Maintained school governing boards are corporate boards that are legally responsible for the conduct of the school. Because of this, individual governors are generally protected from personal liability because of the governing board's decisions and actions.
Provided they act honestly, reasonably and in good faith, any liability will fall on the governing board even if it exceeds its powers, rather than on individual members.
Likewise, in academies, personal liability will not arise if members and trustees carry out their duties acting in good faith.
More help like this can be found in the DFE Governors Handbook.
This page was last updated on 22 February 2023