Education Act 1996

80 Appointment of representative governors in place of co-opted governors

(1) The instrument of government for a primary school which is a county or controlled school serving an area for which there is a minor authority shall provide for one governor to be appointed by that authority.

(2) The instrument of government for a maintained special school which is established in a hospital shall provide—

(a) (if the hospital is vested in the Secretary of State) for one governor to be appointed by the Health Authority; or

(b) (if the hospital is vested in a National Health Service trust) for one governor to be appointed by that trust.

(3) The instrument of government for a maintained special school which is not established in a hospital shall, if the school has less than 100 registered pupils, provide for one governor to be appointed—

(a) by a voluntary organisation designated by the local education authority, in relation to the school, as the appropriate voluntary organisation concerned with matters in respect of which the school is specially organised; or

(b) jointly by two or more voluntary organisations so designated as appropriate voluntary organisations concerned with such matters;

or, if the school has 100 or more registered pupils, shall provide for two governors to be appointed as mentioned in paragraph (a) or (b).

(4) Where, by virtue of subsection (3) above, an instrument of government is required to provide for the appointment of two governors, it may make different provision in relation to the appointment of one governor from that made in relation to the appointment of the other.

(5) Where a local education authority are satisfied, in relation to any special school, that there is no voluntary organisation which it would be appropriate to designate for the purposes of subsection (3), that subsection shall not apply to the instrument of government for the school.

(6) An instrument of government which is required by this section to provide for the appointment of a governor shall name the person or persons by whom the governor is to be appointed.

(7) Subject to subsection (8), an instrument of government which is required by this section to provide for the appointment of one or (as the case may be) two governors shall in consequence provide for the appointment of one or two fewer co-opted governors than would otherwise be provided for.

(8) If that instrument of government is for a controlled school which—

(a) has less than 600 registered pupils, or

(b) is, by virtue of subsection (3) of section 79, to be treated for the purposes of that section as having less than 600 such pupils,

the instrument shall not provide for the appointment of any co-opted governor.

(9) In subsections (7) and (8) references to co-opted governors are references to governors required to be co-opted by virtue of section 79 but do not include co-opted foundation governors.