Preserving and Developing. Guidance on the Role of Foundation Governors in Church of England schools in the Diocese of Chichester

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1 Preserving and Developing Guidance on the Role of Foundation Governors in Church of England schools in the Diocese of Chichester JANUARY 2013

2 Chichester Diocesan Board of Education The Diocese of Chichester almost exactly covers the counties of East and West Sussex and the city of Brighton and Hove. At present there are 158 Church of England schools in the diocese 60 have voluntary aided status and 98 voluntary controlled status. There are 7 church secondary schools in the diocese and also a partnership school in East Sussex. The work of church schools is supported by the Diocesan Board of Education. The Schools team, based at Church House in Hove offers a range of services to governors and headteachers in church schools which includes: support and training in delivering RE and Collective Worship; assistance in developing the Christian character of the school; advising on the appointment of headteachers and deputy heads; training for headteachers, senior staff and clergy; pre and post denominational Section 48 inspection monitoring and support; governor training and support; advice in maintaining, developing and funding school buildings (voluntary aided schools); advice on formulating and administering admissions policies (voluntary aided schools). There is an annual diocesan Headteachers Conference and regular briefings in local deaneries. Diocesan Leavers Celebrations are held in the summer term in acts of worship at the Cathedral and other venues. All schools in the diocese are encouraged to enter into a Service Level Agreement with the Board of Education in order to maintain and develop these services. Mailings are sent regularly to schools and there is a specific domain within the diocesan website, In 2012, the Diocesan Board of Education (DBE) agreed the following purpose statement: The purpose of the Chichester Diocesan Board of Education is to support the work of all those involved in education within the Diocese, developing and strengthening its Church Schools and Academies to serve their communities in the name of Christ, equipping them to strive for excellence in all things as they demonstrate an authentic experience of Christian community. Contact details: Schools Department, Diocesan Church House 211 New Church Road, HOVE, BN3 4ED schools@chichester.anglican.org January

3 Contents Foreword The importance of the Role of Foundation Governors 1 The legal basis and definition of Foundation Governors 2 What is a Church school ethos? 3 Roles and Responsibilities of Foundation Governors 4 Requirements to be a Foundation Governor 5 Types of Foundation Governor 6 Appointment of Diocesan Foundation Governors 7 Ex officio Foundation Governors 8 Appointment of other Foundation Governors Appendix: Flowchart for the appointment of DBE foundation governors January

4 Foreword by the Bishop of Chichester (to be written once the guidance has been approved by the Board of Education) + Martin January

5 1 The legal basis and definition of Foundation Governors What is a foundation governor? The Department for Education (DfE) document The Governor s Guide to the Law, (2012) states: that If the school has a religious character the foundation governors must preserve and develop this. They must also ensure compliance with the trust deed. (Section 3.14) Legal basis The regulations 1 require all maintained schools to have a properly constituted governing body and for church schools, both voluntary aided and voluntary controlled schools, this includes a certain proportion of foundation governors: in Voluntary Aided (VA) schools, the foundation governors must be in a majority of two. in Voluntary Controlled (VC) schools, there must be at least two foundation governors, up to one-quarter of the membership. Foundation governors are normally appointed for four years. Differences between VA and VC schools In addition to differences in the number of foundation governors, as detailed above, the governing body in a voluntary aided school has extra responsibility: for capital building work, needing to find 10% of the total of any government grants as the employer of staff as the admissions authority, using faith-based admission criteria if desired for determining the RE syllabus 1 School Governance (Constitution) (England) Regulations 2007 (SI 2007/957) and School Governance (Constitution) (England) Regulations 2012 (SI 2012/1034) January

6 2 What is a Church school ethos? Trust Deeds and Instruments of Government The Trust Deed is a document that relates to the original foundation of the Church school and sets out the reasons why the school was first set up. It is not always readily available and some, which are over 100 years old, are very difficult to read. Since 1999 all church schools have had an ethos statement as part of the Instrument of Government. The ethos statement relates to the school s Christian foundation and for church schools sets the context in which governors carry out their responsibilities. A copy of the ethos statement adopted by the majority of Church of England schools is reproduced below: Recognising its historic foundation, the school will preserve and develop its religious character in accordance with the principles of the Church of England and in partnership with the Church at parish and diocesan level. The school aims to serve its community by providing an education of the highest quality within the context of Christian belief and practice. It encourages an understanding of the meaning and significance of faith and promotes Christian values through the experience it offers all its pupils. Christian values and Church school ethos The above statement serves a specific purpose as part of a legal document rooting the school in its Christian foundation. All schools will, however, develop their own ethos whether or not they have a religious character and in broader terms it may be defined as the prevailing character, tone and spirit of an institution. All schools should have an ethos which promotes loving and caring relationships; nevertheless Church schools are institutionally rooted in the Christian faith and are therefore have an additional responsibiliy to preserve their character. Foundation governors have a duty to contribute to sustaining, developing and nurturing the school s Christian ethos. Governors of VA schools, through their legal right to appoint Christian staff and set the RE and Collective Worship policies seek to create an institution in which the Christian faith is seen in every aspect of school life. Other types of church school also aim to develop a corporate life which seeks to glorify God in developing the full human potential of each person, whether pupil, member of staff, parent or governor. The governing body, particularly foundation governors, should seek to ensure that Christian principles are embedded in the policies and day to day life of the school. January

7 3 Roles and Responsibilities of Foundation Governors Foundation governors should be exemplary in working with other governors and the Headteacher to: set the strategic direction of the school interview and appoint the headteacher and other senior staff; support and challenge staff to raise standards and maintain high quality teaching and learning support the formulation and review of policy deploy resources in support of school development ensure that he school complies with statutory responsibilities and requirements foster good relations with parents and carers and the wider community sustain and develop strong links with the local church Foundation governors should also have a particular regard for the impact of Religious Education and Collective Worship and consider the impact of these upon the Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development of the school community. 4 Requirements to be a Foundation Governor Each foundation governor should, along with other governors: be willing to serve the school and contribute his/her own area of expertise; develop awareness of the role of the governor; have an ability and willingness to work as a team member; attend at meetings regularly; attend appropriate governor training courses. A foundation governor must be a practising member preferably of the local Anglican congregation, or a practising member of another Christian congregation within Churches Together in Britain and Ireland or the Evangelical Alliance have a genuine belief in the value and importance of Church of England schools. January

8 5 Types of Foundation Governor There are various routes by which a foundation governor may be appointed to a church school governing body: i) via the Diocesan Board of Education (DBE); ii) by virtue of being the incumbent or priest-in-charge of a parish, or occasionally the rural dean ( ex officio ); iii) via the Parochial Church Council (PCC); iv) via the local deanery synod; v) via a foundation body in relation to the trustees, or the original founders of the school. Governors, schools and parishes should notify the DBE directly when a foundation governor (including an ex officio foundation governor) steps down or is appointed or reappointed. In voluntary aided schools there is also a requirement for such number of foundation governors who are eligible for election or appointment as parent governors that, when they are counted with the parent governors, comprise one-third or more of the total membership of the governing body. (This no longer applies to governing bodies (re)constituted on or after 1 September 2012) 6 Appointment of Diocesan Foundation Governors The Diocesan Board of Education usually appoints two foundation governors to each church school governing body in the Diocese, although the pattern does vary. Where there is a vacancy for a Diocesan appointed foundation governor, nominations are usually sought from the parish in which the school is situated, or nominees may be sought using other Diocesan networks. There is no requirement for any such nominee to be a member of the PCC nor even of the nominating church but parishes should be aware of the roles and requirements of foundation governors, as previously described and discussion with the headteacher and Chair of the Governing Body is encouraged to establish the skills required to fill any gaps within the governing body. However, such appointees are not delegates and should there be a vote on any issue at a meeting of the governing body, in common with all their fellow governors, whether elected or appointed, they should vote according to their conscience, being mindful of the need to preserve and develop the religious (i.e. Church of England) character of the school. Please refer to Appendix for a flowchart of this process January

9 7 Ex officio Foundation Governors Incumbents of parishes with a church school are normally ex officio foundation governors, particularly in the primary sector, that is, they are members of the governing body because they hold the office of incumbent. It is expected that all incumbents whose parish includes a Church of England school will feel able to take up his or her ex officio position on the governing body. The church school should be seen as part of the local church community. Should a vacancy arise it falls to the Archdeacon of the Archdeaconry in which the school is situated to appoint a substitute foundation governor (for a maximum of 4 years or until the vacancy is filled, whichever is shorter). Again, nominations will be sought from the local parish, but in this instance it is desirable to appoint someone to this substitute position who is involved in the leadership of the local church (e.g. Reader, a Churchwarden, a PCC member) so that the link between the school and the leadership of the church is maintained. 8 Appointment of other Foundation Governors Other bodies which appoint foundation governors to church schools (e.g. a PCC to a voluntary aided school) are free to adopt their own procedures but are strongly urged to follow similar procedures outlined for the appointment of DBE foundation governors and in particular to stress the requirements and responsibilities of foundation governors to any prospective governor, as detailed in the previous pages of this document. Quotes January

10 Appendix Flowchart for the appointment of DBE foundation governors DBE initiates process 3 months before current term of office comes to an end OR Clerk to governing body / Foundation governor notifies DBE of early resignation Is specific skill / experience required for exceptional circumstances? Yes No DBE approaches suitable person(s) DBE contacts nominating parish requesting nomination / renomination In discussion with the school the PCC seeks suitable person who can fulfil role and requirements. If renomination, has nominee attended governor training during first term of office? PCC and nominee complete nomination form and declaration and form returned to Church House No Is DBE approval given? (Usually through respective Archdeacon on behalf of the Board) Yes Confirmation of appointment sent, with copies to: Clerk, Chair, Head, LA and nominating PCC January