Report to:

County Consultative Committee

 

Date of meeting:

 

19th November 2025

By:

Charlotte Johnstone

Title:

Local Authority Governor appointments and Governor and Clerking Service Update for Councillors

Purpose:

To update Councillors on the nomination for appointment of local authority governors and governor training

 

RECOMMENDATIONS

1) For information

1          Background

1.1       The local authority has a statutory duty to approve nominations for local authority governors. Once nominated, schools then appoint local authority governors onto their governing board. 

1.2       This report provides a summary of local authority governor applications approved for nomination, and information about the level of governor vacancies across the county. 

2          Supporting information

2.1         Since the report sent to Councillors on the 9th July 2025, 10 local authority governors were nominated for appointment, all were approved for a 4 year term of office. These were formed of 6 reapplications and 4 new applications.

 

Susan Halliwell

Wivelsfield Primary School

Reapplication

Alan Brundle

Pioneer Federation

Reapplication

Carol Powell

Maynards Green Community Primary School

New Application

Gabriella Paterson-Griggs

High Hurstwood CE Primary School

New Application

Emma Robinson

St Marks CEP School

New Application

Noah Curthoys

Priory School

Reapplication

Miquela Walsh

Bewl Federation

Reapplication

Sarah White

Willingdon Community School

Reapplication

Yvette Aeberhard

Alfriston Primary School

Reapplication

Alison Flynn

Oak Tree Federation

New application

 

2.2         The Governor and Clerking Service have started the new academic year needing to support a number of schools with complaints. The complexity of the complaints varies, though from our experience and in discussion with governors across East Sussex, complaints are increasingly related to SEND provision and safeguarding concerns. The Governor and Clerking Service have worked closely with colleagues across the departments within Children’s Services to provide timely and appropriate support to schools who are managing the complaints process.

The Governor and Clerking Service are repeatedly urging governors, clerks and headteachers to engage with complaints training so that all boards are prepared to manage a complaint and understand the crucial point that they need to follow their complaints policy and procedure. We are anticipating new guidance from the government in relation to management of school complaints and will respond to this by updating our training programme when the new guidance has been issued.
The Governor and Clerking Service also frequently receive requests for an ‘independent governor’ to support a governing board with a complaint. This may be a governor who will undertake the Stage 2 investigation, or a governor to sit on or chair a Stage 3 panel. When we receive a request for an independent governor, we put this request out to governors across East Sussex, and we find that we consistently receive a large response from many governors who say they can help. We would like to recognise and thank those governors who take on this additional responsibility and who give up their own time to support schools beyond their own. We know the complaints process is often complex, emotionally draining and time-consuming work, and want to convey our sincere thanks and appreciation of the hard but often overlooked work of governors, clerks and headteachers.

 

2.3         In the first term of this new academic year, the Governor and Clerking Service were pleased to attend the ESGF-led governor forum on the topic of ‘Good Governor Inductions’. The ESGF spoke about practical advice around how to properly induct new governors to boards, and the reasons why the induction process is so important. Positively, this session had 18 governors and clerks from 16 different governing boards in attendance and there was a great amount of discussion.
The Governor and Clerking Service would like to thank the ESGF for facilitating numerous networking sessions that allow governors to informally share their questions, concerns or best practice and new ideas. This in turn allows governing boards to discover, develop and grow and allows the Governor and Clerking Service to hear examples of great governance and areas where support for governors could be developed.

 

2.4         The Governor and Clerking Service training programme has begun for this new academic year. New sessions include looking at transition, relationships on the governing board, how to have courageous conversations, and succession planning for headteacher’s. These topics all support our overarching Excellence for All Vision. The Governor and Clerking Service work closely with Education Division colleagues and our governor consultants to respond to changes within the education landscape, and we await further information and updates from the DfE, especially on developments around SEND policy (now expected in the new year) and the curriculum review. We have now received the governments new plans for Ofsted inspections, and we plan to update and develop new training around Ofsted inspections for governors in the new year to coincide with overall feedback once schools receive the first Ofsted grades in January.

 

2.5         Since the County Consultative Committee last met in July 2025, there have been 55 new governor appointments in maintained schools. This figure is roughly the same as reported in the previous 3-month gap between the meetings of the County Consultative Committee.  Due to the way that tenure dates work on governing boards, and the rapid change that can sometimes occur in board membership it is not possible for us to determine how many governors have left their role. However, where schools have issues with retention our service can support with bespoke recruitment. The Governor and Clerking Service are acutely aware of the sometimes-challenging task of recruiting governors and the difficulties that boards can face when they hold many vacancies. In response to this, the Governor and Clerking Service are undertaking work to utilise social media where possible, to allow us to promote the role of the governor and reach wider audiences to hopefully increase engagement. Positively, in term 1 of this academic year, we have received a handful of expressions of interest from prospective governors that have been shared with the appropriate governing board holding vacancies. Our aim is to build on this process and offer further support to boards with governor recruitment.

 

2.6       Clerking: Since the County Consultative Committee last met in July 2025, there have been no new clerk inductions provided to maintained schools, though two are booked to take place over the next few weeks. Clerk inductions offer the welcome to new clerks and also ensure that new clerks are aware of the basic expectations of their role, the key tasks they need to complete and the training available to support their knowledge and development. This is a lower number than our average, however the Governor and Clerking Service has been working closely with boards holding vacancies for Clerk to Governors to recruit quickly. We have found that some current ESCC Clerks are interested in expanding the number of boards they clerk for. We therefore have put these interested clerks in touch with Chairs and Headteachers who have vacancies to see if they are the right fit. We have supported several schools with recruiting clerks in this manner over the past few months, which reduced the length of time that governing boards were without substantive clerks, and also has meant that governing boards are recruiting clerks with a great deal of experience and knowledge of clerking in East Sussex schools.

The Locum Clerk Service has also been a beneficial service this term, with our locum clerks supporting 4 meetings across 4 schools since the County Consultative Committee last met in July 2025.

Our ESCC certified course for Clerks, the Excellence in Clerking Programme will run its fourth cohort in the new year and we are looking forward to meeting with our new cohort. We are also especially pleased with the encouragement from Chairs of Governors who have supported their Clerks to engage with accessing CPD to help them develop in their role.

 

Charlotte Johnstone
Project Officer

Contact Officer: Charlotte Johnstone
Email: Charlotte.Johnstone@eastsussex.gov.uk