The authority of the governing body rests with the entire corporate board, not individual governors, but much of the work can be delegated to committees.

Regulations require an annual review of committee arrangements. It makes sense to do this at the beginning of the academic year so new governors can be included. Here are the main things to look out for.

* Have we got the right committee structure? Each governing body must set up one committee for pupil discipline which will deal with exclusions and one to deal with any staff dismissal proceedings - both of these require appeals committees. Governing bodies, which are also the admissions authority for the school, must have a committee for this. (See the Education (School Government) (England) Regulations 1999) Each body must also have a group that handles the performance review of the head but this is not classed as a committee.

* What about non-statutory committees? Most bodies have a small number of such committees to manage key areas such as finance, premises, personnel, curriculum, pastoral care and health and safety. Governors have taken a range of approaches in organising these: many have finance and “general purposes”, which can include health and safety and premises issues. Some combine finance and staffing as one is dependent on the other - although others argue that a split is healthy so that staffing decisions are first taken on purely non-financial grounds.

Curriculum development often merits a separate committee although, since it is closely aligned with school development, some prefer this to be a regular item for the full meeting. Make sure you only have the committees you need and combine responsibilities where appropriate.

* How do we decide what each committee does and the membership? Each committee must have clear terms of reference including membership, voting rights, arrangements for chairing, taking minutes and delegating powers.

Most should have staff members as well as governors - indeed the governing body has the right to co-opt external members and allow them a vote, a good way of bringing in expertise. Statutory committees need a formal clerk who is not a governor or the head, but any committee member can act as clerk to non-statutory committees.

* How can all governors be involved? Ask governors where they want to get involved and what their strengths are. Committees are a good way to involve all governors. Rotating the chair and minute-taking encourages contributions - especially from new governors.

* How do we know what is going on? Minutes must clearly record key discussion points and decisions taken and be reported at the next full meeting. Good practice would be for the chair to speak about the minutes - but not for decisions to be re-run. Committees must be trusted - only if they act outside their remit should decisions be scrutinised by the full governing body.

* How often should we meet? Usually at least once a term but often more frequently - a finance committee may meet regularly around budget-setting time. It is a good idea for the terms of reference to set out an annual timetable covering key issues for each term. Setting meeting dates can be useful for busy governors. But be careful not to hold meetings just for the sake of it - they can always be cancelled if there is no business!

* Who decides a committee’s terms of reference? It must be agreed by the full governing body - but can be drafted by a working group or existing committees. It is essential that all governors understand the arrangements and have the chance to contribute.