University of Lincoln Academy Trust (UoLAT) is an educational charity regulated by the Secretary of State for Education and governed by its Articles of Association and Master funding Agreements which you can find on this website.
Effective governance in our Trust is supported by the following:
Members:
These are guardians of the constitution. Members have the power to amend the Articles of Association, appoint Trustees and fellow Members. They hold Trustees to account, should there be concerns over its administration, governance and financial controls.
Trustees:
Trustees are accountable for educational standards and financial conduct across the Trust. They may take decisions that are set out by Company Law and the Regulator (Secretary of State for Education (Department for Education)). As such, on an annual basis, a Scheme of Delegated Authority (SoDA) is agreed which sets out those decisions and who will be responsible for taking them. In addition to the SoDA, a Policy Schedule is agreed, which delegates responsibility for the review, approval and implementation of all policies. These are delegated to committees and selected post holders.
Trust Board Committees:
These groups have been established to discharge certain functions that have been delegated to them by the Board of Trustees. Each Committee has its own terms of reference, which can be found later in this document. They are chaired by and consist of trustees who, through their own work experience, can provide an expert lens on specific areas allowing the trusts corporate governance to make informed decision. How they do this is detailed in our Governance and Scheme of Delegation document.
Academy Monitoring Committees:
Trustees have established an Academy Monitoring Committee for each of its academies. Those involved in our local governance provide a strategic lens on local academy performance, offer challenge and support to the academy and ultimately provide assurance to the board. They monitor the work of academy leadership by evaluating pupil progress and attainment, alignment with the Trust’s vision and values, continual review of processes and procedures.
The governance structure is underpinned by the Articles of Association and details set out in the Academy monitoring Committee Scheme of Delegation which shall be reviewed at least annually.
Financial governance, must as a foundation, be compliant with the principles and regulations set out in the Academies Financial Handbook and the Funding Agreement.
In practice our Trustees, who are volunteers, delegate almost all aspects of the day-to-day operation of the Trust to the Chief Executive Officer (Stuart Anderson) and the Executive Leadership Team, and the day-to-day leadership of each academy is delegated, of course, to the Principal.
Board Diversity:
Due to the number of Trustees, we do not publish our diversity data online as individuals could be identified and we have a legal obligation to protect their personal data.
