Charity Commission publishes new guidance for school and academy governors

The Charity Commission, together with the governor recruitment charity SGOSS and DfE, has produced guidance for governors of academies, foundation schools and voluntary schools.  The guide

Introduction to charity law for governors of academies, foundation and voluntary schoolssummarises the responsibilities of governors and explains where they can find further information.

Foundation schools, voluntary schools and academy trusts are exempt charities under the Charities Act 2011.  That means that, although they are not registered with the Charity Commission, governors of these schools or directors of an academy trust must nonetheless comply with their duties as charity trustees.  The new guide will be a useful aid for these schools and academies and will be supplemented by a new concise handbook to be published in spring 2013 by DfE, which will replace The Governors’ Guide to the Law.

In addition, the Charity Commission has published a new Trustees Handbook, which aims to ensure a smooth handover between departing and newly appointed trustees and to inform new trustees about their duties and responsibilities.

If you have any questions about school governance, please contact Chris Hook on 0191 211 7929.