Clerk to the Governing Body

This is a part time position and the hours will be required to cycle around Governor meetings, to include being in school, preparation beforehand and minutes immediately after.

There will be a requirement for effective and timely communication of availability in school.

Working days can be discussed at interview. Working hours will be annualised rather than the same every week due to the nature of this role.

The Clerk to the Governing Body will be responsible for the following duties:

General Purpose

The Clerk to the Governing Body will be:

· Responsible to the Secretary of the Academy Trust, who will be their Line Manager, working effectively with the Chair of Governors and with the Headteacher and other Governors;

· responsible for advising the Governing Body on constitutional matters, duties and powers and the broad current legislative framework;

· responsible for securing the continuity of Governing Body business and observe confidentiality requirements.

Meetings

· work effectively with the Chair, Headteacher and committee Chairs before full Governing Body meetings and Governors' committee meetings to prepare a purposeful agenda which takes account of government issues and is focused on school improvement;

· ensure the Headteacher and others produce agenda papers on time;

· produce, collate and distribute agenda papers for full Governing Body meetings and committee meetings within agreed time frame;

· prepare briefing papers for the Governing Body as necessary;

· produce termly planner of meetings and cycle of agenda items for meetings of the Governing Body and its committees;

· record the attendance of Governors at the meeting and take appropriate action re absences;

· advise the Governing Body on governance legislation and procedural matters where necessary;

· take minutes at all Governing Body meetings, including committee meetings, indicating who is responsible for any agreed action;

· record all decisions accurately and objectively with timescales for actions;

· send draft minutes to the Chair, relevant Committee Chair and Headteacher for amendment/approval;

· email the approved draft to all Governors within the timescale agreed with the Governing Body and include hard copies with agenda papers for the next meeting;

· advise absent Governors of the date of the next meeting and ensure they receive any tabled papers;

· keep a minute book or file of signed minutes as an archive record;

· liaise with the Chair and Headteacher prior to the next meeting to receive an update on progress of actions agreed previously by the Governing Body;

· Help the secretary of the Trust to organise the part of the meeting at which the Chair is elected.

General

· manage the elections of parents and staff Governors;

· be the named person in exclusion letters for parents/carers to contact if necessary and in case of appeals;

· clerk Exclusions, Complaint ,Disciplinary and Appeal Panels;

· maintain a file of relevant DfE and other relevant documents;

· maintain archive materials;

· To ensure compliance, organise and collate the declarations of interest register.

Membership

· advise the Governing Body on procedural issues;

· have access to appropriate legal advice, support and guidance;

· ensure that new Governors have copies of the Governing Body's Articles of Association, the Academy Trust Handbook and any other relevant information;

· participate in and contribute to the training of Governors in areas appropriate to the clerking role;

· ensure that statutory policies are in place and revised regularly and that an up to date file is kept in school of policies and procedures approved by the Governing Body;

· send an updated list of policies to all Governors at least annually, ensuring that those policies on the school website are the most current;

· deal with any correspondence that the Chair may require eg response to parents' complaints or queries and maintain records of Governing Body correspondence;

· maintain an up to date contact list of governing body members.

Professional Development

· Undertake appropriate professional development;

· keep up-to-date with current educational developments and legislation affecting school governance.