
1 
These Regulations may be cited as the Education (Governing Bodies of Institutions of Higher and Further Education) Regulations 1990 and shall come into force on 1st April 1990.
2 
In these Regulations—
 “further education” has the meaning assigned to it by section 41 of the Education Act 1944 ;
 “higher education” is to be construed in accordance with section 120(1) of the Education Reform Act 1988 ;
 “relevant institution” means an institution which is maintained by a local education authority and which provides higher education or further education (or both);
 “student governor” means a person elected by, or chosen to represent, students of a relevant institution of which he is a student as a member of the governing body thereof; and
 “governors' training course” means a course provided for members of the governing bodies of relevant institutions for the purpose of training them in their duties as governors.
3 
The Education (Governing Bodies of Institutions of Further Education) Regulations 1987 are hereby revoked.
4 

(1) Subject to paragraph (2) below, a copy of—
(a) the agenda for every meeting of the governing body of a relevant institution;
(b) the draft minutes of every such meeting if they have been approved by the chairman of the meeting;
(c) the signed minutes of every such meeting; and
(d) any report, document or other paper considered at any such meeting;
shall, in each case as soon as may be, be made available at the institution by the governing body to any person wishing to inspect them.
(2) There may be excluded from any item required to be made available in pursuance of paragraph (1) above, any material relating to —
(a) a named teacher or other person employed at or proposed to be employed at the institution;
(b) a named student at, or candidate for admission to, the institution; and
(c) any matter which, by reason of its nature, the governing body are satisfied should be dealt with on a confidential basis.
5 

(1) Subject to paragraph (5) below, this regulation shall have effect for the purpose of prescribing restrictions on the participation of members of the governing body of a relevant institution who are attending courses at that institution as students, in the proceedings of the governing body of that institution.
(2) A student governor who is present at a meeting of the governing body of the relevant institution shall not, if he is under the age of eighteen, vote on any question concerning any proposal —
(a) for the expenditure of money by the governing body; or
(b) under which the governing body, or any members of the governing body, would enter into any contract, or would incur any debt or liability (whether immediate, contingent or otherwise).
(3) Any governor such as is mentioned in paragraph (4) below and who is present at a meeting of the governing body of the relevant institution at which the subject of discussion is the appointment, remuneration, conditions of service, promotion, suspension, dismissal or retirement of a member or prospective member of the staff of the institution shall —
(a) where the instrument of government for the institution contains a provision requiring such a governor, in the circumstances mentioned in this paragraph, to withdraw from the meeting if any one member of the governing body present at the meeting so requires, and a member present at the meeting does so require, withdraw from the meeting;
(b) where the instrument of government for the institution contains the provision mentioned in sub-paragraph (a) above but no member of the governing body present at the meeting requires the withdrawal of such governors therefrom, take no part in the consideration or discussion of the matter in question and not vote on any question with respect to the matter; and
(c) where the instrument of government for the institution does not contain the provision mentioned in paragraph (a) above, withdraw from the meeting.
(4) The governors referred to in paragraph (3) above are —
(a) student governors; and
(b) any other governor who is enrolled on a course or courses (other than a governors' training course) which would involve him attending, over a period of at least 12 months, more than an average of six hours a week (excluding for the purpose of calculating that average periods of vacation) at the institution of which he is a governor.
(5) The instrument of government for a relevant institution may contain provisions specifying restrictions on the participation of student governors in the proceedings of the governing body of the institution additional to those imposed by paragraphs (2) to (4) above.
John MacGregor
Secretary of State for Education and Science
8th March 1990Peter Walker
Secretary of State for Wales
8th March 1990