Governance Policy

Cerne Abbas CE VC First School, Duck Street, Cerne Abbas, Dorchester, Dorset, DT2 7LA – 01300 341 319

CERNE ABBAS CE VC FIRST SCHOOL

GOVERNANCE

POLICY

                                       September 2023

Adopted by the Cerne Abbas CE VC First School Governing Body

28^th September 2023

CERNE ABBAS CE VC FIRST SCHOOL

Governance Policy

Contents:

1. Introduction  & The Role of the Governing Body and the Head Teacher

2. The Chair of the Governing Body

3. The Governors

4. The Clerk to Governors

5. Meetings – before, during and after

6. Urgent Matters 

7. Scheme of Delegation

8. Governors and the Ofsted Framework

Appendices

Appendix 1 – Code of Practice 

Appendix 2 – Decision Planner

CERNE ABBAS CE VC FIRST SCHOOL GOVERNANCE POLICY

1. Introduction

The Governors of Cerne Abbas CE VC First School accept the provisions of the School Governance (England) Regulations 2013 (Roles, Procedures, Allowances) 

The Role of the Governing Body and the Head Teacher

1. The Governing Body of Cerne Abbas CE VC First School has a managerial and strategic role and endorses the provisions of The School Governance (Roles, Procedures and Allowances) (England) Regulations 2013 .  The Governing Body (GB) and Head Teacher (HT) together have a duty to promote the highest standards of education in the School while also ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all its pupils.

1. The Governors of the Cerne Abbas CE VC First School have chosen voluntarily to adopt these provisions and the following is hereby agreed:

1. The Strategic Role of the Governing Body of Cerne Abbas CE VC First School encompasses:

1.  Establishment of a framework of aims, objectives, policies and targets, taking into account advice given by the School’s Head Teacher which will inform future direction and development.

1. Monitoring and evaluating progress towards these goals and adapting strategy as necessary.

1. Acting as a critical friend to the Head Teacher, supporting him/her and providing him/her with constructive criticism.

1. The Operational Role of the Head Teacher

1. The HT has primarily a managerial role, and will agree, through discussion with the GB objectives and targets for the school.

1. The HT will set out the School Development plan for each academic year and present this to the GB.

1. The HT will undertake and report the outcomes of Self Evaluation exercises and of external moderation processes to the GB.

1. Analysis of pupil progress and attainments will be reported to the GB on a regular basis.

1. Establishing, Implementing and Monitoring the Strategic Framework
   1. Proposals relating to school policies and objectives must be presented to the GB.  Governors will be responsible for considering and questioning such proposals taking into account any data presented by the HT.

1. Final decisions on implementation, amendment or reformulation of such proposals shall be made through inclusive discussion.

1. Governors may specify broad strategic direction for the school and work with the HT to achieve this.

1. Monitoring 

1. The GB will monitor progress towards achieving the aims, objectives and targets set out in the strategic framework using the data provided by the HT and supplemented by external assessments and twice yearly ‘Subject evaluation days’.

1. The HT has a responsibility to provide the G B with the information needed in order to review and evaluate the educational progress of the School and to be confident that the HT is meeting his/her contracted responsibilities. 

1. Governors must have enough information to be confident about the decisions they are making in terms of the strategic framework and if they do not feel this to be the case, they shall make this clear to HT.

1. Acting as a Critical Friend

1. The Governors shall act as a critical friend to the HT.

1. The Governors shall have an obligation to support the HT, but shall constructively and courteously challenge and question the HT as a corollary to providing that support.

1. Constructive, considered criticism where appropriate should be done courteously and professionally at all times. If the Governors wish to do so, they may deliver such constructive criticism through the Chair of Governors.

1. The Chair of the Governing Body

1. The Role of the Chair

The Chair of Cerne Abbas CE VC First School has a pivotal role, and his/her responsibilities are:

1. Organising the GB’s work. This involves knowing the strategic vision for the school and ensuring that an effective partnership exists between the Governing Body, the HT and the schools’ Senior Leadership Teams.

1. Delegating roles and ensuring other Governors are fully involved and their individual skills put to best use in carrying out the business of the GB.

1. Managing meetings effectively. The Chair will ensure that they are run in accordance with the protocols detailed in this policy while making the best use of available time.

1. Holding regular meetings with the HT.  A productive relationship between the Chair and the HT is an important factor in promoting the success of the School and they share responsibility for developing a culture of mutual trust and understanding between the G B and the Professional staff.

1.  The Chair will work with the HT and the Clerk to Governors to ensure that the GB are kept fully informed about progress;

1. The Chair shall, when necessary, act as the GB’s representative with third parties including staff, pupils, parents, the Diocese, the local community and other local and national agencies.

1. The Chair’s Emergency Powers

The Chair shall have powers to make decisions on behalf of their GB in the event of an emergency. The Education School Government England Regulations 1999 grants such powers to Chair of governing bodies of maintained schools and the GB has agreed that their Chair (or the Vice-Chair if the Chair is not available) may exercise any function of the GB but only if:

1. a delay in exercising that function would be likely to be seriously detrimental to the interests of the  School or to the interests of any pupil registered at the school or their parent, or any person employed by the School; OR

1. it is not reasonably practicable to call a meeting of the GB (or a Committee to which the function has been delegated) in time to deal with the circumstances in question.

1. Election of the Chair of the Governing Body

In accordance with the Standing Orders, the Governing Body is obliged to appoint a Chair of Governors in the first meeting of each academic year.  In the event of a vacancy arising, it is hereby agreed that the following process will be adopted:

1. The Clerk to Governors will notify the Governors of a date by which nominations for the position of Chair must be notified to the Clerk to Governors (which shall be in time for the nominees’ names to be added to the agenda for the meeting at which the vote will take place).

1. Any Governors who wish to stand for the position of Chair must inform the Clerk to Governors of their intention to stand no later than the date stipulated by the Clerk to Governors and the Clerk to Governors will add those names to the agenda.

1. Nominations for the position of the Chair will be accepted at the meeting only if no candidates were named as nominees on the agenda. 

1. At the meeting, the Clerk to Governors shall take the chair for the purpose of carrying out the election of the Chair.

1. All candidates shall be given the opportunity to present their case for appointment to the GB at the meeting, and for other Governors to ask questions.

1. All candidates nominated shall leave the room, and the remaining Governors shall record their preferred candidate on paper and hand it to the Clerk to Governors who shall count the votes and announce the result. There shall be no discussion or comparison of the candidates’ merits in their absence.

1. In the event of a tie, the Clerk to Governors shall not have a casting vote, but the ballot will be held again. In the event of a second tie, the nominated candidates shall draw lots.

1. The newly elected chair will take over the meeting as chair and conduct the election of the vice-chair, which will follow the same procedure as above, save that the vote for election of the vice-chair shall not be by secret ballot unless a majority of Governors so request.

1. The Vice-chair will stand in for the Chair if he/she is unable to attend a GB meeting or other governor event and will give support and advice to the Chair in areas of strategic planning.'

1. The Governors

3.  The Governors

3.1. Categories of Governors

These are laid out as follows:

Cerne Abbas CE VC First School

   1 Head Teacher

   1 Ex-officio Governor

   2 Foundation Governors

   2 Parent Governors 

   1 Local Authority Governor

   1 Staff Governor

  5 Co-opted Governors

1. The Governors require that every effort is made to maintain the prescribed parent representation on the Governing Body.  Accordingly when a vacancy arises

1. an invitation for candidates for the position of Parent Governor will initially be extended only to the parents of pupils registered at the school where the vacancy has arisen;

1. if no candidates are nominated, the invitation will be repeated.

1. if no candidates are nominated after the second invitation expires, the Governors will make all reasonable efforts to appoint a Governor who is a parent of a child of school age.

1. Staff Governors: the GB for the School is required to have one staff governor.

1. Staff Governors will be elected for nomination by their peers wherever reasonably possible;

1. the Staff Governor(s) to be elected must be a currently employed member of the School’s teaching or support staff. 

1. Staff Governors are not eligible to act as Chair of the GB but are eligible to act as Chair of Committees.
2. Co-opted governors are appointed by the Governing Body with the remit of extending the corporate skill mix.
3. As with other categories of governor the usual term of office is 4 years.
4. The LA governor can be proposed by the GB but the appointment must be ratified by the LA.

1. Governors Body Decisions

1. Any decision the GB makes is a group decision. A Governor may vote against a proposal and may request that his or her objection be noted in the minutes. However, once a decision has been made, the GB will stand behind that decision as a united body.

1. Parent and Staff Governors are present on the GB as being representative of the groups which elected them in terms of reporting views; these Governors are in place to bring valuable parental and staff perspectives to their GB.  However they are not obliged to reflect these in conflict with their own judgement when voting in committee.

1. If approached by a parent, staff member or other third party, Governors should make it clear that they have no power to make individual decisions on behalf of the GB, and Governors should never become involved in individual matters, as this would prejudice the application of the appropriate complaints and appeals procedures agreed by the GB.

1. Governing Body Meetings

The Governing Body must meet at least three times a year (one per term). These meetings shall cover issues such as training, receipt of updates, briefings from the Head Teacher and Senior Leadership Team, team-building etc.).

1. Governors’ Communications

In connection with Governors’ communications, the following are agreed:

1. Governors and Third Parties:

1. Governors are representatives of their School. Governors have no authority to make decisions on behalf of the GB unless such authority has been expressly delegated by the whole GB. A third party cannot rely on a statement issued by a single governor without confirming that this is the collective view. This should be borne in mind by all Governors at all times. Accordingly, Governors should make no promises or assurances without the approval of their GB and should avoid expressing personal opinions in communication with third parties.

1. Governors’ meetings are open to the public and Governors have a positive obligation to be open and transparent. However, if Governors are in receipt of information of a genuinely confidential nature  they shall take all reasonable steps to maintain confidentiality and shall immediately inform the Chair of the G B  in the event of any breach (inadvertent or otherwise) of this obligation. 

1. Governors are representatives of their School and should ensure that their behaviour is appropriate.

1. Any correspondence (including emails) received by a Governor which may be considered to be a complaint should be acknowledged without an opinion being expressed and sent immediately to the Clerk to Governors. 

1. Governors and Parents

1. The points detailed above relating to communications with third parties also apply to communications with parents.

1. Governors are actively encouraged to attend parents’ forums, PTA meetings, school events and otherwise to engage with parents. 

1. Governors should not become involved in matters relating to an individual child (except where they are part of a committee expressly formed for that purpose) or communicate individually with a parent about a pupil.

1. Governors and Employees

1. Governors have a strategic role. Day-to-day management of the Schools is delegated to the Heads Teacher. Accordingly, Governors should not become involved in individual employment or performance related matters except where they are part of a committee expressly formed for that purpose. 

1. Governors should bear in mind the requirements of the Governors’ Visits Policy when in contact with employees.  Apart from members of the Senior Leadership Team and Clerk to the Governors, formal contact with  employees should not be made without the approval of the HT

1. A good working relationship with the Senior Leadership Team is essential and Governors should feel free to contact any member of SLT for assistance in carrying out their role. 

1. Governors should contact the HT if there are any difficulties or concerns in respect of any employee (including members of SLT or the Clerk to Governors) and should not discuss such issues directly with the employee.

1. Governors and Governors

1. Communications between fellow Governors should be of a professional standard.

1. Governors have a responsibility to act in an open and transparent way, and any concerns Governors have should be shared either with the full G B or with the Chair in the first instance.  If a Governor feels unable to discuss the matter with the Chair they may discuss such concerns with the Vice-Chair. If such concerns are raised the Chair or Vice Chair shall first take such steps as are necessary to resolve the Governor’s concerns followed, if necessary by discussion with the whole GB. Governors are reminded of their right to requisition a meeting in accordance with the Governance Policy.

1. Code of Practice

The Governors hereby adopt the Code of Practice detailed at Appendix 1, which is based on the model produced for governors of academies by the National Governors’ Association.

1. The Clerk to Governors

1. This policy should be read in conjunction with any job description in place in respect of the Clerk to Governors from time to time. Generally, however, it is agreed that the Clerk to Governors shall:

1. Convene the meetings of the full Governing Body and the Committees

1. The Clerk is required to attend the full GB meetings, the Finance, Resource and Estates meetings and the Pay and Personnel meetings.  If the Clerk to the Governors is unable to attend a meeting the Governors shall appoint another Governor    (but not the Head teacher) to act as secretary for the purposes of that meeting

1. Maintain a register of Governors

1. Maintain a register of attendance by Governors at meetings

1. Maintain the School’s statutory registers

1. Ensure minutes are filed with the statutory registers

1. Provide advice to Governors in relation to the GB constitution

1. Act as a Complaints Officer, which shall include:

1. Receiving and acknowledging expressions of dissatisfaction from third parties (a complaint by an employee will normally be considered a grievance and dealt with under the appropriate procedure)

1. Determining whether the complaints procedure needs to be invoked and taking any necessary steps in that respect

1. Ensuring that the appropriate person is notified of the complaint -  will usually be the HT or his/her nominee, unless the complaint relates to the actions or omissions of the HT, in which case the Clerk to Governors will bring the complaint to the attention of the Chair of Governors.

1. Meetings – before, during and after

In respect of meetings, the agendas and minutes of the Governing Body will be circulated to all Governors by the Clerk to the Governors via Google Drive.   

1. Governors can expect:

1. Other Governors to attend regularly and be punctual;

1. an agenda and relevant documents should be available electronically at least 7 days in advance of any GB meetings.

1. an agenda that makes clear the purpose of each item;

1. the Chair to keep to the agenda, pace the meetings so that time is given to each matter in proportion to its importance, draw on all members for contributions and keep discussions to the point;

1. their contributions to be heard and others to contribute to the discussion;

1. the decision making process to be clear

1. Governors to take collective responsibility for decisions;

1. minutes that summarise views succinctly, record decisions accurately and are made available soon after each meeting.

1. Governors are expected to:

1. attend regularly and be punctual;

1. familiarise themselves with the agenda, minutes and other relevant papers prior to the meeting.

1. bring relevant documentation to the meeting;

1. make  positive contributions;

1. be open to the views of other committee members.

1. accept their share of collective responsibility, even for those decisions that they do not personally agree with.

1. Before the Meeting - the Agenda

1. It shall be the responsibility of the Committee Chair with the Head Teacher and the Clerk to Governors to set the agenda.

1. If a Governor wishes to place an item on the Agenda, he or she will discuss this with the Chair and HT and wherever possible will do so as far in advance of the meeting as possible.

1. Any Other Business (AOB) items are to be avoided if at all possible.

1. The Clerk to Governors will distribute the Agenda in electronic form to all Governors expected to attend, and to all members of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) who are invited to attend. 

1. Supporting papers will be sent out prior to meetings, if possible with the agenda. Documents will only be tabled at the meeting when it is not reasonably practicable to issue these in advance, or when the contents of the document are confidential.

1. The Chair and the Vice Chair will meet regularly with the HT to discuss Governance business.

1. During the Meeting 

1. Attendance: the following is agreed in relation to attendees.

1. All Governors, the HT and the Clerk to Governors have a right to attend all meetings, though individual Governors may be required to leave the room while matters in which they have an interest are discussed. 

1. Staff Governors ( but not the Head teacher and Clerk to the Governors) shall leave the room while matters relating to named colleagues' pay and performance is being discussed unless their staff role relates to finance.   Any staff performance issues should normally be anonymised when  brought to the GB.'

1. The Governors agree that unless specified otherwise (e.g issues of confidentiality) all meetings of the GB and associated Subcommittees shall be open, and members of the public may attend these meetings.

1. Members of the public in attendance shall not normally have the right to address the meeting unless invited to do so by the Governors; if Governors do invite members of the public to address the meeting, Governors should be mindful that the views expressed may not be representative of parents or the community generally.

1. Generally, all members of SLT will be invited to attend full GB meetings; teaching members of SLT will be invited to attend meetings related to teaching and learning issues; non-teaching members of SLT will be invited to attend meetings related to their areas of expertise.

1. In accordance with recommendations issued jointly by the National Governors’ Association, the Association of School and College Leaders and the NAHT, the Governors consider that the SLT should be fully involved in discussions of strategic issues. Members of SLT invited to Governors’ meetings are free to contribute to discussions in meetings, but final decisions relating to strategic matters rest with the Governors.

1. Confidentiality: the following is agreed in relation to confidential matters.

1. The business of the School should be conducted as openly and transparently as possible, but if confidential matters arise, all attendees other than the Governors, the HT and the Clerk to Governors and shall be required to leave the room unless expressly invited to remain by the Governors.

1. Confidential matters include those which relate to a named employee (or prospective employee) or a named pupil (or prospective pupil) of the School, or any other matter which by reason of its nature the Governors are satisfied should remain confidential. Any employee named in minutes is entitled to receive a copy of the relevant minutes if they request them, such minutes to be censored as appropriate to exclude any confidential items not affecting the employee in question.

1. If there is any question as to whether a matter should be considered confidential, the Governors must determine the case by discussion or vote. The matter should not be considered confidential simply by reason of its being of a sensitive nature, though this may be a factor in the Governors’ final decision. 

1. Voting: the following is agreed in relation to voting at meetings.

1. A matter to be decided by vote shall not require a proposer and seconder if the Governors are unanimously in favour of a proposal.

1. If it is not clear that the Governors are unanimously in favour of a proposal, a clearly worded proposal shall be made by a Governor and seconded by another, and the precise wording of the proposal noted by the Clerk to Governors in the minutes. 

1. A majority vote by attending Governors shall be required in order for a proposal to be passed. Abstentions will be considered non-votes, and will not influence the majority decision.

1. It will be necessary only for the Clerk to Governors to record in the minutes whether or not a majority voted in favour of the proposal.

1.   If present, Associate members may not register a vote.

1. After the Meeting

1. The Clerk to Governors or other nominated governor shall prepare minutes as soon as reasonably practicable after the meeting and send copies of the non-confidential parts of the minutes to the Chair of the G B or the relevant Committee and the HT who will consider whether these minutes are a complete reflection of the discussions and decisions of the meeting before their distribution to other Governors.   In the case of disagreement , the Clerk shall be the final arbiter of the format of the recorded minutes

1. Once approved, the Clerk to Governors will distribute electronic copies of these minutes to all Governors on each GB. Any actions detailed within those minutes will be completed in a timely manner.

1. Confidential minutes shall not be distributed by email, but will be tabled at the next meeting of the Governing Body or the relevant Committee for approval.  Any action by the HT which such minutes may require shall be reported at the next committee along with the relevant minutes.

1. Minutes of sub-committees need the additional approval of the other Committee members before they are signed by the relevant Committee Chair and passed to the Clerk to Governors for distribution on the school’s internal electronic systems.

1. Urgent Matters

1. In the event that a matter arises which requires an urgent decision by the Governors between scheduled meetings the following procedure shall apply:

1. The Clerk to Governors shall attempt to convene an urgent meeting of the Governing Body or a Committee with delegated authority to deal with the matter in question, and provided the meeting is quorate (which in most cases shall be one third of the Governing Body for a Governors’ meeting, or three Governors for a Committee meeting) then those Governors who attend the meeting shall have the authority to act on behalf of the GB or the relevant Committee as appropriate.

1. If the decision to be made is capable of being made by a particular Committee but a quorate meeting cannot be called in time to deal with the matter, the Chair of the Governing Body, the Chair of the relevant Committee and the HT shall consider whether they wish to exercise their joint emergency powers under the Committee’s Terms of Reference to deal with the matter and report on the matter at the next meeting of the Committee.

1. If a quorate meeting cannot be convened sufficiently quickly to deal with the matter in question and the joint emergency powers detailed above are to be avoided, the Clerk to Governors shall at the request of the Chair of the Governing Body circulate by email a proposal to the Governing Body (or to the members of a Committee with delegated authority in relation to the decision to be made), and shall request that the Governors vote in response to the proposal by a given date. The proposal shall be deemed to be passed as soon as a majority vote for or against has been attained. This method of making decisions should be considered only as a last resort, and its use shall be the decision of the Chair of Governors.

1. In cases of extreme urgency, the available Chair of the GB shall consider whether it is appropriate to use his/her emergency powers to act on behalf of the GB as detailed in section 3.2 of this policy.

1. In all cases where emergency procedures are used, the Governors shall be fully informed of the reasons for the urgency, and the decisions made shall be noted and defended at the next meeting of the GB or appropriate Committee.

1. Scheme of Delegation

1. Committees and individual Governors have power to make decisions on behalf of the full Governing Body only if this authority has been delegated to them by the said GB. 

1. Powers are usually delegated by the GB to committees in their Terms of Reference and to individuals (in particular the HT and the Chair of Governors) in policies and agreed procedures and protocols.

1. A general scheme of delegation is given in Appendix 2 

1. Governors and the Ofsted Framework
   1. Governors are expected to be fully aware of the key principles of the latest Ofsted framework and to have a sufficient working knowledge of the School Improvement Plan together with the School’s strengths, weaknesses and strategies for improvement to be able to give effective support to the Head Teacher during an Ofsted inspection
   2. Link Governors for English, Mathematics, Special Educational Needs, Religious Education, EYFS and Pre-school,  Safeguarding and Health & Safety are expected to liaise with the Senior Leadership Team and other members of School staff in order to be familiar with results, statistics and all other aspects of these specialist areas.  In the event of an Ofsted inspection, all Governors and in particular those with special responsibilities should make every effort to be present in the School and available for questioning by the Inspector  

APPENDICES

Appendix 1

Code of Practice of the Governing Body

The Governing Body is the Cerne Abbas CE VC First School’s accountable body.  It is responsible for the conduct of the school and for ensuring that all children are provided with a good education and that their well-being is supported.  

The Governing Body:

• Determines the strategic direction of the school by:
  • defining its values, aims and objectives and the framework for achieving these
  • setting statutory targets 
  • underpinning  strategy including approving the budget and agreeing the staffing structure  

• Challenges and supports the school by monitoring, reviewing and evaluating:
  • implementation and effectiveness of the policy framework
  • progress towards targets
  • strategies for improvement
  • budget and the staffing structure

• Ensures accountability by:
  • signing off the Self Evaluation Form or the equivalent
  • responding to Ofsted reports when necessary
  • holding the Head Teacher to account for the performance of the school
  • ensuring parents and pupils are involved, consulted and informed as appropriate 
  • making information available to the community 

• Appoints the Head Teacher who will deliver the agreed aims and policies for the School including the curriculum. The HT will report regularly to the Governing Body and undergo annual performance review.

For the Governing Body to carry out its role effectively, Governors must be:

• Prepared and equipped to take their responsibilities seriously; 
• Acknowledged as the accountable body by the lead professionals; 
• Supported by the appropriate authorities in that task; and
• Willing and able to monitor and review their own performance.

The role of a Governor

In law the Governing Body is a corporate body, which means:

• No Governor can act on her/his own without proper authority from the full Governing Body; 
• All Governors carry equal responsibility for decisions made, and 
• Although appointed through different routes (i.e. parents, staff, Local Authority appointed, foundation, community), the overriding concern of all Governors has to be the welfare of the school that they serve.

General 

• Governors should understand the purpose of the Governing Body and the role of the  Head Teacher as set out above. 
• Governors should be aware of the Nolan seven principles of public life, and will be required to read and become signatories of the following:

We accept that:

• we have no legal authority to act individually, except when the Governing Body has given us delegated authority to do so
• we have a duty to act fairly and without prejudice in all matters
• we will encourage transparent government 
• we have collective responsibility for all decisions made by the Governing Body or its delegated agents. 
• we will not speak out against majority decisions
• we will consider how our decisions may affect the community and other schools
• we have responsibility for maintaining and developing the ethos of our School and its reputation. 
• we will follow agreed procedure in responding to criticism of or complaints against our School.

Commitment 

• We will be actively involved in the work of the Governing Body.
• We will where possible attend all meetings of the Governing Body but give advance warning of unavoidable absence.
• Our visits to any member school will be arranged in advance with staff and undertaken within the framework established by the School’s Visits Policy.
• We will undertake training relevant to our duties as Governors.
• We will support the HT but will require evidence based management of the school and will challenge decisions if this is absent.

Relationships 

• We will strive to work as a team in which constructive working relationships are actively promoted. 
• We will express views openly, courteously and respectfully in all our communications with other Governors.
• We will acknowledge the effort, work and skills of fellow Governors.
• We will seek to develop effective working relationships with the HT, staff and parents, the local authority and other relevant agencies and the community. 

Confidentiality 

• We will observe complete confidentiality where necessary. 
• We will exercise prudence if discussions regarding local school or strategic business arise outside a Governing Body meeting and will not impart confidential material to other agencies. 
• We will not reveal the details of any Governing Body vote.

Conflicts of interest

• We will record any pecuniary or other business interest that we have in connection with the Governing Bodys’ business in the Register of Business Interests.
• We will declare any pecuniary interest - or a personal interest which could be perceived as a conflict of interest - in a matter under discussion at a meeting and offer to leave the meeting for the appropriate length of time. 

Breach of this code of practice

• Any evidence of breach of confidentiality shall be brought to the attention of the chair or vice chair and subsequently raised at a GB meeting.

The Seven Principles of Public Life 

(Originally published by the Nolan Committee:  The Committee on Standards in Public Life was established by the then Prime Minister in October 1994, under the Chairmanship of Lord Nolan, to consider standards of conduct in various areas of public life, and to make recommendations). 

Selflessness 

Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest. They should not do so in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends. 

Integrity 

Holders of public office should not place themselves under any financial or other obligation to outside individuals or organisations that might seek to influence them in the performance of their official duties. 

Objectivity 

In carrying out public business, including making public appointments, awarding contracts, or recommending individuals for rewards and benefits, holders of public office should make choices on merit. 

Accountability 

Holders of public office are accountable for their decisions and actions to the public and must submit themselves to whatever scrutiny is appropriate to their office. 

Openness 

Holders of public office should be as open as possible about all the decisions and actions that they take. They should give reasons for their decisions and restrict information only when the wider public interest clearly demands. 

Honesty 

Holders of public office have a duty to declare any private interests relating to their public duties and to take steps to resolve any conflicts arising in a way that protects the public interest. 

Leadership 

Holders of public office should promote and support these principles by leadership and example. 

Appendix 2

GOVERNING BODYS’ DECISION PLANNER