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Governor school visits policy: model and examples

Adapt our model policy to help make sure your governors stay on track during visits, and so school staff know what to expect when they're visited. Plus, see examples from other schools.

Last reviewed on 21 March 2024
School types: All•School phases: All•Ref: 38472
Contents
  1. Download our model policy
  2. See examples from schools
  3. Get more help by reading our other articles
We've updated references to the now-withdrawn Governance Handbook, to take account of its replacement by the 2 new governance guides for maintained schools and academies. There are no other changes to the model policy.

Download our model policy

Download: governor school visits policy

Our model is:

  • Designed for you to adapt to suit your school's context
  • In line with good practice – for more articles on this topic see the final section of this article
  • Approved by Forbes Solicitors

See examples from schools

Voluntary aided primary school in Windsor and Maidenhead

Clewer Green Church of England (CofE) First School's governor visits policy includes guidelines for meetings with staff and for visits to classrooms, as well as how to report on each formal visit.

The school encourages governors to attend ad-hoc events such as assemblies, church services, sports days and fundraising events.  

Community secondary school in Hillingdon

The governor school visits policy from Barnhill Community High School sets out:

  • The rationale for school visits
  • Protocols for arranging visits
  • Areas of focus, along with some possible discussion topics

The school includes its preferred record template for governors to use, as well as some suggested questions to ask during the visit.

Community special school in Wigan

Oakfield High School and College is part of a federation of 2 special schools. Its governor visits policy includes:

  • What governors can get out of visiting the school
  • What governors should do before, during and after their visit
  • What's classed as an 'informal visit'
  • Governor visit objectives and responsibilities
  • A template visit record for governors to use

Get more help by reading our other articles

Find out everything you need to know, including questions to ask and visit templates, in our how-to guide on school visits for governors. For a quick read, try our 1-page summary about governor school visits.

If you're the chair, share the how-to guide linked above with your board and read our: