Governor Recruitment

When recruiting new governors, it is vital to ensure that prospective governors have the skills to contribute to effective governance and the success of the school as well as to promote community cohesion and equality. Furthermore, governing boards should aim to ensure that school governors reflect the diversity of their communities and are sensitive to the needs of the various communities their school may serve.

All state-funded educational institutions in England that provide education to pupils of compulsory school age can use the free Inspiring Governance service, which allows governing boards to:

• search for volunteers based on skills, experience and location
• contact potential candidates directly
• advertise vacancies to registered volunteers in your area

This includes all establishments that are maintained by a local authority and those establishments with whom the Secretary of State has entered into academy arrangements.

Pre-appointment Checks

Prospective governors are required to complete a disclosure form declaring they are not subject to any disqualifications as set out in the School Governance Regulations 2012. Once appointed, governors will need to undergo an Enhanced DBS check and the school will advise on this process.   

Governors of LA Maintained Schools, acting solely in that capacity, require an Enhanced DBS check but this does NOT include a Children’s Barred List check. A governor may need to have an Enhanced DBS check that includes a Barred List check if they have other non-governor responsibilities at a school.

N.B. A person is disqualified from being appointed as a Local Authority Governor if they are eligible to be a Staff Governor of that school.

National Database of School Governors

Governing boards have a duty to provide information about their governors to the Get Information About Schools service – a national database of governors. The clerk to the governing board will usually be the person who co-ordinates this. You can see the information required and a list of what information is made publicly available on in the DfE guidance: Get Information About Schools Government Guidance