The Education Reform(Northern Ireland) Order 1989

Article 66(1).

SCHEDULE 5 MEMBERSHIP OF BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF GRANT-MAINTAINED INTEGRATED SCHOOLS

1.  The Board of Governors of a grant-maintained integrated school shall consist of—

(a) either 16 or 24 persons (in this Schedule and Schedule 6 referred to as “voting members”);

(b) the principal of the school who shall be entitled to attend and take part in meetings of the Board of Governors but not to vote on any question; and

(c) persons co-opted under Articles 122 and 139 who shall be entitled to attend and take part in meetings of the Board of Governors but not to vote on any question.

2.—(1) Of the voting members of the Board of Governors of a grant-maintained integrated school—

(a) three-eighths shall be foundation governors, at least one-third of whom shall, at the time of their appointment, be parents of pupils attending the school;

(b) one-quarter shall be appointed by the Head of the Department;

(c) one-quarter shall be elected by parents of pupils attending the school from amongst parents of such pupils;

(d) one-eighth shall be elected by assistant teachers at the school from amongst such assistant teachers.

(2) In this paragraph—

“assistant teacher” means a teacher, other than the principal or a temporary or part-time teacher, employed on the staff of a school;

“foundation governors” means persons appointed—

(a)

when appointments are first made to the Board of Governors, by the body or person by which or by whom the relevant proposal was submitted under Article 71(1) or (2);

(b)

on any subsequent appointment to the Board of Governors, by the persons holding office as foundation governors,

being persons appearing to the body or persons appointing them to be persons committed to the good management and continuing viability of the school as a grant-maintained integrated school;

“relevant proposal”, in relation to a grant-maintained integrated school, means the proposal approved by the Department for the acquisition of grant-maintained integrated status for the school or (as the case may be) for the establishment of the school as a grant-maintained integrated school.

3.  The Department may make such provision as it thinks fit for filling vacancies for foundation governors if it appears to the Department that the persons responsible for appointing persons to fill such vacancies are unable or unwilling to do so or that the vacancies cannot otherwise be filled.

4.  The Board of Governors shall, with the approval of the Department, make arrangements for the election of persons under paragraph 2(1)(c) and (d) and such arrangements shall ensure that any vote taken for the purpose of any such election shall be by secret ballot.

5.  Subject to any transitional provision made by an order under paragraph 1 of Schedule 6, the term of office of a member of the Board of Governors shall be such as is specified in the scheme of management for the school.