Guidance

Maintained schools: governance guide

Guidance on the strategic leadership and governance of local-authority-maintained schools.

From:

Department for Education

Published:

19 November 2025

Last updated:

15 July 2026

Show all updates

15 July 2026
We have updated the governance guide to reflect new duties which come into force from 1 September 2026, and other recommendations. We have outlined the changes in the ‘What has changed – July 2026 update’ section.
19 November 2025
First published.

Applies to England

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This non-statutory guidance is a reference document for those involved in local-authority-maintained school governance.

It brings together essential information from a range of sources on the governing body’s roles and legal responsibilities.