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 documents | HDBE Consents Sub-Committee Meeting Date | HDBE Meeting Date |
| Up until the end of November 2026 | Friday 3rd July 2026 | 16th July 2026 | 23rd September 2026 |
| Up until the end of January 2027 | Friday 8th October 2026 | 22nd October 2026 | 24th November 2026 |
| Up until the end of March 2027 | Friday 8th January 2027 | 21st January 2027 | 8th February 2027 |
| Up until the end of April,2027 | Friday 19th February 2027 | 4th March 2027 | 18th March 2027 |
| Up until the end of May 2027 | Friday 16th April 2027 | 27th April 2027 | 10th May 2027 |
| Up until the end of July 2027 | Friday 4th June 2027 | 17th June 2027 | 7th July 2027 |
| Up until the end of November 2027 | Friday 2nd July 2027 | 15th July 2027 | 29th September 2027 |
| Up until the end of January 2028 | Friday 22nd October 2027 | 4th November 2027 | 18th 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:
- Foundation Governor Roles & Responsibilities
- HDBE Policy on Foundation Governors in Church of England Voluntary Aided (VA) and Voluntary Controlled (VC) schools
- Hereford DBE Code of Practice for Members of a Church of England Governing Body
- Overview guidance for clergy on their role as Ex Officio Foundation Governor in VA and VC church schools
- Diocese of Hereford Guide for Clerks
- Short Guide for New Chairs of Maintained Schools
- Guidance for Complaints Against Governors & Trustees
- HDBE Guidance and Policy in the Removal of Foundation Governors
- Skills Audit for Governing Bodies
- HDBE Equality and Diversity Policy for Foundation Governors
- HDBE Equality and Diversity in Governance Indicators Form