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Governance
Our Governance Structure
- Safeguarding Trustee: Robert Bromberg
- SEND Trustee: To Be Confirmed
- Health and safety Trustee: Colin Foster
Members
Academy Trusts are founded by members who have a general duty to exercise their powers, to further the academy Trust’s charitable purpose. Members hold the trust board to account for the effective governance of the trust but have a minimal role in the actual running of the trust. It is the trustee board, not the members, who are the organisation’s key decision makers. However, there are some critical decisions that sit with the members, especially if the trust is failing.
Members are essential to the integrity of an academy trust governance structure. They are the last line of defence from failures of governance and failure to uphold the charitable purpose of the organisation. Members must therefore remain informed of trust performance and be clear on how to appropriately interact with the trustee board.
While members have no day-to-day or week-to-week role in running the company, a key responsibility is the appointment / removal of trustees. If the trust is not achieving its purpose, the members must consider if this is because the trustees are failing to carry out their three core governance functions. If they conclude that they are not, members need to seriously consider if they need to remove trustees, or if other action is required, such as commissioning an external review of governance.
Trust Board
The Trust board, led by a Chair, is the decision-making body of the academy Trust and is accountable and responsible for all the academies in the academy Trust.
Local Governing Body (LGB) – the ‘Community Committee’
A Trust board may decide to set up one or more LGBs to oversee an academy or group of academies (sometimes grouped by region) in the academy Trust. The Trust board will decide which, if any, governance functions they will delegate to LGBs.
Executive Leaders
The Executive Leader in an academy Trust with multiple academies is the Chief Executive. Members can appoint the Executive Leader to the Trust Board.
New Local Tier of Governance at The GLA Trust
The new Trust Quality Descriptors promote the importance of anchoring schools in their communities very clearly:
‘Governance and Leadership - Culture
The board and executive leadership team anchor the Trust’s strategy in the needs of its schools, the communities they serve and the wider educational system in line with its charitable objects. The Accounting Officer, board and leadership team create a culture of ethical leadership, including the Seven Principles of Public Life.’
CST’s position is that the local tier of governance is absolutely essential to effective governance of a complex organisation in a multi-academy Trust
