Clerk to Governors

Job Purpose

• Provide professional advice and administrative support to the Governing Body.
• Help ensure that governance arrangements are lawful, effective and properly recorded.
• Manage governance information accurately, securely and confidentially.

Key responsibilities

1. Governance advice

• Advise the Governing Body on governance legislation, constitutional requirements and meeting procedures.
• Act as the main point of contact for governors on procedural and governance matters.
• Keep governors informed of relevant legal, regulatory or school-status changes and seek specialist advice where needed.
• Promote effective governance practice, including self-evaluation, succession planning and skills development.
• Support the review and approval of statutory policies and the annual governance calendar.
• Provide induction information and guidance for new governors and governors taking on additional roles.

2. Meeting administration

• Maintain an annual meeting and work planner, including required agenda items and governance deadlines.
• Work with the Chair, Headteacher and School Business Manager to prepare focused agendas for Governing Body and committee meetings.
• Circulate agendas and supporting papers at least seven days before meetings, unless exceptional circumstances apply.
• Confirm that meetings are quorate and record attendance, apologies and declarations of interest.
• Produce clear and accurate draft minutes, including decisions, actions, responsible persons and timescales.
• Send draft minutes for review, circulate approved drafts to relevant people and follow up agreed actions.

3. Membership, compliance and development

• Maintain accurate records of governor membership, terms of office, categories, appointments and vacancies.
• Alert governors and appointing bodies before terms of office expire and support parent and staff governor elections.
• Provide procedural support for the election of the Chair and Vice-Chair, including chairing the relevant part of the meeting where required.
• Maintain registers of business and pecuniary interests and support appropriate Disclosure and Barring Service checks.
• Maintain records of attendance and training, issue reminders and advise the Chair of any potential disqualification or compliance concern.
• Coordinate skills audits and identify training or recruitment needs.

4. Information and records management

• Maintain accurate governance records, including contact details, terms of office, committee membership, terms of reference and nominated governor roles.
• Keep the Key Governors Hub, Get Information about Schools (GIAS) record and relevant governance information up to date.
• Maintain signed minutes, correspondence, approved policies, guidance and archive records in line with retention and confidentiality requirements.
• Publish or share governance information with the school website, local authority or other bodies as required or agreed.

5. Additional duties

• Respond appropriately to governance enquiries from staff, families and external contacts, referring operational matters to the correct person.
• Clerk statutory appeal committees or panels where this forms part of the agreed role; otherwise support the Governing Body to arrange suitable clerking.
• Prepare briefing papers and contribute to governor training where appropriate.
• Undertake other reasonable governance-related duties agreed with the Governing Body.

6. Professional development

• Keep up to date with education, governance and legislative developments.
• Complete relevant training and participate in performance management.