1^st November 2022

Dear Parent/Guardian,

There is a vacancy for a parent governor on our school’s governing board and I am writing to invite nominations to fill the vacancy.  Parent governors are elected by and from other parents and are vital to our board of governors.  They share equally with other governors the responsibility for carrying out the board’s wide range of responsibilities and play an important role as members of the governing board, which is responsible for promoting high standards of educational achievement.  The term of office for parent governors as determined by the governing board is four years.

Governors do not run the school day to day, as their role is at the strategic or policy-making level in the school.  You do not have to be an expert in education to be a school governor, and we value the experience that all governors bring to the role.  Training is available for all governors and those new to being a governor are encouraged to attend induction training.  It is important parent governors have a keen interest in the school, are prepared to play an active part in the boards work, regularly attend board meetings, time to give to this role (some of which will need to be during the school day) and are willing to attend governor training. Information overleaf gives brief details of the role of governors.

If you would like to stand for election, please arrange for the attached nomination form to be completed and returned to the school not later than 12 noon on 17^th November 2022. Paper copies of the nomination form are available at the school office should you need one.  Nominations must be from parents or carers with children at the school on the day that nominations close.  Parents/carers putting their names forward are invited to provide a brief personal statement limited to not more than 60 words identifying your suitability for the position. If a ballot is needed this statement will be copied and sent to the other parents at the school with the ballot paper.  Parents/carers who have paid employment in the school for 500 hours per academic year or more or who are elected members of the Local Authority are not eligible to stand in these elections.  Once you have completed your forms, please return them in a sealed envelope and post in the box at the main reception.

‘Declaration of Eligibility’ summarises the qualifications to serve as a governor.  Anyone standing for election must certify that he/she is not disqualified for any reason and sign this form. Additionally, it is a requirement that all governors must hold an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificate.

On the closing date for the receipt of nominations, where the number of candidates is the same as or fewer than the number of vacancies, all candidates will be duly elected unopposed. If, however, there are more candidates than vacancies, an election by secret ballot will be held and voting papers will be sent to all parents/guardians in the school with details of the ballot procedure.

If you would like to know a little more about becoming a parent governor, you are welcome to contact me.

Yours faithfully,

Anna Cvijetic

Headteacher

Brief Details of the Role of Governors - The Board of Berkeley Primary School

Declaration of Eligibility

Qualifications and disqualifications (regulation 17 and Schedule 4 to the Regulations) School Governance (Constitution) (England) Regulations 2012 or the School Governance (Federations) (England) Regulations 2012.

Grounds for disqualification fall into three broad categories:

• general grounds;

• grounds that apply to particular categories of governor; and

• grounds that arise because of particular failings or actions on the part of the governor.

All the grounds for disqualification apply also to associate members except that associate members can be registered pupils at the school and can be under 18.

General grounds

Registered pupils cannot be governors.

A governor must be aged 18 or over at the time of election or appointment.

A person cannot hold more than one governor post at the same school at the same time.

Grounds that apply to particular categories of governor

A person is disqualified from being a parent governor if they are an elected member of the LA or paid to work at the school for more than 500 hours (i.e. for more than one-third of the hours of a full-time equivalent) in any consecutive twelve month period at the time of election or appointment.

A person is disqualified from being a local authority governor if they are eligible to be a staff governor at the school.

A person is disqualified from being a partnership governor if they are:

• a parent of a registered pupil at the school;

• eligible to be a staff governor at the school;

• an elected member of the local authority; or

• employed by the local authority in connection with its education functions.

Grounds that arise because of particular failings or actions on the part of the governor

A person is disqualified from being a governor of a particular school if they have failed to attend the meetings of the governing body of that school for a continuous period of six months, beginning with the date of the first meeting they failed to attend, without the consent of the governing body. This does not apply to the head teacher or to foundation governors appointed by virtue of their office.

A foundation, local authority, co-opted or partnership governor at the school who is disqualified for failing to attend meetings is only disqualified from being a governor of any category at the school during the twelve month period starting on the date on which they were disqualified.

A person is disqualified from holding or continuing to hold office as a governor of a school if, in summary, that person:

• is the subject of a bankruptcy restrictions order; an interim bankruptcy restrictions order; debt relief restrictions order; an interim debt relief restrictions order; or their estate has been sequestrated and the sequestration has not been discharged, annulled or reduced;

• is subject to a disqualification order or disqualification undertaking under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986; a disqualification order under the Companies (Northern Ireland) Order 2002; a disqualification undertaking accepted under the Company Directors Disqualification (Northern Ireland) Order 2002; or an order made under section 429(2)(b) of the Insolvency Act 1986 (failure to pay under county court administration order);

• has been removed from the office of trustee for a charity by an order made by the Charity Commission or Commissioners or High Court on grounds of any misconduct or mismanagement in the administration of the charity, or under section 34 of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 from being concerned in the management or control of any body;

• is included in the list of people considered by the Secretary of State as unsuitable to work with children or young people;

• is barred from any regulated activity relating to children;

• is subject to a direction of the Secretary of State under section 142 of the Education Act 2002 or section 128 of the Education and Skills Act 2008;

• is disqualified from working with children or from registering for child-minding or providing day care;

• is disqualified from being an independent school proprietor, teacher or employee by the Secretary of State;

• subject to certain exceptions for overseas offences that do not correlate with a UK offence, has been sentenced to three months or more in prison (without the option of a fine) in the five years ending with the date preceding the date of appointment/election as a governor or since becoming a governor;

• subject to certain exceptions for overseas offences that do not correlate with a UK offence, has received a prison sentence of two and a half years or more in the 20 years ending with the date preceding the date of appointment/election as a governor

• subject to certain exceptions for overseas offences that do not correlate with a UK offence, has at any time received a prison sentence of five years or more;

• has been convicted and fined for causing a nuisance or disturbance on school or educational premises during the five years ending with the date immediately preceding appointment/election or since appointment or election as a governor;

• refuses a request by the clerk to make an application to the Disclosure and Barring Service for a criminal records certificate.

Anyone proposed or serving as a governor who is disqualified for one of these reasons must notify the clerk to the governing body.

Would you please confirm that you are willing and eligible to stand by signing the declaration below.

I declare that I am the parent or guardian of a pupil registered at the school and I am not disqualified from serving on a school governing board. If I become disqualified I will give notice of the fact to the clerk to the governing body.

I will agree to a Disclosure and Barring check (DBS Check).

Signed: __________________________________________________ Date: _________________

ELECTION OF PARENT GOVERNOR

NOMINATION FORM FOR BERKELEY PRIMARY SCHOOL

NAME:                                     ..................................................................................

                                                (Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms/other)

ADDRESS:                               ..................................................................................

                                                ..................................................................................

                                                ..................................................................................

I have a child at the school and do not work at the school for more than 500 hours in any consecutive 12-month period and am not an elected member of the Local Authority. I confirm that I am willing to stand as a candidate for election as a parent and that I am not disqualified from holding office for any of the reasons set out in the School Governance Regulations.

SIGNED:                                 ..................................................................................

SECONDED* BY: NAME  :     ..................................................................................

(Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms/other)

ADDRESS:                               .................................................................................

                                                .................................................................................

                                                .................................................................................

SIGNATURE:                           .............................................................................

*The seconder must be a parent of a pupil at the school.