Who can vote in a parent governor election?
Eligibility criteria for voters in parent governor elections, including definitions of "parent" and voting rights.
Quick Answer
All parents of registered pupils at the school are entitled to vote in a parent governor election. "Parent" includes biological parents, adoptive parents, step-parents, foster parents, and anyone with parental responsibility or care of the child. Each eligible parent gets one vote, regardless of how many children they have at the school.
Quick Reference
| Who can vote | All parents of registered pupils |
|---|---|
| Definition of parent | Includes anyone with parental responsibility or care |
| Votes per parent | One vote per parent, regardless of number of children |
| Both parents vote | Yes, both parents of the same child may vote |
| Sources | 2012 Regulations (Schedule 1) and DfE statutory guidance (2017) |
Definition of parent
The right to vote comes from Schedule 1 to the School Governance (Constitution) (England) Regulations 2012, which requires every person known to be a parent of a registered pupil to be told of the vacancy and that they may stand and vote (paragraph 8). 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.
Care of the child
One vote per parent
Each eligible parent has one vote, regardless of how many children they have at the school. The regulations are silent on this, and the near universal practice, which Choice Voting follows, is one ballot per parent. 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
How Choice Voting helps with this
Choice Voting integrates with your school MIS to automatically identify all eligible parents and ensure everyone can participate.
- Automatic voter list generation from school data
- Support for multiple contacts per pupil
Related Guides
How do you run a parent governor election?
A complete step-by-step guide to the election process.
What counts as a secret ballot for parent governor elections?
Requirements for ballot secrecy and voter privacy.
What is the quorum for a parent governor election?
Participation requirements and improving turnout.
Frequently Asked Questions
About the author
Jason Hawkins
Director and Founder
Jason founded Choice Voting and has spent twenty one years in the voting software industry, fifteen of them conducting Ofsted compliant ballots for UK schools alongside elections for unions, charities and membership bodies. He writes the news columns and reviews every school governance guide on this site.
More about Jason