School Governance

On this page you can read about the role of and application process for Foundation Governors and find links to our Application Form and other essential documents.

The Role of Governors

The role of the governing body is a strategic one, its key functions are to:

• set the aims and objectives for the school
• set the policies and targets for achieving them
• monitor and evaluate the progress the school is making towards them
• be a source of challenge and support to the head teacher

In addition, Foundation Governors are expected to bring to the Governing body an informed regard for the religious foundation of the school, to ensure that its Christian ethos is preserved and developed and that worship reflects the tradition of the Church of England.  All the governors of a church school must work collectively to ensure the effectiveness of the school as a place of learning, where Christian values can flourish.

How Governors are appointed in Church of England Schools

Each school’s Instrument of Government makes it clear how the governing body should be constituted.  In the Diocese of Worcester we have three types of Foundation Governor:

• those appointed by the Diocesan Board of Education (DBE) often from the local church community
• those appointed directly by the Parochial Church Council (PCC)
• the Ex-officio governor, an automatic appointment of the vicar, unless a substitute has been nominated and agreed by the Archdeacon

All Church of England Schools must have Foundation Governors. In Voluntary Aided schools they should outnumber the combined number of governors of all other categories by a majority of at least two. Voluntary Controlled schools have a minority of Foundation Governors, not exceeding 25%.  Please read our Guidelines for making Foundation Governor Appointments and Re-appointments below.  It is a recommendation that governors should serve no more than two terms (8 years) and effective succession planning should be in place.

Maintaining Records 

The Diocesan Department for Education has a duty to maintain accurate records of all Church of England School Governors - of every category. Clerks should notify us of any changes to Governing Body personnel.  Clerks should also send copies of approved Full Governing Body minutes to the Diocesan Education Department.

Information and Training

For any enquiries please contact the PA to the Director of Education Gilly Maxim on 01905 732821 or e-mail gmaxim@cofe-worcester.org.uk.

It is an expectation of the Diocese that all Foundation Governors will attend initial governor training provided by the Diocese and the Local Authority within the first year of their appointment and that governors will keep their skills updated with further relevant training. Our current training calendar can be viewed on our Training and Support page.

Headteacher Recruitment and Training & Support for New Headteachers

Our Headteacher Recruitment and Training & Support for New Headteachers packages have been created to ensure Governing Boards receive the support they need to successfully recruit new school leadership, and new headteachers have the training and support needed to ensure smooth transition into church school headship. 

If you have any questions, or would like to discuss the content of the packages further, please contact the Education team by email on education@cofe-worcester.org.uk, or by telephone on 01905 732 825.

Enhanced Governor Support

For 2021-2022 we have introduced an additional SLA (the Enhanced Governor Support offer) which specifically supports governors in schools. Sessions include a Diocesan Review of Governance, Clerk trainings, areas for development for effective governance and how the key roles within the Board interrelate and differentiate. 

If you have any queries about this offer, please contact Gilly Maxim by email on GMaxim@cofe-worcester.org.uk, or by telephone on 01905 732 821. 

New leaders, governors and wider staff can access further training and support on the specific aspects of leading and working in a church school through our separate Training and Support SLA and School Effectiveness Support SLA, available on our Training & Support and School Effectiveness Support webpages. 

Related Attachments

• Diocese of Worcester Governance Agreement
• Capital Asset Management Plan, July 2020
• Application Form for New DBE Foundation Governors
• Skills Audit Questionnaire for New DBE Foundation Governors
• Application Form for New WDAT Foundation Trustees
• Application Form for New WDAT Members
• Application Form for DBE Foundation Governors wishing to be re-appointed
• Skills Audit Questionnaire for DBE Foundation Governors wishing to be re-appointed
• Application Form for WDAT Foundation Trustees wishing to be re-appointed
• WDBE Governor Information Form for Governing Bodies of all Schools and Academies
• WDBE Annual Return Form for Boards of MATs and Standalone Academies
• WDBE Protocol and Consent for Building Works in Church of England Schools and Academies
• WDBE Building Works Consent Form
• WDBE Change of Pupil Admission Number form
• WDBE Change of Age Range form
• WDBE Governance Skills Auditing Tool
• Fact sheet: Appointment of Headteachers
• Governance Handbook - October 2020
• Governance Competency Framework
• Clerking Competency Framework