. This process will repeat until a nominee polls a majority of votes.
TERM OF OFFICE FOR EACH CATEGORY OF GOVERNOR
The governing body must determine the length of term for each category of governor. The length of term must be the same for all governors in a category. The length of term can be between one and four years.
The Governing Body resolves to have the same terms for all categories of governor. The agreed term is four years.
If the Governing Body chooses to appoint Associate Members, voting and attendance rights must be agreed. The Governing Body can also agree to allow other persons to attend their meetings. Any agreement in relation to these matters should be clearly minuted at a full governing body meeting.
APPOINTMENT OF THE CLERK
The governing body is required to appoint a clerk to the governing body. The clerk may not be a governor, an associate member of the governing body or the Headteacher of the school.
The Governing Body resolves that the clerk to the Governing Body is an LEA Clerk.
The clerk to the governing body should ensure that the work of the governing body complies with all the Regulations e.g.
o Convening meetings
o The proceedings of meetings
o Removal of the chairman or vice-chairman from office
o Suspension of a governor
QUORUM
Decisions cannot be taken at a full governing body meeting unless a minimum number (quorum) of governors is present. The Regulations require one half (50%) of the complete membership of the Governing body (as per The Instrument of Government) excluding Associate Members to be present before decisions can be made, rounded up to the nearest whole number.
The Governing Body notes the new requirements in respect of a quorum. According to the Instrument of Government the new quorum requirement for full governing body meetings is eight Governors.
COMMITTEES AND WORKING PARTIES
DEFINITIONS
A COMMITTEE: The establishment, Terms of Reference, constitution and membership of committees must be reviewed annually. The Chairman of each committee must also be appointed annually.
A WORKING PARTY: The establishment, Terms of Reference, constitution and membership of a Working Party must be reviewed annually. The Chairman of each Working Party must also be appointed annually.
MEMBERSHIP OF COMMITTEES
(The Terms of Reference of Committees should be included within the STANDING ORDERS file.)
The Governing Body is required to appoint a clerk to each committee. This cannot be the Headteacher but can be another governor and could be shared between named Governors.
The minimum quorum for Committee Meetings shall be 3 Governors.
The membership of the Committees/Working Groups listed below, Chairman and Clerks is as per the attached School Committee Grid.
· Staff Dismissal Committee
· Staff Dismissal Appeals Committee
· Employee Grievance Committee
· Pupil Discipline Committee
· Chairman?s Committee
· Curriculum Committee
· Finance Committee
· General Purposes Committee
· Pay Committee
· Personnel Committee
· Strategy Working Group
BEST PRACTICE FOR COMMITTEE MANAGEMENT
· Agendas should be circulated to all committee members at least seven days in advance of the meeting.
· Committee papers should be available to all governors (not just those on the committee).
· Minutes should be circulated to all governors (not just those on the committee) within two weeks of the date of the meeting.
· Minutes should be signed by the Committee Chairman at the next committee meeting to verify that the minutes are a true record.
· Any governor may attend a committee meeting but only named committee members may vote.
· Committee members should feedback at the full governing body on the work of the committee and any decisions taken.
DELEGATION OF FUNCTIONS
A governing body can delegate any of its statutory functions to a committee, a governor or the Headteacher, subject to the restrictions described below. The governing body must review the delegation of functions annually. A governing body will remain accountable for any decisions taken, including those relating to a function delegated to a committee or individual.
The following functions cannot be delegated:
· The constitution of the governing body
· The appointment or removal of the Chairman or vice-Chairman
· The appointment of the clerk
· The suspension of governors
· The establishment of committees and delegation of functions
The following functions can be delegated to a committee but cannot be delegated to an individual, even in urgent cases:
· The alteration, discontinuance or change of category of maintained schools,
· The approval of the first formal budget plan of the financial year
· School discipline policies
· The exclusion of pupils
· Admission matters
The governing body can still perform functions it has delegated. This enables the governing body to take decisions on matters that are discussed at meetings on functions that have been delegated.
Please note that any individual or committee to whom a decision has been delegated must report to the governing body in respect of any action or decision made.
The Governing Body resolves that the functions will be delegated to the committees or individuals named:
DELEGATION OF FUNCTIONS TO THE CHAIRMAN OF THE GOVERNING BODY
There being an appropriate quorum present, the Governing Body of Monks Risborough Church of England Primary School, delegated the following responsibilities to the Chairman of Governors:
PERSONNEL
In an emergency, where time does not permit the relevant Committee or full Governing Body to meet, to agree additional leave of absence outside the limit of discretionary leave set by the Governing Body?s Leave of Absence Policy; the Chairman has permission to agree up to 5 additional days leave of absence with or without pay
Co-ordinating arrangements for governor participation in interview, and for hearings of the Pupil Discipline Committee, Statutory Staff Dismissal Committee, Appeals Committee (in accordance with an order previously determined by the governing body)
Liaison with the Headteacher in relation to personnel issues as outlined in the Framework for Managing People in Schools adopted by the Governing Body.
INSET
Approval of INSET days where time does not permit this to be considered by the full governing body.
CORRESPONDENCE/DOCUMENTATION
Preparing a response on behalf of the Governing Body to any other correspondence/ documentation, e.g. consultation documents, received from the LEA or DfES where time does not permit the full governing body to consider it at its termly meeting. In delegating this function to the Chairman, he/she will be expected to liaise with members of the relevant committee / Chairman of Committee before preparing a response.
Governors note:
- that the Chairman has a right to take a decision in an emergency by virtue of his/her office
- any decisions taken by the Chairman under his/her delegated authority will be reported back to the next meeting of the Governing Body
- delegated powers to be reviewed annually at the time of the election of Chairman
These arrangements will be reviewed annually at the Autumn Term meeting.
These arrangements were reviewed at the Governing Body meeting held on 22 September 2003, Minute number 7.
DECLARATION
This Standing Order was adopted by Minute No. 7 of the School?s Governing Body Meeting held on 22 September 2003
(A copy has been forwarded to the clerk to the governing body for the formal governing body records and a copy has been retained at the school for reference.)
Signature
(Chairman) ????????????????????????
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