Headteacher boards (HTBs) are responsible for advising and challenging regional schools commissioners (RSCs) on academy-related decisions.

HTBs use knowledge, professional expertise and experience to consider proposals brought forward under the RSC’s decision-making framework, and offer advice and challenge to the RSC to inform those decisions.

Where an RSC wishes to make a decision that is not in line with the advice of its HTB, the decision must be escalated to the National Schools Commissioner and DfE ministers.

Membership, draft meeting agendas and meeting notes

Headteacher boards:

  • are made up of up to 8 members – 4 elected by local academy headteachers, 2 appointed by the RSC and 2 are co-opted with the agreement of DfE ministers. All HTB members have equal status. Members of HTBs tend to be former academy headteachers, CEOs of multi-academy trusts and/or business leaders, playing a non-executive role

  • are not representative bodies and do not include headteachers of local authority maintained schools

  • meet once, or sometimes twice, a month depending on the business needs of the RSC region. A schedule of HTB meetings for financial year 2020 to 2021 is available. The types of information and data that HTBs consider before each meeting (such as school finance information, governance personnel and structures, performance data) can be viewed in the blank HTB meeting preparation templates

  • meeting notes are published once key stakeholders (schools, trusts, individuals) have been informed of the RSC’s decisions and have had the opportunity to respond

  • publish membership lists, draft agendas (subject to change) and meeting notes

Read the HTB terms of reference to find out more about membership of the headteacher boards.

Details on how to complain about an RSC’s decision are available.

Conflicts of interest

Any personal or business interest within the last 5 years which may, or may be seen as, influencing an HTB member’s judgement in performing their role must be registered.

When conflicts are registered, HTB members are excused from those agenda items, and will not receive relevant papers.

Further information is available in the register of interest.

Documents

  1. East of England and north-east London headteacher board
    • Transparency data
  2. East Midlands and the Humber headteacher board
    • Transparency data
  3. Lancashire and West Yorkshire headteacher board
    • Transparency data
  4. North of England headteacher board
    • Transparency data
  5. North-west London and south-central England headteacher board
    • Transparency data
  6. South-East England and south London headteacher board
    • Transparency data
  7. South-West England headteacher board
    • Transparency data
  8. West Midlands headteacher board
    • Transparency data

Published 6 November 2018
Last updated 9 June 2020 + show all updates

  1. Added link to schedule of headteacher board meetings for financial year 2020 to 2021.

  2. Added revised HTB terms of reference.

  3. First published.