The Governing Body
A summary of the role of the Local Governing Body is outlined below, however, full Terms of Reference can be found in the Trust’s Scheme of Delegation.
- Seek to understand and question how the school is led and managed, acting as a critical friend.
- Monitor and challenge how the school is fulfilling the Trust’s ethos, vision, and strategy.
- Determine and review of the educational targets of the schools, including but without limitation, determination of the School's Development Plan
- Monitor and challenge educational standards, reporting on concerns from the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to the Trustees of the Educational Standards Committee.
- Assist in overseeing the Health and Safety of all students, staff and visitors; and ensure safeguarding for all students.
- Act as the panel when reviewing the school Headteacher/Head of School’s decisions on exclusions, and other committees as required e.g. salaries, complaints and pupil and staff disciplinary/dismissal committees.
- To ensure the School is complying with Trust policies in respect of safeguarding, health and safety and GDPR risk management.
- Represent the school’s stakeholders and be their consultative body.
- Forge links with the community and provide a vehicle for Trust board engagement with the school, its parents and local community, to help ensure that the Academy Trustees stay connected.
- Act as an ambassador for the school.
- Bring any issues and risks to the attention of the Trust Board.
- Provide constructive feedback to the Board where a policy may not be effective in the local context, and suggest alternative approaches.
- Help ensure the Trust works as one entity, in the interests of all its schools equally.
- Deal with any other matters which the Board of Trustees may refer from time to time.
- Report to the Board of Trustees annually on members contribution and the impact of the LGB.
- Ensure value for money is being achieved from school budgets. (This does not include formal financial accountability which is delegated to the Director of Finance).
- Provide a consultative forum for the school for the implementation of new policies and procedures.
- For church schools, to monitor and support the Christian distinctiveness and church ethos of the school.
- Assist in the effective and efficient performance management of teaching staff, making recommendations to the Trust board on pay progression.
- Monitor and evaluate the quality and impact of governance.
Every school within the Marches Academy Trust has a Local Governing Body.
All current and prospective Governors should have read the Marches Academy Trust Governor’s Handbook, the Governor Code of Conduct and Scheme of Delegation*.
The Local Governing Body is composed of the following Governors:
Parent Governors – two per Local Governing Body
Parent Governor elections are carried out when the term for the current Parent Governor(s) expires / if a Parent Governor resigns / when a school joins the Marches Academy Trust.
More information on the role of Parent Governor can be found in the Governance Handbook.
When the number of nominations for Parent Governors exceeds the number of vacancies, a ballot will take place.
Parent Governor Ballot Process - see below
Staff Governors – one per Local Governing Body
Staff Governor elections are carried out when the term for the current Staff Governor expires / if a Staff Governor resigns / when a school joins the Marches Academy Trust.
Staff Governors are just the same as any other Governor, although it is important to note that they are representative of staff, not staff representatives.
If you would be interested in joining the Local Governing Body, or have any questions regarding any of the above, please contact Bee Lopez Bloor, Clerk to the Trust’s Boards, in the first instance: belen.lopezbloor@mmat.co.uk