LEA

LEA Governors

THE LAW

School Governance (Constitution) (England) Regulations 2007 – the “Constitution Regulations”.

LEGAL GUIDANCE

Guidance to the Constitution Regulations can be found on :
• Guide to the law for school governors – on CD ROM. Provided free to all school governors.
• GovernorNet

1. Excerpt from Guide to the Law for school governors, chapter 2 – January 2010 edition:

LOCAL EDUCATION AUTHORITY (LEA) GOVERNORS

13. LEA governors are appointed by the LA. LAs can appoint any eligible person as an LEA governor. A person is disqualified from appointment as an LEA governor if they are eligible to be a staff governor of the school.

2. Excerpt from GovernorNet (Background Article)

LEA governor (Regulation 6 of the Constitution Regs)

• A person appointed by the LEA. They are only disqualified from appointment as an LEA governor if they are eligible to be a staff governor of the school.
• LEAs are encouraged to appoint high calibre governor candidates to schools that need most support and to appoint candidates irrespective of any political affiliation or preferences. In making appointments to particular schools, LEAs should have regard to the skills and experience of which those schools have the greatest need, and to candidates’ support for the schools’ ethos and mission.
• Once appointed, those governors’ priority is to contribute to raising standards at the school: they cannot be mandated by the Authority to take any particular line.
• Authorities may dismiss them for good reason.
• They should ensure appointments are promptly made, normally within 3 months, when vacancies arise, and should not allow vacancies to remain because suitable political appointees are not available. LEAs may appoint minor authority representatives as LEA governors.
• The number of LEA governors depends on the Instrument of Government and the category of school:

  • Community schools – one-fifth of governors
  • Foundation and Voluntary Controlled schools – at least one, but no more than one-fifth of all governors
  • Voluntary Aided schools – at least one but no more than one-tenth

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