Role of the Governing body

 The purposes of having a governing body are:

• to help the school to set high standards by planning for the school's future and setting targets for school improvement;
• to keep the pressure up on school improvement;
• to be a critical friend to the school, offering the school its support and advice;
• to help the school to be responsive to the needs of parents and the community and make the school accountable to the public for what it does;
• to work with the school on planning, developing policies and keeping the school under review;
• to exercise its responsibilities and powers in partnership with the Headteacher and staff;
• not to intervene in the day-to-day management of the school, unless there are weaknesses in the school, when they then have a duty to take action.

A school's governing body is a corporate body.  This means that it has a legal existence separate from that of its individual members.  As long as governors have acted honestly, without ulterior motive, and reasonably, within the law and regulations, they cannot be held to account as individuals for any liabilities incurred by the governing body.