There's no rule on writing them, but the full board should approve them
Typically, either:
- The board writes and approves terms of reference. The relevant committee formally adopts them and creates a related work plan, or
- The committee puts together terms of reference and the board approves them
In practice, the chair of the governing board/chair of the committee will probably write the terms of reference.
Involve the full board: don't consider terms of reference in isolation. Include the full board, because it's important that responsibilities are delegated clearly and don't overlap.
See our article on terms of reference for trustees and local governing bodies to understand which boards and committees do, and don't, need terms of reference in an academy trust.
Link governors might benefit from having their delegated responsibilities set out in a formal document - this doesn't need to be long,