When and how to reconstitute the governing board of a maintained school

Reconstituting your governing board means to reorganise it. Find out when it's appropriate to do so and how to go about it.

Last reviewed on 30 November 2022
School types: MaintainedSchool phases: AllRef: 3932
Contents
  1. When to reorganise your governing board
  2. The reconstitution process
  3. Terms of office following reconstitution

Thanks to our associate governance expert Jane Edminson, who helped us with this article.

When to reorganise your governing board

You might have to do this if you need to reconsider your leadership structure. This could be due to internal or external changes, such as:

  • A proactive move to make sure your board is fit for purpose in the future:
  • If things aren't going well:
    • If you've had a poor Ofsted inspection
    • The board as a whole doesn't seem to be working well together
  • An external review of governance recommended it 

This is laid out on page 7 of statutory guidance from the Department for Education (DfE).

The reconstitution process

Before you get started, check if your local authority (LA) has published reconstitution guidance. If not, follow our guidelines below. 

Start with the minimum requirements for the constitution of your governing board - make sure