Trustees Work Together to Carry out their Core Functions:
1. Direction: Ensuring there is clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction.
2. Performance: Hold executive leaders to account for the schools’ educational performance, pupil outcomes and staff performance management.
3. Expenditure: Overseeing the financial performance of the Trust and making sure its money is well spent.
4. Stakeholders: Ensuring the voices of stakeholders are heard.
Trustees are responsible for governing a charitable company and directing how it is managed and run. Trustees must also ensure that the trust complies with all legal and statutory requirements. Trustees should seek the advice of the board’s governance professional and other professional advice as appropriate.
The Trust Board’s Strategic Responsibilities
The trust board works closely with their senior executive leaders. Senior executive leaders are responsible for day-to-day operational management of the trust and its schools, whereas the role of the board is strategic. As such, trustees are responsible for:
• Determining the mission, values and long-term ambitious vision for the trust.
• Deciding the principles that guide trust policies and approving key policies.
• Appointing and appraising the senior executive leader(s) and making pay recommendations.
• Working with senior leaders to develop a strategy for achieving the vision.
• Ensuring that stakeholders are involved, consulted and informed as appropriate. • Ensuring that all schools in the trust deliver a broad and balanced curriculum such that pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education and adult life.
• Taking ownership of the trust’s financial sustainability and ensuring effective resource management across the trust.
• Agreeing the Trust’s budget and ensuring it is managed effectively together with premises and other resources.
• Agreeing the trust’s staffing structure and keeping it under review to ensure it supports delivery of the strategy.
• Ensuring robust risk management policy and procedures are in place and that risk control measures are appropriate and effective.
Monitoring and Evaluating Trust Performance
Trustees must monitor the priorities that have been set to ensure progress is being made by:
• Measuring the trust’s impact and progress towards its strategic objectives.
• Ensuring the required policies and procedures are in place and the trust is operating effectively in line with these policies.
• Holding the senior executive leaders to account for standards, financial probity and compliance with agreed policies.
• Evaluating relevant data and feedback provided by senior executive leaders and external reporting on all aspects of trust performance.
• Asking challenging questions of the senior executive leaders in order to hold them to account.
• Ensuring that there are policies and procedures in place to deal with complaints effectively.
Committees
The Trust Board has established the committees listed below to carry out some of our governance functions:
• Audit and Risk • Finance and Resources • Standards • People
Trustees will be expected to sit on at least one committee.
Panels
When required, Trustees are expected to serve on panels in order to:
• Appoint senior leaders.
• Review the appraisal of staff and make pay recommendations.
• Hear staff grievances and disciplinary matters.
• Deal with formal complaints