Who can vote in a parent governor election?

Definition of parent

For the purposes of parent governor elections, "parent" has a broad definition that includes:

• Biological parents
• Adoptive parents
• Step-parents
• Foster parents
• Anyone with parental responsibility under the Children Act 1989
• Anyone who has care of the child

This definition comes from section 576 of the Education Act 1996 and is designed to ensure that everyone involved in a child's education has a voice in school governance.

One vote per parent

Each eligible parent receives one vote, regardless of how many children they have at the school. A parent with three children at the school does not get three votes.

However, if both parents are involved in a child's life, both are entitled to vote. This means a family with one child could have two votes (one per parent), while a single parent with three children has one vote.

Special cases

Several special situations arise regarding voter eligibility:

• Separated parents: Both retain voting rights regardless of living arrangements
• Children in care: The local authority representative may vote
• Staff parents: May vote but cannot stand as parent governor candidates
• Governors who are parents: May vote like any other parent
• Parents of children who have left: Not eligible once child is no longer registered

Verifying eligibility

Schools should take reasonable steps to verify that voters are eligible parents. This typically involves:

• Using the school's contact database as the voter roll
• Sending voting information to all contacts listed for each pupil
• Having a process for parents to confirm their relationship to a pupil
• Responding to queries about eligibility before the election closes