Standards committee: purpose, terms of reference and agendas

Be clear on what a standards committee should do and how often it should meet, with examples of terms of reference and meeting minutes.

Last reviewed on 18 January 2022
School types: All · School phases: All
Ref: 4066
Contents
  1. Standards committees aren't a statutory requirement
  2. Know your remit: have clear terms of reference
  3. Responsibilities of the committee
  4. Agendas and meeting minutes: guidance and examples 

Standards committees aren't a statutory requirement

You're not required to have a standards committee, whether you're in a maintained school or an academy. 

It's up to your board to decide if it would find it useful to delegate tasks to a standards committee. 

Know your remit: have clear terms of reference

It's up to your board to determine what will be delegated to the standards committee. 

Set clear terms of reference and make sure they're reviewed annually, or if there are any changes to committee members. They'll outline the committee's delegated responsibilities, as well as its procedural requirements, such as membership and quorum for meetings

Standards committees vary from board to board

Your standards committee may have responsibility