Governance

What is a Foundation Governor?

Foundation Governors are appointed in the name of the bishop and form the majority of the governing body of a Catholic school. They have a legal duty to preserve and develop the Catholic character of the school and to ensure that the school is conducted in accordance with its trust deed.  Governing boards have three core functions:

• ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
• holding executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the organisation and its pupils, and the performance management of staff; and
• overseeing the financial performance of the organisation and making sure its money is well spent.

The ministry of Foundation Governor is an important one, because the Catholic character of our schools depends on committed Catholics being willing to undertake this service. Bishop Marcus is therefore very appreciative of all those who offer to assist him in this vital task.

There are two main types of governor

1) a foundation director under company and charity law appointed to the board of an academy trust. This role is more onerous and focused on the strategic responsibilities of the board and bringing the right skill set is particularly important. If you have the professional background to serve the diocese in this way, please see more details on the ‘Foundation Directors’ page

2) a foundation governor who serves on a governing body of a school or an academy council governor both serving a school or academy at the local level ensuring relationships are built with local parishes and community. If this is the role that interests you please see the pages on ‘Foundation Governance’