Size and membership of your board

Last reviewed on 21 February 2023
School types: All · School phases: All
Ref: 42120

Be clear on the type and number of governors or trustees you must have.

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tick-icon Maintained schools Academies
Maintained schools
Academies

Contents

  1. Requirements in maintained schools
  2. Extra requirements for hard federations
  3. No limit on the size of your governing board
  4. Associate members

Requirements in maintained schools

You must have at least 7 governors.

This must include:

The rules are slightly different for hard federations

If you're in a hard federation, it's:

  • Exactly 2 parent governors
  • The headteacher of each school (unless any of them decide not to be a governor)
  • Only 1 staff governor
  • Only 1 LA governor

You can appoint as many additional co-opted governors as you consider necessary

However, the number of co-opted governors who are eligible to be elected or appointed as staff governors must not exceed one-third of the total membership of your board, when counted with the 1 staff governor and the headteacher (or headteachers, in a hard federation), and including any vacancies. 

Foundation and voluntary schools also need to have partnership or foundation governors

Foundation and foundation special schools without a foundation must

Also in this topic: The constitution of the governing board
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