The Clerk to the governing body is employed by, and answerable to, the governing body. While some clerks combine the role with a school-based post, others do not. Clerks fulfil a vital role for the governing body and their effectiveness will impact on that of the whole governing body. Clerking the meetings of the governing body may be too great a workload for one person, so may be shared between more than one person: one person clerking full governing body meetings while another/others clerk committees. This arrangement is often the best practical solution to obtaining good clerking, but it is essential that all those involved in clerking meetings of a governing body follow common practice and develop good communication.
The key responsibilities of clerks are:
- to take the lead in convening meetings
- to produce high quality paperwork to agreed timescales
- to be responsible for preparing, circulating and storing governing body paperwork
- to advise the governing body on procedural, legal and other matters
- to work proactively in helping to organise the governing body's work
- to keep accurate records on governing body membership and to help to ensure vacancies are filled promptly
- to undertake training to keep up to date with legislative and other changes
Clerks are the first point of contact for the governing body and can be reached via the school or college address. Even though it may be perceived that the job will not attract many applicants due to the small number of hours required over the year, it is essential that all aspects of clerks' employment follows normal good practice.
9194Guidance on the recruitment, appointment and develpment of a clerk to the governing body of a school or college.
Training
We offer a training session for all new clerks as part of its subscription service, as well as the very popular Clerks' Update which is held every autumn term. We also offer courses to improve skills such as Effective Minute Taking.