code of conduct for governors

Many school governors will have experience of similar roles from their working lives or as trustees of other charities, and may therefore wonder whether there is a need for their Board of Governors to have a formal code of conduct. With the new public benefit reporting regime having come into effect for schools’ 2009 financial years, governors may feel that this is an opportune time for introducing a code as a means of ensuring that their boards are fully focused on these new requirements.

Establishing a code of conduct can also have benefits for governors who are new to trusteeship by clarifying the responsibilities and expected behaviour of the trustees individually and as a board, and setting out the relationships between the board and the management of the charity.

More experienced trustees, who are familiar with their own individual and collective responsibilities, may still benefit from a formalisation of policies such as those relating to management of conflicts and dispute resolution. Setting out such policies before they become necessary will assist the smooth running of the board by ensuring that they are formulated in a fair and equitable manner, rather than in the heat of the moment.

Accordingly, your code of conduct should reflect the size and complexity of the charity which your board governs. A small organisation, with a small board of governors, might only need a relatively simple code, whereas a larger and more diverse board might need a more extensive code.

Tom Brain
senior audit manager | 020 7969 5670
tbrain@haysmacintyre.com