Committees

The SDBE provides guidance for its schools on effective working practices for governing bodies.This includes model terms of reference for committees, which can also be downloaded from the Members' Area (password required).

Governors should decide what type of committee structure works best for them and are required to review the committees each year. The more usual model for most governing bodies is to have committees for personnel, finance, premises, curriculum, admissions and pupil discipline. This can be difficult for a small governing body to maintain, an option to reduce the number of committees by combining responsibilities has been tried and tested by several governing bodies. In determining the committee structure, governors should be aware of the work-life balance of the headteacher, both in terms of the number of meetings and the time they are held.