Clerk to The Governing Board

Seva School
**Governance Professional Job description**
**The ethos of Seva School is grounded in the Sikh faith, entwined with British Values.**

Our ethos is one of Selfless Service, Excellence, Virtues and Aspiration, with our named virtues being: kindness, courage, honesty, tolerance respect and responsibility. Our school aims to promote an active sense of citizenship and regard for sarbat dha ballah (common good of all). At Seva School, our aim is for our whole community to actively live and breathe all that the Sikh faith encompasses and modern British Values promote.
Employment details
**Job title**:
Clerk to the governing board

**Reports to (job title)**:
The governing board and headteacher

**Hours of work**:
180 hours per week

**Salary**:
Hourly rate £13.50 to £15.50
Main duties/responsibilities
**General**

Advise the trust board on governance, procedural, and constitutional matters, in accordance with relevant legislation, and statutory guidance such as the ‘Governance handbook’.

Provide administrative support to the trust board and its committees.

Ensure the trust board is correctly constituted.

Effectively manage information in accordance with legal requirements.

**Advising the governing board**

Provide the trust board with information on procedural matters before, during and after meetings, ensuring this is in line with the articles of association

Act as the first point of contact for trustees ─ answering questions concerning procedural matters, and issues relating to the structure of governance and scheme of delegation.

Access the appropriate legal advice, support and guidance from third parties on behalf of the trust board.

Keep the trust board up-to-date with any changes in legislation which are likely to effect the governance of the school.

Keep the trust board up-to-date with both local and national educational themes and any related guidance.

Offer advice to trustees on best practice in school management, such as self-evaluations and committee structures.

Advise the trust board on their responsibilities in relation to policies and ensure there is a process in place for the review of policies and their publication on the school website, as per statutory guidelines.

Keep the trust board up-to-date with the annual calendar of trust board meetings.

Take responsibility for the induction of new trustees, ensuring they have access to all relevant documents and information.

Offer advice to the trust board on succession planning regarding the impending expiry of trustees terms of office.

Guide the trust board in managing conflicts of interest.

Ensure each agenda is planned to prompt trustees to declare any new or existing conflicts of interest.

**Administration of meetings**

Recommend to the trust board methods and processes for the successful administration of meetings, and distribution and filing of information.

Work alongside the principal and chair of trustees to prepare an agenda for the full trust board meetings.

Work alongside the principal and the chairs of each committee of the trust board to prepare agendas for committee meetings.

Ensure that all the appropriate paperwork is ready before meetings, and distributed to trust in line with the terms of reference.

Record attendance at all meetings, taking responsibility for dealing with absences, including providing absent trustees with details of upcoming meetings.

Ensure all meetings are quorate, and advise the relevant chair if the meeting is not quorate.

Draft minutes of all trust board meetings, including who is responsible for the agreed action and the expected timescales.

Demonstrate an awareness of confidentiality when recording sensitive discussions and decisions, and ensure that confidential minutes are recorded and distributed appropriately.

Distribute the reviewed draft minutes to all trustees, the principal and other relevant individuals and bodies, and ensure draft minutes are agreed at the following meeting.

Follow up on any agreed action points with those responsible, keeping the chair informed of any progress.

Advise trustees in the event of meetings not being conducted in a proper or orderly manner, or not in the spirit of effective and ethical governance.

**Membership**

Keep the trust board informed of any upcoming expiries in membership to allow appointments and elections to be planned in advance.

Implement transparent processes for the election and appointment of trustees and maintain accurate records of the outcome.

Chair the meeting where the official chair is to be elected, providing information and guidance on the election processes and procedures.

Oversee the Declared Conflicts of Interest Register for each member of the trust board.

Regularly review and update the Declared Conflicts of Interest Register of all trustees.

Monitor attendance at trustee meetings, advising the chair of any potential disqualifications through inadequate attendance.

**Information management**