Welcome To Wirral

They should be people who:

• are willing to give the time and commitment to attend governing body meetings;
• want to get to know their school;
• read paperwork before attending governing body meetings;
• have common sense and personal integrity;
• are proactive and eager to learn;
• will LISTEN and are able to make fair and reasoned decisions;
• have the ability to respect confidentiality.

Schools need people from the local community to help them to raise standards for all our pupils.

A person who genuinely cares about the schools in their community can become a school governor.

There are some exceptions (see below).

School staff who are eligible for election as staff governors (i.e. who are paid to work at the school) are not eligible to serve as LEA governors or community governors at their school.

Disqualifications from Governorship

A governor must be aged 18 or over at the time of their election or appointment.

A person is disqualified from being a governor or associate member if they:

• have failed to attend the governing body meetings for a continuous period of six months, beginning with the date of the first meeting they failed to attend, without the consent of the governing body. This provision does not apply to the headteacher;
• have a mental disorder and have been detained under the Mental Health Act 1983;
• are bankrupt;
• are subject to a disqualification order under the company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 or to an order made under Section 429(2) of the Insolvency Act 1986;
• have been removed from the office of charity trustee or trustee for a charity by the Charity Commissioners or High Court on grounds of any misconduct or mismanagement, or under Section 7 of the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Scotland) Act 1990 from being concerned in the management or control of any body;
• are included in the list of teachers or workers prohibited or restricted from working with children or young people;
• are disqualified from working with children;
• are disqualified from being an independent school proprietor, teacher or employee by the Secretary of State;
• have been sentenced to 3 months or more in prison (without the option of a fine) in the 5 years before becoming a governor or since becoming a governor;
• have at any time received a prison sentence of 2½ years or more in the 20 years before becoming a governor;
• have been fined for causing a nuisance or disturbance on school premises during the 5 years prior to or since the appointment or election as a governor;
• refuse to an application being made to the Criminal Records Bureau for a criminal records certificate;
• has at any time received a prison sentence of 5 years or more.

A person is disqualified from appointment as a community governor if they are a registered pupil at the school, eligible to be a staff governor at the school, or if they are an elected member of the local authority to which the school belongs.

A person is disqualified from election or appointment as a parent governor of a school if they are an elected member of the local authority or if they work at the school for more than 500 hours in a school year.

Governor Clearance Arrangements

All prospective governors should be aware that guidance from the DCSF states that schools need to have procedures in place to ensure that they prevent unsuitable people from gaining access to children.

To ensure that the Council fulfils its obligation all governors in Wirral must be List 99 checked on successful appointment or election (including re-appointments and re-elections).

This checking process consists of:

• a declaration form to be signed confirming the applicant is not disqualified from becoming a school governor under School Government Regulations. This is available at the school;
• An identity check;
• A check of List 99 – List 99 contains names, dates of birth, and teacher reference numbers of people whose employment has been barred or restricted either on grounds of misconduct or on medical grounds. If a person's employment is restricted the entry shows the types of employment in which he or she is permitted to work. People barred on misconduct grounds are listed separately from those barred on medical grounds, but no details of misconduct are given. The list is a sensitive and confidential document and access is strictly limited to individuals responsible for checking the suitability of applicants. The purpose of List 99 is to enable organisations to safeguard against employing a barred person. However, it should be emphasised that not all those on the list are perceived to be a danger to children.

The checks are administered by the Children and Young People's Department.

Failure to undergo such a check automatically disqualifies any individual from becoming a school governor.

Further information is available on www.crb.gov.uk