Board Member Search Education

Board Member Search for Education Bodies

Finding the right governor or trustee is one of the most important things an education board does, and one of the hardest. Boards need people with specific skills, such as finance, HR, law, estates or safeguarding, who understand the difference between governance and management and who have time to give to a role that is usually unpaid. Most boards rely on word of mouth, which tends to recruit people like the existing members and leaves skills gaps unfilled.

NED Capital runs board member searches for multi-academy trusts, single academy trusts, maintained schools, independent schools, further education colleges and education charities. This page explains how we run those searches. For an overview of the boards we recruit for in schools, colleges and universities, including paid non-executive roles and higher education governance, see our education and higher education NED recruitment page.

Searches are run by our senior search team under founder Adrian Lawrence FCA, a Fellow of the ICAEW and former listed-company finance director. Call 0203 137 2496 or email recruitment@nedcapital.co.uk to discuss a governor or trustee search.

Step One: Start with a Skills Audit

Every good education board search begins with a clear picture of what the board already has and what it lacks. A skills audit asks each governor or trustee to assess their own experience against the competencies the board needs, and the chair and governance professional then compare the results with the board’s strategy. The National Governance Association publishes a widely used governing board skills audit, and our board skills matrix templates show how to record the results.

The audit should also look ahead. A trust that plans to grow, take on a struggling school or rebuild its estate will need different skills in two years’ time. Thinking about succession now, as our guide to board succession planning explains, avoids a rush when several terms end at once. A board that has not had an external review for some time may want to combine the search with an independent board evaluation.

Step Two: Understand the Governance Framework

The rules on who can sit on an education board, and how they are appointed, depend on the type of institution. A search that gets this wrong wastes everyone’s time.

Academy trusts. The Department for Education’s academy trusts governance guide sets out how trust governance should work, alongside the contractual requirements in the academy trust handbook and each trust’s articles and funding agreement. A trust has two layers. Members are the guardians of the trust’s governance: they appoint and remove trustees and amend the articles. The guide says trusts must have at least three members and should have five or more, and that the majority of members should not also be trustees. Trustees sit on the trust board, which is legally responsible for the trust and its schools. Many trusts also have local committees for individual schools, whose powers are delegated by the board.

Maintained schools. Governing bodies of maintained schools follow their own statutory framework and DfE governance guidance, with categories of governor such as parent, staff, local authority, foundation and co-opted governors. The DfE governance publications explain the roles.

Independent schools. Most independent schools are charities, so governors are charity trustees with the duties set out by the Charity Commission. Our guide on how to appoint a charity trustee covers the essentials.

Further education colleges. College corporation boards work within the oversight framework set by the Department for Education. The Association of Colleges supports college governance.

Knowing which framework applies shapes the role description, the appointment route and the checks we run.

Step Three: Write the Role and Reach Beyond the Usual Network

We write a role profile that sets out the skills the board needs, the time commitment, the committees the appointee will join and what makes the trust or school distinctive. We then approach candidates directly: senior professionals in finance, law, HR, property, technology and safeguarding who may never have considered a school board, as well as people who already serve on other education or charity boards.

Reaching beyond the usual network is how boards become more diverse in background, profession and perspective. Our page on board diversity and governance reviews covers why this matters. NED Capital is part of FD Capital Group, five specialist recruitment firms whose shared network includes finance directors, senior executives and board members across many sectors, which is useful when a trust needs a finance-qualified trustee to chair its finance or audit committee.

Step Four: Assess and Shortlist

We interview each candidate against the role profile and test their understanding of the strategic role of a board, as distinct from the day-to-day running of schools. We discuss time commitment honestly, because education boards meet regularly and committees add to the load. The academy trusts governance guide says trust boards must meet at least three times a year, and most meet more often.

We present a shortlist with a clear summary of each candidate’s skills against the gaps identified in the audit. The chair, and usually another trustee and the governance professional, then meet the candidates.

Step Five: Complete the Required Checks

Safeguarding and suitability checks are not optional for education boards. The academy trusts governance guide lists the checks for new trustees, which include:

• An enhanced DBS certificate, obtained through the Disclosure and Barring Service. The guide says these are also needed for people on committees, including local committees.
• Confirmation of identity.
• A section 128 check. Under section 128 of the Education and Skills Act 2008, the Secretary of State can direct that a person may not take part in the management of an independent educational institution, which includes academies and free schools. The academy trust handbook also requires trusts to make sure members are not subject to a section 128 direction.
• Confirmation of the right to work in the UK.
• Additional checks for anyone who has lived or worked outside the UK, where appropriate.

The guide notes that a barred list check is not included unless the person is involved in regulated activity. Further eligibility rules can come from the trust’s articles. Statutory guidance in Keeping children safe in education also applies. Trusts should follow the current versions of these documents, as they are updated regularly. We build the timing of these checks into the search so that a preferred candidate is not left waiting.

Step Six: Appointment and Induction

The appointment itself must follow the right route: by the members, the board or another appointing body, depending on the trust’s articles or the school’s instrument of government. The board must appoint a governance professional, sometimes called a clerk, who gives independent advice to the board and helps make sure appointments and records comply with the rules. We work with the governance professional on the paperwork and on a good induction, so that a new governor or trustee contributes from their first meeting.

Paid and Voluntary Roles

Most school and academy trust board roles are voluntary, and trustees can usually claim reasonable expenses. Some larger trusts and independent schools now pay their chair, within the limits allowed by their governing documents and charity law, and college and university board roles vary. Where a role is paid, our NED salary guide gives context. We are open with candidates about whether a role is paid before they apply.

Why Use a Search Partner for a Governor or Trustee Role?

Advertising and word of mouth work for some roles. A search partner adds most value when the board needs a specific skill that is hard to find, such as a finance-qualified chair of the finance committee, an HR director, a property specialist or a new chair of trustees, or when previous attempts to recruit have failed. Our finance committee chair recruitment and trustee recruitment pages cover these appointments in more detail. Candidates interested in school and charity board roles can see our trustee roles page or register with us.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a member and a trustee of an academy trust?
Members oversee the trust’s governance and appoint and remove trustees. Trustees sit on the board that is legally responsible for running the trust. DfE guidance says the majority of members should not also be trustees.

What checks does a new trustee need?
DfE guidance lists an enhanced DBS check, identity confirmation, a section 128 check, right-to-work confirmation and extra checks for anyone who has lived or worked abroad. Always follow the current guidance.

Are governor and trustee roles paid?
Most school and academy trust roles are voluntary, with expenses. Some independent schools, larger trusts and colleges pay certain roles, within their governing documents.

How long does a governor search take?
It depends on the role and on how quickly checks can be completed. We agree a timetable at the start of each search.

Do you recruit outside London?
Yes. We work across the UK from our offices in London and the West Midlands.