Foundation Governors

Church schools have "Foundation Governors" as well as 'parent', 'staff' and other categories of Governor. The title "Foundation Governor" relates to the fact they are appointed by the school's founding body - the Church.

Foundation governors are responsible carrying out the core functions of the governing board, however they play a core role in ensuring that a church school’s deeply Christian character, serving those of all faiths and none, is well understood and promoted.

This responsibility is carried by all governors in a church school and includes:

• preserving the links between church, school and diocese
• ensuring that diocesan education policy is upheld and promoted
• ensuring that suitable training for foundation governors is accessed on a regular basis
• ensuring that collective worship and religious education (RE) at the school are appropriately monitored
• ensuring that collective worship and religious education at the school follow the appropriate guidelines and/or syllabus
• keeping abreast of changes to the RE Statement for Entitlement or the Agreed Syllabus for RE in the Local Authority in which the school is situated
• bringing to the attention of the Ely Diocesan Education Committee (EDEC) any matters requiring external support regarding the school
• ensuring that the deeply Christian vision of the school is embedded and promoted throughout its community and is reflected in its policies and protocols, curriculum, activities and relationships
• ensuring that their own attitudes and behaviour in relation to the school, its staff and the wider community reflect distinctive Christian values
• taking an active role in the SIAMS process.

Recruitment of Foundation Governors

It is a local level responsibility to recruit foundation governors and the DBE responsibility to appoint foundation governors.

Please refer to the following guidance for the recruitment and nomination process:

Governance Guidance – Nominating Foundation Governors

Foundation Governor Application Form

For further guidance on how to remove a Foundation Governor please click on the following link:

Governance Guidance - Removal of a Foundation Governor

Please note that the EDEC Board meets three times a year to consider foundation governor applications.  All applications should be emailed as described on the application form.

Do not hesitate to contact Jacqueline McCamphill at Jacqueline.mccamphill@elydiocese.org if you have any questions or require any support in this regard.