Board Governance Compliance Checklist (UK)

A free downloadable checklist for headteachers, chairs of governors and clerks — what should happen before, during and after every governing body meeting.

Most governance failures aren't failures of intent — they're failures of process: packs arriving late, finance presented verbally, decisions made but not recorded, actions assigned but never followed up. Use this checklist to close those gaps.

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1. Before the Meeting

• Pack circulated at least five working days before the meeting
• Agenda confirmed and included in the pack
• Previous minutes drafted and included for approval
• Headteacher's report prepared — school developments, staffing, and issues requiring governing body attention
• Safeguarding standing item included — the DSL's report, or a note that there are no new matters
• Finance report included — income and expenditure against approved budget, with bank/cashflow position
• Policies for approval listed and included, with a recommendation from the headteacher
• Items requiring formal decision clearly flagged
• Previous actions reviewed, with status updates

2. During the Meeting

• Attendance and quorum noted at the start of the minutes
• Conflicts of interest declared, with the relevant governor absent from that item's discussion and vote
• Previous minutes formally approved (or approved with noted amendments)
• Each agenda item recorded with sufficient detail to show it was considered
• All formal decisions recorded clearly — outcome (approved / approved with amendments / deferred / not approved) and effective date
• Policy approvals recorded by policy name and version
• Finance report noted, with confirmation the governing body reviewed and accepted the position
• Safeguarding item recorded — even if nothing new was reported
• Actions assigned with person responsible and deadline
• Date of next meeting confirmed

3. After the Meeting

• Minutes drafted and circulated within two weeks of the meeting
• Policy decisions written back to the policy register (version, approval date, outcome)
• Actions tracked — owner, deadline, and a check-in process
• Finance commitments actioned (payments or budget adjustments processed)
• DfE guidance responses actioned where agreed
• Deferred items carried forward explicitly to the next agenda

4. Policy Approvals and Finance Oversight — Spot Check

Policy approvals

• Policy name and version appear in the minutes
• Outcome recorded (approved / approved with amendments / deferred)
• Approved version published where required
• Child protection policy review formally considered by the governing body at least annually (KCSIE)

Finance oversight

• Annual budget approved before the school year begins
• Finance updates received and noted at meetings throughout the year
• Any out-of-budget expenditure brought to the governing body
• End-of-year accounts presented and accepted
• SFVS declaration and any resulting action plan recorded as a formal governing body action

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This checklist is a practical readiness guide for governance self-review. It does not constitute legal advice or a guarantee of Ofsted compliance — always confirm current requirements against the latest DfE Governance Handbook and KCSIE guidance.

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Source article: Board Governance Compliance Checklist: What Every UK School Must Have in Place