Governance

Trustees, Members and MAT Boards

The Key - Trustees, Members & MAT Boards

Members

The Key - Role and responsibilities of trustees

The Members’ role is to assure themselves that the governance of WMAT is effective, and that the Board of Trustees are acting in accordance with the trust’s charitable object(s).  Members use their powers to step in if governance is failing.

Board of Trustees

The Key - Trustees legal obligations 

The Board of Trustees is the decision-making body and is accountable to and responsible for all of the WMAT academies equally.

Trustees focus is on the following descriptions of the board’s purpose:

• Strategic leadership of the academy trust – the Board defines the trust vision, fosters the trust's culture and sets its strategy, including determining what governance functions are delegated

• Accountability and assurance – robust oversight of the trust's operations and performance

• Engagement – strategic oversight of relationships with stakeholders, including parents, schools and communities, and students 

Local Governing Board / Governors

The Key - Quick Read; Local Governing Boards

Although Local Governing Board (LGBs) have no separate legal status in a trust, governors play a valuable role at local level.  LGBs are committees of the Board of Trustees.  

A typical LGB structure in a school would consist of a Chair and Vice Chair, and link governors allocated to specific roles e.g. safeguarding, SEND etc., similar to the structure of a governing body in a maintained school (see appendix A for link governor list).

Governors can be co-opted to the LGB, or elected as a parent or staff governor, for a default term of office of four years. This term of office can be ended before or extended beyond the default period.     

The Principal/Headteacher of the school is a governor with no end of term of office (until they leave the school).

In addition to the LGB, governors must form a finance committee and an admissions committee for primary and secondary schools.  The LGB may form other committees for specific functions such as safeguarding, curriculum etc.  Each committee will have a Chair and Vice Chair who will report back to the LGB.

WMAT issues a calendar of meetings each year setting out when the LGB, finance and, where relevant, admissions committee meetings should take place (available on the Google Drive). This will enable efficient capture of information at specific times of the school year.  Other committee meetings should take place on a termly basis or more frequently if required.

The trust prepares a LGB work planner on an annual basis which details the activities and areas for discussion which each of the committees should consider.   In addition, schools will have their own local topics.  

Governors are encouraged to submit questions in advance of meetings.  The Governance Professional/Clerk will upload a template for questions at the time of uploaded documents to the drive.

A member of the WMAT executive team and/or the school’s link trustee will usually attend LGB and finance committee meetings.  The school will be advised who will be attending in advance so that they can receive the documents.

The Chair and Governance Professional/Clerk will be invited to regular (currently three times per year) Chair & Clerk briefings led by the Chair of the Board of Trustees and the executive team.  The Chair will meet and have regular contact with their link trustee for their school.

Governance Professional/Clerk

The role of the Governance Professional

Each LGB and the Board of Trustees have a Governance Professional/Clerk who is the counsel on governance matters to offer guidance and support to the trustees/governors.

The LGB Governance Professional/Clerk:

• Is responsible for the administration of meetings and minute-taking (See appendix A for full role specification of the Governance Professional/Clerk role) 

• Works closely with the Chair of Governors and Principal/Headteacher to ensure the governance function operates effectively and is compliant

• Should maintain all governor records, ensure the governance section of the school website is up to date and compliant and inform the WMAT Governance Professional of any changes to the composition of the LGB

• Will work with the appointed policy lead in their school to ensure that school policies are reviewed according to the school policy schedule, and that WMAT policies are available to staff and are being referenced in school

• Will undertake ongoing relevant training and attending regular clerk briefings

• Will maintain a list of training completed by governors

Safeguarding for Trustees & Governors

WMAT is committed to ensuring that all children who engage with activities across the trust schools are cared for in a safe and secure environment. To fulfil this commitment, a number of safeguarding arrangements are in place.

Safeguarding and child protection is everyone’s responsibility. The trust and school policies apply to all staff, volunteers, governors and trustees.

WMAT’s policies and procedures also apply to extended school and off-site activities. There is a link from each school website to these policies, which can also be found here: WMAT Policies 

In addition to being familiar with trust and school policies, all governors should read the current version of the Department for Education’s statutory safeguarding guidance ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ and review this guidance at least once a year. This requirement is included in the agenda of the first LGB meeting of the year which takes place in September. 

Each school has its own Child Protection and Safeguarding policy which all governors should familiarise themselves with.  Governors should undertake safeguarding training following appointment, and on an annual basis thereafter.

All governors are required to apply for a DBS check prior to their appointment. Schools will confirm the arrangements for this process.

Probationary periods provide both parties with the opportunity to assess the suitability of any governor for the appointment, and to ensure that all new governors are provided with the required level of support to enable them to carry out their role effectively.  The standard probationary period will cover two full meeting cycles and will apply to all new governors.  A Governors’ Probationary policy exists.

The trust will pay reasonable allowances to cover any costs governors incur in carrying out their duties.  The trust's Governors’ Allowances policy sets out the terms on which such allowances will be paid.  Adoption of this policy ensures that no member of the community is prevented from becoming a governor on the grounds of cost.

FORMS & DOCUMENTS

Governors will be asked to sign a Code of Conduct and ICT Code of Conduct on an annual basis.  These documents outline the commitment required from governors to involve themselves actively in the work of the LGB, including serving on committees/working groups, making regular visits to the school and making best efforts to attend all meetings.

In order to ensure that the decisions taken by the LGB are free from personal bias and do not unfairly benefit any individual or company connected to the school and/or trust, governors will be asked to complete a register of interest form on an annual basis, and at any time where their circumstances may change. Governors must also declare an interest at meetings when required to do so.  The trust version of the register of interest form is provided on an annual basis (based on any updates to the Academy Trust handbook).

The governance area on the school websites should be updated with the following in September each year:

• Updated list of governors and committee membership/roles and responsibilities (current year)

• Meeting attendance record (for previous year)

• Governors information table (for current year)

• Summary of register of interests (updated as required during the year)

• Governors meeting schedule (for current year)]

The website is updated on an on-going basis during the course of the year as information changes (e.g. governor appointment, resignation etc.)

Key Documents

Trust Documentation 

Memorandum of association: a legal statement which all initial shareholders or guarantors must sign when the trust is formed, agreeing to form the company 

Articles of association: sets out the rules for the trust's governance procedures, internal management, decision making and liability

Funding agreement: provides the framework in which an academy operates

Scheme of Delegation:  sets out delegated functions and where responsibilities and accountabilities sit within the trust’s structure.  For example, it will indicate whether a task is the responsibility of the Board of Trustees, LGB, Principal/Headteacher or executive team.

Schemes of delegation in multi-academy trusts 

Work Planner

A work planner is prepared to provide a reference guide for which topics and actions need to be covered at meetings during the course of the year.  This is a guide only and does not include matters for local discussion which are specific to the individual schools. Work Planner

Fair Processing Notice for governors:  explains why your personal data is required to be held by the trust.  Your personal data is used to conduct mandatory statutory checks and for statutory reporting.

 FPN for Trustees & Governors

Academy Trust Governance Guide: Academy trust governance guide - Guidance - GOV.UK

Regulatory Bodies

‘Get Information about Schools’ (GIAS) website: details you provide on your register of interest form will be used to complete the required information and will be publically available. 

Get Information about Schools

Regional Department for Education Directors - their main responsibilities include taking action where academies are underperforming and where governance is inadequate.

Regional Department for Education (DfE) Directors - GOV.UK 

The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) - is an executive agency of the Department for Education (DfE). It regulates academies and intervenes where there is mismanagement of public funds.

 Education and Skills Funding Agency - GOV.UK

Governor Recruitment, Induction & Training 

The Chair and Governance Professional/Clerk should manage an open and transparent governor vacancy-filling processes and procedures as per the Scheme of Delegation and other guidance, so that elections or appointments are organised in a timely manner.

The Key - How to recruit trustees and local governors

The Governance Professional/Clerk should ensure a DBS has been carried out prior to new governor appointments and inform the trust’s Governance Professional/Clerk of all changes to the make-up of the LGB e.g. new governor joining, resignations etc.  They should also arrange for the governor to have a school email address to be used for all governance communications and access to the Google drive.  Once appointed the website should be updated.

Induction 

The Chair and Governance Professional should initiate, oversee and support the governor induction process.

The Key - how to induct a new governor or trustee effectively

The induction process will require the Chair and/or Governance Professional/Clerk to:

• Provide new governors with induction materials 

• Ensure they have access appropriate documents

• Obtain completed documentation from them, at the time of their appointment (e.g. Register of Interest and Code of Conducts)

• Advise the trust’s Governance Professional/Clerk of the appointment

• Provide information regarding training and development opportunities

• Provide a school Welcome pack if it exists containing all relevant information

• Refer the governor to the WMAT Fair Processing Notice

• Inform governors of free-to-access training resources e.g. e.g. Governors for Schools Online training and support for school governors and https://governorhub.com/

• Inform governors of any paid-for providers the trust/school may use

• Maintain a record of training undertaken by governors

• Commit to improvement of own performance by participating in training and development

• Keep up-to-date with current education developments and legislation affecting school governance e.g. via The Hoot 

• Support completion of skills audits and advise on training requirements as required

• Participate in regular performance management

Appendix A – Link Governors

Statutory

DfE recommends

WMAT recommends

Others for consideration

Other school specific

WMAT LINK GOVERNORS

Attendance

Careers

Cyber Security

Data

Disadvantaged students/PP

Equality

E-safety

GDPR

Governor Training & Development

H&S / Accident File (Every reports)

Inclusion

Looked After Children/Previously

Ofsted

Parent survey

Potential High Achievers

Prevent Duty

Student survey

Risk Register/Cyber Security RR/Recovery Plan

Safeguarding & Child Protection

SCR

SEND

Staff survey

Subject specific

Sustainability

Website compliance

Wellbeing