Service levels.
What Boardmet commits to, and what happens when it misses.
The service levels below are the standards the work is measured against, with the remedy that applies to each. They form part of the service agreement for your school, alongside scope and rates.
Approve the draft minutes. Then we invoice.Start with one meeting. You see how the papers are prepared, how the chair is supported in the room, and the minutes that go on the record, and you approve them before anything is charged.
How it is priced.
Three ways to buy. A single meeting when something has come up, an annual retainer when the whole role needs covering, or a scoped project when the records have fallen behind. Single meetings and panels are priced per meeting. A retainer is set against how many boards and committees are involved and how much of the governance administration sits with us.
You get a written quote before anything starts, and nothing is charged until you have approved the draft minutes of your first meeting. Rates and scope are set out in the service agreement for your school, which we will send with the quote. Ask and it comes back the same working day.
What the retainer includes.
The meetings are the visible part. The reason schools retain rather than buy meeting by meeting is everything underneath them, which otherwise lands on a business manager or a headteacher.
One accountable person for the agreed scope, and it stays that person. Not whoever is free on the night.
Agendas, papers, attendance, draft minutes and an action tracker with owners and dates, for every included meeting.
Membership, terms of office, declarations of interest and attendance kept current, not reconstructed at year end.
GovernorHub, GIAS and the governance information your website is required to publish, maintained in the agreed scope.
Quorum, delegation, conflicts and process questions by phone or email, unlimited, answered within one working day.
Meeting dates, statutory deadlines and review points set out at the start of the year so nothing arrives as a surprise.
Retained schools are placed first when capacity is tight, and pay the lowest short-notice rate.
A handover pack whenever the arrangement ends, so a successor can pick the role up without an induction.
The commitments.
These are the commitments the agreement is measured against. Working days exclude weekends, bank holidays and school closure days notified in advance.
| Commitment | Standard | If Boardmet misses it |
|---|---|---|
| Response to an enquiry | Same working day | Not applicable |
| Confirmation of availability for a named meeting date | Same working day, yes or no | Not applicable |
| Agenda and papers issued to the board | 7 clear days before the meeting | That meeting is not charged |
| Draft minutes to the chair | 5 working days after the meeting | That meeting is not charged |
| Panel outcome and reasons | 3 working days after the hearing | That hearing is not charged |
| Procedural advice by phone or email | 1 working day | Not applicable |
| Registers, GovernorHub and GIAS updated | 10 working days from notification | Not applicable |
| Handover pack on termination | 10 working days from the end date | Final invoice reduced by 25% |
What we need from you.
The service levels are conditional on these. Where they are not met, the corresponding deadline moves by the same number of working days, and we will say so at the time rather than afterwards.
- Papers at least 10 working days before a meeting, so the pack can be issued 7 clear days out.
- Access to the systems in the agreed scope, under the school’s own permissions.
- A named point of contact, usually the chair, who can confirm scope and approve the record.
- Notice of membership changes within 5 working days, so registers and GIAS stay accurate.
- Notice of a panel as early as it is known, including the type of hearing.
What we do not do.
Stated plainly, because the boundary matters more in governance than in most services and a board should not discover it during a hearing.
- Legal advice. Where a matter needs it we will say so, and make sure the procedural record is in order for whoever advises you.
- Chairing, or voting. Decisions remain the board’s, and so does responsibility for them.
- School improvement consultancy. Boardmet administers governance.
- Inventing a record. What the surviving evidence does not support is written down as not recoverable.
Terms.
- Term. Retainers run for 12 months and continue on a rolling basis. Either side may end the arrangement on 30 days’ written notice. Single meetings and panels carry no ongoing commitment.
- Invoicing. Nothing is charged for the work until the draft minutes of the first meeting are approved. Retainers are then invoiced annually in advance or termly, as the school prefers. One-off work is invoiced on delivery of the record. Payment is due within 30 days.
- Rates. Quoted per school and set out in the service agreement. Rates are held for the academic year. Any change takes effect at renewal and is notified at least 30 days beforehand.
- Data protection. Boardmet Limited is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office as a data controller, reference ZC098329. Roles, retention and security are set out in the data processing schedule, and access is removed when the arrangement ends.
- Insurance and checks. Professional indemnity insurance is maintained. Governance professionals are DBS checked, with enhanced checks where the role requires them. Certificates and supplier information are available on request.
- Delivery. Meetings at five working days’ notice or fewer are held online by default. Scheduled meetings are attended in person where the diary allows and the meeting warrants it.
- Substitution. If the named professional is unavailable we will say so before the meeting and offer a dated alternative or a named substitute. A substitute is never sent without telling you first.
This page sets out the service standards Boardmet works to. The signed agreement for a specific school sets out scope and rates, and prevails where the two differ.
Practical answers.
How is Boardmet priced?
Single meetings and specialist panels are priced per meeting. Ongoing cover runs on an annual retainer, set against how many boards and committees are involved and how much of the governance administration Boardmet holds. A written quote is provided before anything starts, and rates are set out in the service agreement for the school.
Is there a minimum commitment?
No. A single meeting is a single meeting, with no ongoing arrangement. Nothing is charged for the work until the school has approved the draft minutes of its first meeting, whether it starts with one meeting or a retainer.
What happens if Boardmet misses a deadline?
Where a deadline that affects the board’s ability to govern is missed, the work that missed it is not charged. If the agenda and papers are not issued 7 clear days before the meeting, or the draft minutes are not with the chair within 5 working days of it, that meeting is not charged. No claim needs to be made: the credit is applied automatically.
Tell us what needs covering.
What has changed, your next important date, and anything that needs attention now. We will confirm availability and the right support.
Nothing is charged for the work until you have approved the draft minutes of your first meeting. After that, an agreed scope or a retainer. Standard meetings from 48 hours’ notice, subject to papers and availability.