Anyone aged 18 or over is eligible. Camden Learning welcomes people from all backgrounds and life experiences. We aim to build governing boards that reflect the diversity of our borough.

Governors help set the school’s strategic direction, monitor performance, oversee finances, and support senior leaders. They play a key role in ensuring schools are well-run and accountable.

Governors typically attend 6–10 meetings per year, often in the evening. You may also be invited to visit the school during the day to gain insight into its work.

Camden Learning provides full induction training, regular updates, and access to expert advice. Governors also benefit from termly briefings and dedicated network meetings.

It’s a rewarding way to give back to your community, develop leadership skills, and gain experience in strategic decision-making. Many governors find the role enhances their professional development and broadens their perspective.

Understanding Governance Roles in Camden Schools

Effective governance is central to the success of Camden’s schools. Governing bodies in local authority maintained schools are made up of individuals from a range of backgrounds, each bringing unique perspectives and skills. Below is an overview of the different types of governors and non-governor roles, including a brief note on trustees in academies.

Parent Governors

Parent governors are elected by the parent community of the school. Any parent or carer of a child currently attending the school is eligible to stand for election. They are chosen through a ballot of parents, unless the number of candidates matches the number of vacancies. Parent governors bring a valuable parental perspective to the governing body. Please note that individuals employed by the school for more than 500 hours in any 12-month period, or who are elected members of the local authority, are not eligible to stand as parent governors.

Staff Governors

Staff governors are elected by the school’s staff. One position is automatically held by the Headteacher, while other staff members may stand for election to represent the staff voice. Staff governors contribute insight into the day-to-day workings of the school but do not represent the staff body as a whole.

Co-opted Governors

Co-opted governors are appointed by the governing body based on the skills and experience they can offer. They may be members of the local community or professionals with expertise in areas such as finance, education, law, or HR. Their role is to support the strategic development of the school. Employees of the school and elected members of the local authority are not eligible to be co-opted governors.

Local Authority Governors

Every maintained school must include one Local Authority (LA) governor. Camden Council nominates candidates, but the final appointment is made by the governing body. LA governors do not represent the council; rather, they are expected to act in the best interests of the school and contribute relevant skills and experience. Governing bodies may set eligibility criteria for these appointments.

Foundation Governors

Foundation governors are appointed in Voluntary Aided (VA) and Voluntary Controlled (VC) schools. They are nominated by the school’s founding body, such as a religious trust or diocese, and are responsible for preserving the school’s ethos and values. The process for appointment is outlined in the school’s Instrument of Government.

Associate Members

Associate members are not governors and do not have voting rights at full governing body meetings. However, they may be appointed to committees where their expertise is valuable, and they can be granted voting rights within those committees. Associate members may attend full governing body meetings but are not counted in the quorum and cannot vote on whole-board decisions. They may not serve as Chair or Vice-Chair of the governing body, nor act as link governors or undertake monitoring visits. Their role is advisory and focused on contributing specialist knowledge.

Key points:

• Associate members are not listed in the Instrument of Government.
• They may vote in committee meetings if granted voting rights.
• They must declare any business or financial interests.
• They must confirm they have read and understood Keeping Children Safe in Education.
• Enhanced DBS or Section 128 checks are only required if they are engaged in regulated activity.

Trustees in Academy Trusts

While Camden is predominantly made up of maintained schools, there are a small number of academies operating within the borough. Trustees serve on the board of academy trusts and are responsible for the strategic oversight of all schools within the trust. Unlike governors, trustees operate at a corporate level and have legal responsibilities under company and charity law. They ensure the trust meets its objectives, complies with regulations, and delivers high standards of education and financial stewardship. Trustees may delegate responsibilities to local governing bodies within individual academies, depending on the trust’s scheme of delegation.

Succession Planning

Strong governing bodies actively plan for succession by identifying skills gaps and recruiting individuals who can contribute meaningfully to school leadership. Associate members can be a valuable part of this process, offering expertise and potentially transitioning into governor roles when vacancies arise. Camden Learning offers support with governor recruitment and succession planning.

School governors have serious legal and financial responsibilities. They play an important role in keeping children safe from harm. It’s important that they have integrity and high ethical standards. This means there are some people who cannot become governors.

People who have had certain criminal convictions, who are disqualified from working with children, who have become bankrupt, or who have been disqualified from being a charity trustee are all barred from becoming a school governor. You can see the eligibility criteria here (as above re types of governor – will draft criteria).

All prospective governors must be checked by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) to ensure they are not disqualified in any way. If anyone refuses to make an application to DBS, they are automatically disqualified.

Other Restrictions

In some cases, individuals can become school governors, but they are restricted from taking on certain roles.

• People under 18 and pupils registered at the school cannot be governors.
• No-one can hold more than one governor post at the same school at the same time.
• People cannot be a parent governor if they are a local councillor, or if they are paid to work at the school for more than 500 hours in a year.
• School staff cannot be local authority governors.
• People cannot be partnership governors if they are a parent of a pupil, a member of staff, a local councillor or work for the local authority in an education related role.

A person is disqualified from being a governor of a particular school if they have failed to attend the meetings of the governing body of that school for a continuous period of six months. This begins on the date of the first meeting they failed to attend, without the consent of the governing body.