The three core functions of the Board of Directors are to:
Ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction.
- Ensure the Trust has a clear idea of what it wants to achieve, and a plan for how to achieve it.
- Help set and embed the Trust’s vision, ethos and strategy, and use these to monitor how the Trust is doing.
Hold executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the organisation and its pupils, and the effective and efficient performance management of staff.
- Ensure that Trust leaders are using their professional judgement properly and managing the performance of staff and pupils effectively.
- Ensure that the information received from the Trust leaders is accurate.
Oversee the financial performance of the organisation and make sure money is well spent
- Monitor the Trust’s finances and make sure the trust is achieving value for money.
- Ensure that public money is spent correctly in the best interests of your pupils.
The Board of Directors
Ethos, Learning & Standards Committee Remit
Chair of Committee
Barbara Manning
Constitution
Three Directors
Invited representatives
CEO
Director of Education
Curriculum, Standards, Teaching and Learning
- Set priorities for improvement which relate to the committee’s area of operation.
- Monitor Rapid Improvement Plans.
- Review, monitor and evaluate the curriculum offer.
- Ensure the curriculum offer meets statutory requirements e.g the provision of RSHE
- Ensure equality of opportunity for all pupils.
- Receive monitoring reports from Academy Committees relating to academy Single Plans.
- Review and approve policies as delegated in the Scheme of Delegation.
- Ensure the requirements of children with SEND are met, as laid out in the Code of Practice, and receive termly reports form the CEO.
- Monitor and evaluate the impact of quality of teaching on pupils’ progress and attainment. ▪ Monitor the performance of schools against targets.
- Monitor and evaluate the progress and attainment of pupils, including any vulnerable groups, by scrutinising year end and in year performance data, identifying any trends, providing challenge and recommending actions for improvement where required.
- Monitor pupil attendance
Safeguarding
- Ensure the trust meets its statutory requirements for safeguarding.
Review findings of reports from external safeguarding reports and track actions required.
- Monitor trends in referrals to and from other agencies, attendance, exclusions, punctuality and discipline.
Vision and Ethos
a) Ensure that each school is clear about how its ethos, i.e. how the elements of the Trust’s Ethos Framework apply in its context.
b) Ensure that this understanding is fully embedded in the life of the school and expressed in for example:
- the school improvement plan
- pastoral care
- curriculum
- display
- communications with parents and the wider community
For Church Schools
- Ensure that the Christian Vision upholds and develops the school’s Christian distinctiveness
- How does the school’s theologically rooted Christian vision enable pupils and adults to flourish?
- How does the curriculum reflect the school’s theologically rooted Christian vision?
- How is collective worship enabling pupils and adults to flourish spiritually?
- How does the school’s theologically rooted Christian vision create a culture in which pupils and adults are treated well?
Audit, Risk & Resources Committee – Remit
Chair of Committee
Leo Mackenzie
Constitution
Three Directors
Invited representatives
CEO
Chief Finance & Operations Officer
Finance and Budgeting
To approve a written scheme of delegation of financial powers that maintains robust internal control arrangements taking account of the current Schedule of Requirements in the current Academy Trust Handbook.
To consult with the CEO and CFOO to draft, scrutinise and agree a formal budget plan for the financial year and a three-year financial plan for the Trust and make recommendations to the Board of Trustees for its approval, taking into consideration:
- the funds and resources available;
- forecasted pupil numbers and staffing;
- contractual liabilities;
- key priorities of the academies’ improvement plan;
- anticipated changes with financial implications.
To discharge the Trustees’ responsibilities with respect to all voluntary funds held on behalf of the Board of Trustees.
To carry out any tasks delegated by the Board of Trustees in relation to finance, e.g. advising on or deciding on:
- service level agreements
- considering and approving recommendations involving finance made by other committees
- financial implications of deciding on adopting any policy under consideration with a significant budget
implications.
To receive and make recommendations based on financial benchmarking reports.
To review, evaluate and approve financial policies, including a Reserves Policy.
To receive and monitor monthly management accounts.
Governance, Risk Management and Finance
- Review the annual accounts, financial statements and statements on internal control and governance of the Trust to ensure that they can be recommended to the Board of Trustees for approval.
- Review the effectiveness and integrity of systems of internal control established to ensure that the aims, objectives and key performance targets of the organisation are achieved in the most economical, effective and environmentally preferable manner.
- Ensure the Trust has an effective risk register in place to manage risk and said register includes contingency and business continuity planning. Ensure monitoring is in place.
- Review the operation of the Academy’s code of practice for members of the Board of Trustees, Local Schools Committees and the code of conduct for staff.
- Receive assurances that appropriate insurance is in place.
- Consider any other matters where requested to do so by the Board of Trustees.
Internal Audit
The committee will:
- consider and make recommendations to the Trust on the appointment, reappointment, removal and remuneration of the internal auditors.
ensure independence in internal audit by establishing and maintaining appropriate reporting lines
- whereby internal audit report directly to the committee
direct the trust’s programme of internal scrutiny
- ensure that risks are being addressed appropriately through internal scrutiny
report to the board on the adequacy of the trust’s internal control framework, including financial and non-financial controls and management of risks
- consider and monitor management’s responses to any major internal audit, and the timely and appropriate implementation of any recommendations.
- ensure that risks are being addressed appropriately through internal scrutiny
- meet with the internal auditors at least once a year to discuss their remit and any issues arising from the internal audits carried out.
- monitor and review the effectiveness and quality of the internal audit function to ensure it provides appropriate independent assurance to the Trust and value for money.
External Audit
The committee will:
- assess the effectiveness and resources of the external auditor to provide a basis for decisions by the trust’s members about the auditor’s reappointment or dismissal or retendering.
- discuss with the external auditor the nature and scope of each forthcoming audit and to ensure that the external auditor has the fullest co-operation of staff.
- review the external auditor’s plan each year
- advise Board of Trustees on the Trust’s annual and long-term audit programme.
- review the annual report and accounts
- review the auditor’s findings and actions taken by the trust’s managers in response to those findings
- Meet with the external auditors at least once year to discuss their remit and any issues arising from the audit.
Chairs of LSC Forum
Constitution
- Chair of the Board of Directors
- LSC Chairs
Key Responsibilities
- To provide an environment for open and honest communication and discussion on matters of celebration or improvement.
- To ensure the Christian distinctiveness and ethos are upheld in our church schools.
- To ensure that the ethos and vision is upheld in our community schools.
- To contribute to and be advised of strategic developments of the School Trust and individual school.
- To receive information updates from the Board.
- To ensure that the information from the Board is disseminated to the Local Schools Committees.
- To provide feedback on areas of consultation requested by the Board.
- To agree relevant items to be taken to the Board.