The Department for Education (DFE) provide this handbook for governance so that all governing boards have the essential information they need about their duties and responsibilities to help them carry out this vital role confidently.
Section one of the handbook outlines the core role and functions of school governing bodies. All governors should read this section. Sections two to eight of the handbook summarise all of the specific legal duties on governing bodies, providing a first point of reference for those with a specific area of interest.
Further reading is signposted from within each section for those who would like more detailed information. Links are provided to relevant regulations, guidance and resources. A list of all the policies and documents that schools are required to have by law is provided by the DFE.
There are also links throughout the handbook to relevant legislation on the government's legislation website. The legislation may, however, have been amended and the links will not always take you to a version that has been revised to show those amendments. Governors are advised to check whether the legislation has been updated by using the 'changes to legislation' facility on the website.
If you need help with the interpretation of any legislation, please contact governor services, as this is part of the clerking support that is provided for governing bodies if they buy into the service level agreement.
If you are unable to view documents of these types, our downloads page provides links to viewing software.
This page was last updated on 9 October 2020