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Foundation Governor Appointments

Information and forms for the appointment and reappointment of Foundation Governors in Church of England schools, including processes, deadlines, and supporting guidance

Appointment Process & Forms for Foundation Governors to be Appointed by the Hereford Diocesan Board of Education (HDBE)

New Foundation Governor Appointments and Reappointments

To commence the Foundation Governor Appointment or Reappointment process, please click on the following link to request an application form. 

Within 5 working days of your request, we will send an email via Docusign (a safe and secure online system) asking the candidate to complete and sign our online application form. 

Once the completed form is submitted it will workflow to your school’s headteacher, chair of the governing board and incumbent or representative clergy for their authorisation signatures.  If your appointment includes a nomination by the PCC, they will also be contacted to confirm their nominations details.

For further guidance, please find below the processes for appointments and reappointment (please click on the purple boxes to access the documents):

Process for new AppointmentsProcess for Reappointments

Deadlines for Completing Appointment and Reappointment Forms

From the 1st September 2025 all Foundation Governor appointments and building consents will go before a new HDBE Consents Sub-Committee in advance of the full HDBE meeting.  This is to ensure that all consents are reviewed and processed thoroughly in an efficient manner.  Each decision is reported to the full board at the HDBE meeting and any applications that the sub-committee or officers deem to be particularly complex would continue to be brought to the full board meeting for consideration.

Having a gap in a term of office or a vacancy on the Governing Body can be inconvenient and may cause difficulties that can easily be avoided. It is important therefore to ensure that applications are submitted in good time so that they can be processed and approved without leaving a gap. The following schedule of dates is intended to clarify the timescales within which paperwork needs to be submitted and completed (i.e. to include all authorising signatures and any required confirmation of PCC nomination).

Please ensure all applications are submitted in a timely manner as detailed below:

If reappointing for terms of office ending:Closing date for receipt of application documentsHDBE Consents Sub-Committee Meeting DateHDBE Meeting Date
Up until the end of November 2026Friday 3rd July 202616th July 202623rd September 2026
Up until the end of January 2027Friday 8th October 202622nd October 202624th November 2026
Up until the end of March 2027Friday 8th January 202721st January 20278th February 2027
Up until the end of April,2027Friday 19th February 20274th March 202718th March 2027
Up until the end of May 2027Friday 16th April 202727th April 202710th May 2027
Up until the end of July 2027Friday 4th June 202717th June 20277th July 2027
Up until the end of November 2027Friday 2nd July 202715th July 202729th September 2027
Up until the end of January 2028Friday 22nd October 20274th November 202718th November 2027

If you have any questions regarding the submission of appointment or reappointment forms for Foundation Governors, in the first instance, please contact the Education Team.

HDBE documents relating to Foundation Governors:

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