Committee Membership & Terms of Reference

A Statutory Committee established by the Board of Trustees.

Membership

A Trustee with relevant audit oversight experience will be appointed as Chair.

The Committee must have at a minimum of 3 seats, with a majority being Trustees. The Committee may co-opt committee members who have relevant experience and an independent view point.

No member of the Finance and General Purposes Committee shall be permitted to serve on the Audit & Risk Committee; but may be invited to attend meetings at the request of the Chair, to answer questions on the work of the Finance and General Purposes Committee, for matters of clarity and understanding.

The Chief Finance Officer will assist the Chair to inform the Committee’s work programme.

In attendance: Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Trust Governance Professional.

Terms of reference

Quorum: 2

3 times per year (with the ability to call further meetings, as and when required).

• Agree a programme of work annually to deliver internal security and coverage across the year.
• Ensure all audit arrangements, both internal and external, are carried out effectively.
• Monitor the implementation of recommendations of audit.
• Ensure financial policies, systems and control are fit for purpose; including the approval of the Trust’s Anti-Fraud, Bribery and Corruption Policy.
• Scrutinise the Trust’s Annual Report and Report to Management, making appropriate recommendations to Trustees.
• Conduct an annual review of the Trust and Academy Risk Registers; Monitor risk management is carried out at both trust and academy level. Review and make recommendations to Trustees on the Scheme of Delegated Authority and Policy Schedule.
• Ensure key reports to the DfE are accurate and timely.
• Consider any alleged fraud and or irregularity and make recommendations to Trustees.
• Appointment, re-appointment and dismissal of internal auditors.
• The Committee must ensure compliance with the Academy trust handbook.
• Provide feedback on the work of the Committee to the Board of Trustees.

Established by the Board of Trustees.

Membership

Minimum of 3 Trustees be appointed (maximum of 5).

The Chair must have a suitable financial background.

The Accounting Officer will be appointed as an ex-officio committee member.

In attendance: Chief Financial Officer and Trust Governance Professional

 Terms of Reference

The Committee will ensure compliance with the Academy Trust Handbook and Funding Agreement. Report its findings to the Board of Trustees and Accounting Officer; at least annually, ideally 3 times per year).

The Chief Financial Officer will assist the Chair with the programme of work

Quorum: 2

Responsibility for advising the Board of Trustees on:

• Financial health and solvency of the Trust.
• Financial implications of new initiatives and ventures.
• Financial implications of the Trust’s capital planning and development opportunities.
• Actions and decisions to be exercised under Scheme of Delegated Authority.
  • Provide assurance on compliance with DfE requirements.
  • Approval of Financial Policies including; Financial Regulations, Treasury Management, Expenses and Eye Care (Employment Manual).
  • Establish a Policy and Procedure for the use of School Condition Allocation (SCA)

Other work of the Committee:

Funding

• Indicative funding and implications.
• Budgets, recommending acceptance or non-acceptance to Trust Board.
• Review strategic plans with financial priorities.
• Recommendations on reserve balances.
• Exceptional expenditure requests.

Scrutiny

• Monitor income, expenditure and cash flows; receipt of monthly management accounts.
• Review transactions notifiable to ESFA e.g., related parties.
• Review grants awarded and spend is in guidelines.

 Procedures

• Monitor and review, including bank accounts.
• Recommend to Trustees for approval Financial Statements, part of final financial statements.

 Property and infrastructure

• Review and consider significant asset acquisitions or disposals.
• Estate Management and technology infrastructure
• Monitor capital allocations e.g., School Condition Allocation (SCA) and Devolved Formal Capital (DfC).
• Oversight of Health & Safety and cyber security.

A Committee established by the Board of Trustees.

Remit:

To provide strategic oversight of educational performance, curriculum quality, pupil welfare and leadership across the Trust. The Committee will drive and support continuous improvement by monitoring standards and scrutinising performance data. It will ensure that all pupils will receive a high-quality educational experience. ​

Membership:

• The Curriculum & Standards Committee will be appointed by and report to the Board of Trustees. Members of the group may be drawn from among the Board of Trustees.​
• There committee will have a minimum of 3 members. A minimum of 2/3 of the serving committeebeing Trustees. The Committee may appoint a maximum of two independent committee memberswho are suitably experienced. ​
• The committee members will appoint the chair of the Committee and the chair’s term of office will beone year. The Chair must have suitable educational leadership experience. ​
• The C&S Committee will liaise and consult with other committees including the Academy MonitoringCommittees where necessary and will at all times have regard to the Trust’s Vision & Ethos statement,Trust policies, and the current Strategic Plan. All Committees must have particular regard tosafeguarding and equalities issues in their work. ​
• Each Committee will annually review and recommend changes to its terms of reference. ​
• Unless the Board of Trustees has delegated powers of decision in writing to the C&S Committee, recommendations from the Committee must be considered and decided by the full Board. ​

Quorum:

The quorum for the Committee shall be two Trustees or local advisory board members; but to exercise delegated powers, Trustees must represent a majority. ​

Meetings:

• There shall be a minimum of five meetings held per academic year. Meetings will be a maximum of 2hours and are permitted to be held online. ​
• In the absence of the chair, the Committee will choose an acting chair for that meeting from amongthe Trustees present. ​
• The Committee meetings will normally be clerked by the Clerk to the Trustees. ​
• C&S meetings will not be open to the public but minutes will be made publicly available. Informationrelating to a named person or any other matter that the Committee considers confidential should berecorded by the Clerk in a Part 2 Confidential Minute and excluded from the public record. ​
• The draft minutes of each meeting will be circulated with the agenda for the next ordinary meeting of the Board of Trustees and will be presented at that meeting by the Committee chair (or in his/her absence another member of the Committee). ​​

Terms of reference

Quorum: 2

A forum for which executive leadership may discuss and approve, as a collective, or make recommendations to the Board of Trustees.

Minimum of 5 meetings per academic year (additional meetings may be called at the request of the Chief Executive Officer or the Chair of Trustees and/or the Chair of the Committee).

Established by the Board of Trustees

Membership

A minimum of three seats.

In attendance: Chief Executive Officer (with the exception of items related to the remuneration and performance management of the CEO) and Trust Governance Professional.

Terms of reference

Quorum: 2

Three meetings per academic year (with further meetings being called in line with its terms of reference).

Academy Monitoring Committees are established by the Board of Trustees.

Each Academy forms an Academy Monitoring Committee (AMC), where committee members are appointed initially for a four year term of office.

Delegated by the Board of Trustees, the Chief Executive Officer, is responsible for the work of AMCs, working with the Director of Primary Education and Safeguarding to set work programmes and schedule training. The Director or Primary Education will also be appointed to each Primary Academy’s AMC, supporting the Principal and Chair.

All Academy Monitoring Committee Members must undertake our strict vetting procedures as we would undertake for al staff, governors and volunteers in line with the requirements for their specific role. For example, they must have a enhanced DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) and section 128 direction check, which identifies whether someone is barred from management and/or governance.

An AMC’s role is to provide both support and challenge to the school and its leadership to ensure that it works to its targets for the year and that the voices of each stakeholder group are taken into account.

Meetings are supported by a a Governance Professional and/or clerk who prepares agendas and maintains records of the meetings to help support the challenge to the school to deliver for its young people.

Chairs of AMCs may meet on an informal basis, four times per year. They will be briefed on Trust matters, discuss key areas for development and help to formulate AMC business; the aim is to bridge the gap between trustees and governors.

It is important that Academy Monitoring Committee members feel free to make visits to the Academy, this should be arranged through the Principal and  appropriate Governance Professional. Trustees will also visits schools to review progress.

Each AMC will elect a governor for the following areas; Safeguarding/ Child Protection, Attendance and Behaviour, SEND and Pupil Premium.

Terms of reference

Quorum:        One third of those governors currently serving.

Decisions between meetings can be arrived at through electronic means, providing at least 51% of the Committee contribute to the decision.

4 times per academic year (additional meetings may be called at the request of the CEO, Principal and Chair).

• Two training sessions for all governors each year, which will include guidance and training on safeguarding.
• Ensuring the Academy is working to its ethos, within the Mission and Values of the Trust.
• Act as consultee for the Principal on matters of significant impact to the academy.
• Holding the Principal and senior staff to account for the educational performance of the Academy, ensuring that young people have a high quality and relevant curriculum, with all abilities appropriate resources.
• Ensuring its meeting all the relevant safeguarding regulations and creating supportive environment for its children and young people to learn.
• Oversight and consultation of financial performance, ensuring good value for money and buildings and facilities are safe and fit for purpose.
• Providing in-put into the academy’s key plans and policies.
• Oversight and consultation of the curriculum framework and focusing upon pupil progress; including special groups, such as Pupil Premium and SEND pupils.
• Review and approval of policies delegated by the Board of Trustees.

If there is significant disagreement by an AGC on a key piece of academy work, then the Chair should note the strong differences and refer the matter to the CEO, who will them arrange for Trustees to make the final decision.

Academy Governing Committees’ Membership