Remit of the Trust and Committees
The Board of Trustees will have overall legal responsibility for the operation of the MAT and the Schools / Academies within it. However, the Board of Trustees intends to work in partnership with its family of Academies / Schools. The Scheme of Delegation will therefore provide for certain functions to be carried out by one or more of the following:
- the Board of Trustees.
- the Executive Head Teacher Committee.
- the Local Governing Committee of the Academy/School.
Trustees of the Academy Trust
Trustees are responsible under the Articles for controlling the trust’s management and administration and ensuring it is solvent and well-run; and delivering the trust’s charitable outcomes for the benefit of the public.
In the VISION ALT multi academy trust board will:
- Set aims and objectives in accordance with charitable objects set out in Articles.
- Monitor and evaluate performance against aims and objectives.
- Ensure Articles are fit for purpose (subject to certain approvals).
- Appoint some of governors of Local Governing Committee and remove governors.
- Recruit, manage and support Academy / School Head Teachers.
- Set strategic policy for the Multi Academy Trust.
- Set and/or approve academy trust budgets and performance plans.
- Monitor, evaluate and challenge educational standards and performance in the academies.
- Responsible for ensuring funds are used only in accordance with the law, the board’s powers under the FA (including the trust’s articles of association which set out the powers of the trust and its governance arrangements), and the Academies Financial Handbook.
- Responsible for proper stewardship of funds and for ensuring economy, efficiency and effectiveness in their use.
- Ensure they use their discretion reasonably and take into account any and all relevant guidance on accountability or propriety.
Finance and Resources Committee
This committee normally meets once each term and its responsibilities are:
- To ensure the appropriate and effective use of Trust funds and to ensure appropriate financial procedures and controls are in place.
- To approve and monitor central funding expenditure and proposals.
- To approve the proposed budget of individual academies.
- To oversee the capital programme and funding for the Trust.
- To provide detailed scrutiny and oversight of the budget of academies where this function is not delegated to the individual LGB.
- To approve and monitor key HR policies and statistics across the Trust.
- To review any exception Health and Safety reporting as per H&S audit schedule.
- To support the board of trustees in ensuring that a framework is established and maintained for optimising the employment of all the resources available to The Trust to enable it to meet its business and financial objectives.
- To ensure that the Trust’s framework of financial planning, treasury management, systems and enable the proper management of the financial resources within the organisation.
- To develop strategies for the employment of staff, communications, procurement, value for money and facilities management.
- To support the board of trustees in providing an added level of scrutiny in the monitoring of financial performance across the federation and the performance of other central and support services.
- To keep the board of trustees regularly informed of the committee’s activities and key decisions.
Audit & Risk Committee
This committee normally meets once each term and its responsibilities are:
- The Audit and Risk Committee has principal oversight responsibility for management’s system of internal controls and the controls over external reporting, the internal and external audit processes, the regulatory compliance functions and conflicts of interest. The Committee provides an avenue of communication among the independent auditor, Risk and Compliance, and the Board.
- To monitor and assess the internal controls of The Trust to ensure that the trust as a whole is operating at appropriate levels of risk and in compliance with the Code of Audit Practice.
- To take responsibility for external and internal audit matters, oversee the work programme and performance quality of the internal and external audit services.
- To support the board of trustees in ensuring that a framework is established and maintained for the identification and management of risk.
- To support the board of trustees in providing an added level of scrutiny in the monitoring of internal and external audit matters, risk management, fraud prevention and detection, and internal controls and health and safety.
- To ensure GDPR compliance and monitor progress, actions and amendments.
- To keep the board of trustees regularly informed of the committee’s activities and key decisions.
Local Governing Committee
The Local Governing Committee will meet six times a year and its responsibilities are:
- help the directors, Head Teachers and senior leadership team to set high standards by planning for the school’s / academy’s future and setting performance targets.
- monitor the effectiveness of the academy / school provision including student outcomes, management of financial, physical and human resources, performance against targets.
- act as a critical friend to the Head Teacher and senior leadership team, offering support and advice.
- help the academy / school respond to the needs of parents and the community.
- help make the academy / school be open and accountable to the public for what it does.
- work with the academy / school on planning, developing policies and keeping provision under review.
- exercise the responsibilities and powers delegated to it by the directors in partnership with the Head Teacher and staff.
It is not the role of the Local Governing Committee to intervene in the day-to-day management of the academy. The Head Teacher, senior leadership team and staff are responsible for the operational delivery of the academy.
The full structure and remit of the trust can be downloaded here:
Vision and Structure information
Updated: 05/07/2021
