Register of Pecuniary Interests
Governors and school staff have a responsibility to avoid any conflict between the interests of the school and their business and personal interests and their memberships of any other governing bodies or academy trusts.
Governing bodies can demonstrate they are managing potential conflicts by maintaining a register of interests. For schools to be SFVS (Schools Financial Value Standard) compliant, such a register must be maintained for governors, senior staff and staff involved in procurement.
Regulations require that the register should also set out any relationships between governors and members of the school staff including spouses, partners and relatives. Senior Staff and staff involved in procurement should also declare relationships with other members of staff or consultants to enable adequate safeguards to be put in place. The definition of a relative includes spouse, partner, parent, parents-in-law, son, daughter, step-son, stepdaughter, child of a partner, brother, sister, grandparent, grandchild, uncle, aunt, nephew, niece.
Staff involved in procurement include:
1. Budget holders
2. Finance staff
3. Individuals who are on the bank mandate
4. Individuals who hold a purchasing card or other cards
5. Individuals who are involved in the procurement process
The purpose of declaring such interests is to enable the governing body to put controls in place to ensure there is no conflict between a governor or staff member’s private interest and the school’s interests.
From 1 September 2015, governing bodies are under a duty to publish their register of interests on the school’s website.