The Trust Board is the decision making body of TSSMAT and is accountable and responsible for all of our academies equally.  The Trust Board are the employer of all staff within the schools.

Academy Trustees/Governors are the people who make up the Trust Board.  As our Trust has a religious character, our Trustees/Governors are referred to as Directors.  Directors are both the charity Trustees/Governors, and the company directors of the Trust.  The "Competency Framework for Governance" outlines the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed by Trust Boards for effective governance.  The Charity Commission's "Essential Trustee" gives further detail about the  key duties of all Trustees/Directors of charities in England and Wales, and what Trustees/Directors need to do to carry out these duties competently.  Companies House also publish "Being a Company Director" which gives further details on the duties of all Company Directors.

The Trust Board operates and makes decisions to further the Trust's charitable objects and the general control and management of the administration of TSSMAT.

As the strategic leader of the Trust, it is vital that the Trust Board is connected with, and engages, the communities and stakeholders it services.  in the interests of transparency, the Trust Board must publish on it's website up to date details of the overall governance arrangements it has put in place.

As set out in the Governance Handbook, all Trust Boards have three core functions:

1. Ensuring clarity of the vision, ethos and strategic direction.

2. Holding the Executive Leaders to account for the educational performance of the school(s) and it's pupils, and the effective and efficient performance management of staff.

3. Overseeing the financial performance of the school(s) and making sure that it's money is well spent.

 

The Board has accountability for, and oversight of, the leadership and management of the schools in the Trust by:

  • Setting the vision and values of the trust that will drive the ethos of the schools
  • To act as an Audit Committee to ensure propriety and value for money
  • Creating TSSMAT policy and process
  • Setting the expectations that will be used to judge the effectiveness of each institution in the Trust
  • Providing the resources for each institution to deliver what is required including CPD
  • Appointing and dismissing teaching and support staff
  • To act as a Pupil/Staff Discipline Committee
  • Monitoring the quality of local leadership
  • Performance management functions including recommending CEO remuneration to Members
  • Ensuring that thorough, rigorous and regular self-evaluation is undertaken and reported to the Board by each institution
  • Ensuring that the leadership of each institution is held to account by the Board
  • Ensuring that standards, progress and attainment meet expectations, can be accounted for, measured and reported
  • Challenging aspects that appear to be inconsistent, weak or failing in any or all of the institutions
  • Approving Admissions to the schools and managing the appeals process
  • To monitor Finance, Personnel, Health & Safety, Safeguarding and Curriculum matters and ensure that they are fit for purpose and meet all regulations.

The Directors, when required, will form individual committees to manage matters relating to Pupil/Staff discipline, Admissions and Appeals. This is to ensure that there is no conflict of interest.