Documents, forms, policies and useful links
Essential Documents for Governors
- Maintained schools governance guide
- Effective governance resources
- DBS checks for governors in maintained schools - March 2016
- Declaration of Interest form
- Disqualification & Eligibility for Governors - updated May 2018
- Governing Board Diagnostic Self-Evaluation Tool
- Governing Body Skills Matrix
- Governor Skills Audit
- Governors Year Planner - Example
- The Constitution of Governing Bodies of Maintained Schools - August 2017
- The School Governance (Constitution) (England) Regulations 2012
- The School Governance (Federations) (England) Regulations 2012
- The School Governance (Roles, Procedures and Allowances) (England) Regulations 2013
- Sample Proforma for Committee Meetings
- What maintained schools must publish online
- What academies, free schools and colleges must or should publish online
Governing board - Governor forms & election guidance
- Associate Member Commencing a Term of Office form (June 2025
- Governor Commencing a Term of Office Form (June 2025)
- Governor Record Form (June 2025)
- Governor /Associate Member Vacancy Form (June 2025)
- Parent Governor Elections - Guidelines (May 2018)
- Staff Governor Elections - Guidelines - (Sept. 2017)
Complaints against Schools
The Department for Education's guidance on dealing with school complaints:
Best practice advice for school complaints procedure 2020
Best practice advice for academies complaints 2021
Policies
The DfE list of policies and other documents that governing bodies and proprietors of independent schools are legally required to hold:
Maintained schools governance guide: Statutory policies for maintained schools
Academy trust governance guide: Statutory policies for trusts
Policy and forms for Governor Allowances