Education Act 1996

223 Parent governors

(1) Subject to subsection (6), the instrument of government for the governing body of a grant-maintained school shall provide for the governing body to include parent governors.

(2) Subject to subsection (7), the instrument shall provide for the number of parent governors to be—

(a) in the case of a primary school, not less than three nor more than five, and

(b) in the case of a secondary school, five.

(3) The instrument shall provide that if—

(a) one or more vacancies for parent governors are required to be filled by election, and

(b) the number of parents standing for election as parent governors is less than the number of vacancies,

the required number of parent governors shall be made up by persons appointed by the other members of the governing body.

(4) The instrument shall require governors, in appointing a person under a provision made by virtue of subsection (3)—

(a) to appoint a person who is the registered parent of a registered pupil at the school, where it is reasonably practicable to do so, and

(b) where it is not, to appoint a person who is the parent of one or more children of compulsory school age.

(5) In the case of a governing body incorporated in pursuance of proposals for acquisition of grant-maintained status, in relation to the election of a person as a parent governor to the new governing body—

(a) paragraph 7 of Schedule 8 (qualifications and arrangements for election of parent or teacher governors) shall apply as it applies in relation to the election of a parent governor to the existing governing body, and

(b) the new governing body shall inform the authority responsible for election arrangements of any vacancy arising for a parent governor,

and the instrument shall have effect accordingly.

(6) In the case of a governing body incorporated in pursuance of proposals for the establishment of a new grant-maintained school, the instrument shall have effect as if—

(a) before the date of implementation of the proposals, the governing body had power to appoint as parent governors persons who satisfy the prescribed requirements, and

(b) the first appointments were to be made before that date.

(7) In the case of a primary school, the initial instrument shall provide for the number of parent governors to be such number (being not less than three nor more than five) as is specified in the proposals for acquisition of grant-maintained status or, as the case may be, the proposals for the establishment of a new grant-maintained school.

(8) Subsection (3) does not apply, in the case of a governing body incorporated in pursuance of proposals for the establishment of a new grant-maintained school, to vacancies arising before the date of implementation of the proposals.