On 7 March 2024 the DfE published two new Governance Guides. These two documents replace the Governance Handbook.
One Governance Guide is for maintained schools and one is for academies. Here are the links to the Governance Guides on the DfE website.
Maintained Schools Governance Guide
Academy Trust Governance Guide
Where are the pdf versions of the Governance Guides?
The DfE have not released pdf versions of the Governance Guides. They might in future, but in the meantime I’ve made pdf versions you can download below.
These Governance Guides will be updated on an ongoing basis so please check you are using the latest version.
PDF of Maintained Schools Governance Guide (Updated 2 October 2024)
PDF of Academy Trust Governance Guide (Updated 2 October 2024)
Have the School Governance Regulations or the Academy Trust Handbook changed?
No.
In maintained schools there are no changes to the School Governance (Roles, Procedures and Allowances) (England) Regulations 2013 or the School Governance (Constitution) (England) Regulations 2012.
In academies there are no changes to the Academy Trust Handbook
What has changed from the old Governance Handbook?
First let’s look at changes that appear in both versions of the Guide, so apply to both maintained schools and academies.
The DfE have introduced “musts” and “shoulds” into the Guides. The musts are in bold and indicate mandatory requirements. The shoulds indicate minimum good practice, but schools can choose not to follow them if they can show they have a better approach.
A big change is that the DfE Statutory Policies list has been withdrawn. A slimmed down list of statutory policies now appears as the final section of both Governance Guides.
“Live” documents have all been removed from the policies list, including the pupil register, single central record, register of governor interests and school information published on a website. However, every school still needs to keep and update all these documents or web pages.
Strangely the policies list no longer tells you which policies can be delegated to committees or individuals, it just suggests reading every piece of guidance that relates to every single policy. I hope they reinstate the delegation details shortly…
Here are other changes that apply to both versions of the Governance Guide.
- New signposting to resources for link governors who cover SEND, safeguarding and careers (para 2.3 maintained, para 2.3 academies).
- The DfE Clerking Competency Framework has been withdrawn. Instead the DfE link to the Chartered Governance Institute’s Competency Framework for Governance Professionals (para 4.8 maintained, para 4.5.1 academies).
- New advice that it “may be helpful” to publish the clerk’s contact details on your website (para 5.7.2 maintained, para 1.1.6 academies).
- New advice that at least one governor/trustee should complete cyber security training (para 7.7.3 maintained, para 7.9.3 academies).
- New advice that governors/associate members in maintained schools and trustees/local governors in academies read Part 2 of Keeping Children Safe in Education. This is odd because the old Governance Handbook said “Boards should ensure they read and have regard to” KCSIE, which I thought meant they need to read it all. Many LAs recommend boards read it all (para 7.8 maintained, para 4.7 academies).
And now let’s look at changes which are specific to either the maintained school version of the Governance Guide or the academy version.
If you spot any changes I’ve missed I would be hugely grateful if you could get in touch and I will update this page as needed.
Maintained Schools Governance Guide – What’s New
- New requirement that the board must “assure itself that the headteacher reports to it as required” and headteacher’s reports include information on delegated duties, advice to governors and complying with any reasonable direction of governors (paragraph 3.1).
- New advice that governors do not have an automatic right to enter the school whenever they wish (paragraph 3.3.3).
- New advice that school visits should be in line with SIP priorities and for an identified purpose linked to the board’s responsibilities such as safeguarding (paragraph 3.3.3).
- Confirmation that maintained school governors do not need right to work checks (paragraph 4.3.3).
- A new section on chair’s action, which is the chair’s power to take decisions alone in emergencies (paragraph 4.5.1). This power was mentioned in the old Governance Handbook but they didn’t call it chair’s action.
- New advice that if you have joint headteachers in a job share the co-heads only have one vote between them, not one vote each (paragraph 4.6).
- Confirmation that the board must listen to the clerk’s advice (paragraph 4.8). This requirement was already in the Roles, Procedures and Allowances Regulations 2013 but it’s good to see it here too.
- New advice that the clerk receive an appraisal conducted by the chair (paragraph 4.8.1).
Academy Trust Governance Guide – What’s New
- References to the three core functions of governance have been removed and replaced with the definition of purpose from the Academy Trust Handbook: strategic leadership, accountability and assurance and strategic engagement (paragraph 2.2).
- Local governing bodies (LGBs) in multi-academy trusts are now called local committees. In practice LGBs have always been committees of the trust board, but I guess they wanted to make this more obvious (paragraph 4.3.5).
Withdrawn Publications
The DfE have withdrawn all publications below. These have either been merged into the new Governance Guides or the Guides provide links to similar documents from external providers.
Governance Handbook (withdrawn)
A Competency Framework For Governance (covered by the Governance Guides)
Clerking Competency Framework (DfE now link to the Chartered Governance Institute’s Competency Framework for Governance Professionals)
Governance Structures and Role Descriptors (covered by the Governance Guides)
Statutory Polices for Schools and Academy Trusts (now appears as final section of the Governance Guides)