Job description of the clerk to the local governing body

Main purpose of the role is to:

Provide advice to the governing body on governance, constitutional and procedural matters.

• Provide effective administrative support to the governing body and its committees.
• Ensure the governing body is properly constituted
• Manage information effectively in accordance with legal requirements

Main responsibilities and tasks

The clerk to the governing body will:

• Provide advice to the governing body
• Advise the governing body on governance legislation and procedural matters where necessary before, during and after meetings
• Act as the first point of contact for governors with queries on procedural matters;
• Have access to appropriate legal advice, support and guidance, and where necessary seek advice and guidance on behalf of the governing body;
• Inform the governing body of any changes to its responsibilities as a result of a change in school status or changes in the relevant legislation
• Ensure that statutory policies are in place, and are revised when necessary, with the assistance of staff
• Advise on the annual calendar of governing body meetings and tasks
• Send new governors induction materials and ensure they have access to appropriate documents, including any agreed Code of Practice
• Contribute to the induction of governors taking on new roles, in particular chair or chair of a committee
• Effective administration of meetings

• With the chair and Head of School/Head Teacher prepare a focused agenda for the governing body meeting
• Liaise with those preparing papers to make sure they are available on time, and distribute the agenda and papers as required
• Ensure meetings are quorate
• Record the attendance of governors at meetings (and any apologies – whether they have been accepted or not), and take appropriate action in relation to absences, including advising absent governors of the date of the next meeting
• Draft minutes of governing body meetings, indicating who is responsible for any agreed action with timescales, and send drafts to the chair
• Circulate the reviewed draft to all governors (members of the committee), the Head of School/Head Teacher within the timescale agreed with the governing body
• Follow-up any agreed action points with those responsible and inform the chair of progress
• Membership

• Advise governors and appointing bodies in advance of the expiry of a governor’s term of office, so elections or appointments can be organised in a timely manner
• Chair that part of the meeting at which the chair is elected, giving procedural advice concerning conduct of this and other elections
• Maintain a register of governor pecuniary interests and ensure the record of governors’ business interests is reviewed regularly and lodged within the school and with the NOVA Company Secretary;

• Liaise with the NOVA Personnel Team to ensure Disclosure and Barring (DBS) has been carried out on any governor when it is appropriate to do so
• Maintain a record of training undertaken by members of the governing body; and
• Maintain governor meeting attendance records and advise the chair of potential disqualification through lack of attendance
• Manage Information

• Maintain up to date records of the names, addresses and category of governing body members and their term of office, and inform the governing body, NOVA Company Secretary and any relevant authorities of any changes to its membership i.e. ensuring the Governance section of Edubase is up-to-date
• Maintain copies of current terms of reference and membership of any committees and working parties and any nominated governors
• Maintain a record of signed minutes of meetings in school, and ensure copies are sent to relevant bodies on request and are published as agreed at meetings
• Maintain records of governing body correspondence
• Ensure copies of NOVA Trust statutory policies and other school documents are kept in the school and published as agreed, for example, on the website
• Ensuring that statutorily required governance information is available on the school website and is kept up-to-date
• Personal Development

• Undertake appropriate and regular training and development to maintain his/her knowledge and improve practice
• Keep up-to-date with current educational developments and legislation affecting school governance
• Participate in regular performance management
• Additional Services

The clerk may be asked to undertake the following additional duties: 

• Clerk any statutory appeal committees/panels the governing body is required to convene i.e. exclusions
• Assist with the elections of parent and staff governors
• Participate in, and contribute to the training of governors in areas appropriate to the clerking role
• Maintain archive materials
• Prepare briefing papers for the governing body, as necessary
• Conduct skills audits and advise on training requirements and the criteria for appointing new governors relevant to vacancies
• Perform such other tasks as may be determined by the governing body from time to time