Local Ethos & Governance Committees

Local Governance Committees

There are the Local Ethos & Governance Committees reporting to the Board of Trustees with delegated powers. These committees meet regularly and are accountable to the Board of Trustees.

Constitution

Each local hub committee which may represent more than one school will comprise of the following:

The membership of a church school or mixed Local Ethos & Governance hub Committee is as follows:

The Heads of Academy within the Hub.
An executive leader from a different hub or member of the Trust Executive Team.
A minimum of two foundation members per Hub.
A minimum of two parent representatives (1 per academy, or 2 if only one academy in the Hub).
Other members will be appointed with the appropriate required skill base.

The membership of a community school hub (no church schools) is as follows:

The Heads of Academy within the Hub.
An Executive Leader from a different Hub or member of the Trust Executive Team.
A minimum of two parent representatives (1 per academy, or 2 if only one academy in the Hub).
Other members will be appointed with the appropriate required skill base.

The CEO or their representative will advise and support the Local Ethos & Governance Committee as necessary.

Appointments

Parent Representatives

There will be a minimum of two parent representatives on a hub committee. A maximum of one parent from each school will be appointed as a Parent Representative. If there is only one school in the hub two will be appointed.. Where there is more than one expression of interest it will be necessary to hold an election per academy.

Role of the Local Committee

The role of the Local Ethos & Governance Committee is to support, inform, advise and challenge provision; working together, empowering excellence and improving outcomes for all children. Working with the Head of Academy, Executive Team and Trust Board, the Local Ethos & Governance Committee is a local voice and a link with local communities and churches (Church Schools) as well as being advocates for all Trust schools.

As ambassadors for the schools, the Local Ethos & Governance Committee can play a crucial role in enriching community relationships and communication; contributing to the collective effectiveness of schools and the Board of Trustees.

The main role of the Local Ethos & Governance Committee (LEG) is to be able to express and act on local views and issues – views of parents and the community, etc. One of the key purposes of the LEG is to ensure that the academies are being a good expression of what and who the Trust is in the local community. Therefore, these roles are about ensuring that the Trust ethos is “lived” out in the academy on a day to day basis.

The roles translate specifically into the following tasks that the LEG undertakes

It acts as a key link between the academies, parents and local community.
It supports the work of the academies in the community.
It supports the Head of Academy and Leadership Team in the development and implementation of the Academy Development Plans and other relevant plans, ensuring that the Trust ethos remains at the heart of the community.
It offers challenging but positive and proactive support to the Head of Academy.
It regularly reviews the academy’s performance in relation to the KPIs (Key Performance Indicators).
Through the work of the Chairs Forum receive information updates from the Board of Trustees and ensure that information from the Board is disseminated to the LEG.
Preserving and supporting the Trust Foundation and the Christian Distinctiveness of Church School Academies (Church Schools).
Contributing to local panels and working parties: e.g. Admissions, Exclusions, Appeals Panel, Appointments, Complaints, worship (Church Schools) and celebrations, etc.
Oversight of Safeguarding, SEND, Pupil Premium and Christian Distinctiveness and Ethos (Church academies).
Succession planning for the Local Committee.