Each federation is different. Schools in federations work together to maximise funding, resources and expertise. Federation does not bring cashable savings to the Local Authority but they can ease financial pressure within schools because resources can be shared and deployed across the federation. Federation brings the opportunity to secure strong strategic leadership and work differently to deliver the best possible outcomes for the pupils in your community of schools.
Federations have one governing board across all the schools within the federation.
Federations with two or more maintained schools
The board must have a minimum of seven members, with no upper limit, all federations must include:
- Two (and only two) elected parent governors from across the schools. Additional parents could be co-opted onto the board, or fill foundation positions, if available, based on the skills they bring
- The headteacher of each federated school (or the executive headteacher of the federation, if there is one) unless the headteacher resigns as a governor
- One elected staff governor
- One Local Authority governor
- Co-opted governors (optional, as required)
- Foundation Governors (VA, VC and Foundation schools only)
The total number of co-opted governors who are also eligible to be elected or appointed as staff governors (when counted with the staff governor and the headteacher/s) must not exceed one third of the total membership of the board of the federation.
Further information about the way the board is constituted can be found on our reconstitution page.
Case Study
Our Federation journey
John Jolliffe has been the Executive Headteacher of the Exe Valley Federation since January 2016. In this article, he explores the benefits of a federation and why working together is the key to success, whatever the organisational structure adopted by groups of schools.