St Martin’s Multi Academy Trust

Board leadership: An effective board will define the vision of the trust and then set a strategy to deliver it. The values and ethos of the trust must underpin this strategy. The board must be clear on what the trust does to advance education for the public benefit and what it does to enact its civic role within the community and beyond. The process will also take into account current and future risks for the trust; financial viability and any future goals or uncertainties that have to be addressed.

Structures: It is essential to have clear roles and responsibilities as part of the governance structure of our trust. Change is inevitable and, as a dynamic organisation, governance must also change to suit the needs of the Trust. The governance structure must reflect the legal duties and accountability of the Trust board but must also reflect the identity of the individual schools. Local governance is the voice for the school and community and challenges school leaders. It is the eyes and ears on the ground to feed into boards for decisions.

Accountability: Our single governance structure enables the board to effectively oversee the strategic direction of the Trust and hold executive leaders to account for pupil outcomes. The Scheme of Delegation provides clarity for the remit and purpose of governance so that it has particular focus on pupil outcomes, finance and compliance.

Compliance: Competent risk management and strong financial management is imperative as it mitigates against risks and barriers to educational outcomes. Processes to ensure due diligence, probity and regularity are carried out centrally to empower school staff to focus on teaching and school improvement.