Committees: what they are and what they do

One way that governing boards manage their workload is by delegating tasks to smaller groups of governors. Understand the types of committee and the rules on their constitution.

Last reviewed on 2 March 2022
School types: All · School phases: All
Ref: 3699
Contents
  1. The reason for committees
  2. The 2 types of committee
  3. Rules and restrictions on delegation
  4. Constitution and membership

The reason for committees

Governing a school is a big responsibility. The board has 3 core functions, but there are many tasks involved in each of them. Committees can be an effective way to manage it all.

Keep in mind that the governing board as a whole is still responsible for all of its duties, delegated or not. Committees are responsible for keeping the rest of the board in the loop on their delegated areas of responsibility. This includes:

  • Updating the board on any issues or problems the committee's working on
  • Describing the committee's accomplishments
  • Detailing any decisions the committee has made

The 2 types of committee

Standing committees

These are created to cover regular functions. The most common committees include:

On the other hand, academies must appoint an audit and

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