The Scottish Government

Section 6: BOARD PROCEEDINGS

This section makes a number of specific provisions about a School Board's conduct of its proceedings; provides for the Board to regulate its own proceedings in detail; and empowers the Scottish Ministers to make regulations about public access to the Board's documents and meetings. The provisions regarding public access are contained in the School Boards (Scotland) Regulations 1989 ( see Part II).

Section 6(1) requires every Board to elect a chairman and vice-chairman from among the parent and co-opted members. All members, including staff members, are able to vote in this election. Since co-opted members are eligible to hold office, it follows that it is logical for new Boards to wait until they have co-opted members before electing their chairmen and vice-chairmen.

Section 6(3) empowers School Boards to establish committees to consider and report to the Board on matters referred to them by the Board. These committees do not have substantive decision-making powers and must include at least one Board member. A School Board is empowered to regulate the meetings and proceedings of its committees, including determination of the quorum. Committees allow Boards to receive advice and consult with a variety of groups and agencies who might have a particular interest in the school. Where a school is a community school, for example, the Board might establish a committee to consider community school use and invite representatives of the user groups to be committee members.

Section 6(5) provides that Boards will normally regulate their proceedings by drawing up and adopting "standing orders".

Section 6(6) The quorum of a Board of seven members is, for example, three. If there is a vacancy on that Board, the quorum remains at three.

Section 6(9) empowers the Scottish Ministers to make regulations determining the extent to which the public have access to Board papers and meetings ( see Part II). The regulations provide protection for documents and discussions relating to confidential issues, such as appointments, but otherwise provide for meetings and papers to be open to the public.

Section 6(11) empowers a Board to invite to its meetings anyone it wishes to receive advice from; a Board can also invite anyone who represents people interested in matters under discussion. The power to invite advice and representation from sources outside the immediate school and education authority structure, and to include non-Board members on committees of the Board (section 6(3)), gives Boards considerable freedom to develop their own structures. These powers may be particularly useful to Boards whose schools have wide community links or which provide specialised services, for example, to pupils with special needs.