3.1. Role of board committees
- Trustees delegate some governance functions to board committees. Finance & Resources Committee advises on the financial management of the Trust. Audit & Risk Committee, advises on the adequacy of the Trust’s controls and risks. Curriculum & Standards Committee advises on the educational performance of the Trust and individual schools within the Trust.
- Board committees must have at least three trustees in membership, and trustees must be in the majority for voting purposes; the school committees are encouraged to nominate a governor to attend each committee to represent the individual schools.
3.2. Role of school committees and governors
- Trustees delegate some governance functions to the School Committees (Nelson and Latchmere).
- The Trust Board approves the appointment of the school committee chairs.
- Parent representation is at school level within LAT with up to 4 parents elected to sit on the school committees
- The school committees are close to and representative of the community the school serves so they are:
o a valued point of consultation and representation in the development of Trust policies
o the recipients of detailed information about how their schools are being managed
o tasked by the Trust board with scrutinising management information thus providing assurance to trustees that the school is:
- operating within the ethos and values of the trust and creating a positive climate for all stakeholders
- working within agreed policies
- meeting the agreed targets
- engaging with stakeholders
- acting as an ambassador for the trust
- developments and make appropriate recommendations to the Trust Board.
- Ensure an annual review of teachers’ salaries in line with current arrangements in the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document**
- Ensure an annual review of support staff salaries in line with current arrangements in the NJC for local government or other appropriate bodies
- Consider the recommendation of the Executive Head’s performance review group in relation to the Executive Head’s annual performance review***
- Consider and approve (on behalf of Trust Board) any proposed ex gratia payments by the Executive Headteacher to ensure compliance with Trust policy and prior approval is obtained from the ESFA.
**Anyone employed to work at the school other than the Executive Head must withdraw from this item
***Anyone employed to work at the school including the Executive Head must withdraw from this item
The Finance and Resources Committee will form the Audit & Risk Committee, comprising of 3 trustees, which will:
- Provide assurances to the TB that all risks are being adequately identified and managed with regard to:
o Reviewing the risks to internal financial and non-financial controls and risk management arrangements
o Agreeing a programme of work to address, and provide assurance on, those risks
- Ensure that information submitted to DfE and ESFA that affects funding, including pupil number returns and funding claims completed by the trust and by constituent academies, is accurate and in compliance with funding criteria.
- Secure that the outcome of the committee’s work informs the governance statement that accompanies the trust’s annual accounts and so far, as is possible, provides assurance to external auditors.
- Lead the appointment of the external and internal auditor, the audit fee and any questions of resignation or dismissal.
- Oversee and approve the Trust’s programme of internal scrutiny
- Discuss with the external and internal auditor before any audit commences the nature and scope of the audit.
- Develop and keep under review risk management and measurement strategies across the Academy Trust together with the procedures for monitoring the adequacy and effectiveness of those processes.
- Annual review of risk register and escalation of finance and resources risks to the TB on an ongoing basis
- Review the action and implementation of risk management policy across the Trust.
- Consider the Trust's risk profile relative to current and future Academy Trust strategy and identifying any such trends, concentrations or exposures and any requirement for policy change.
- Receive and review risk management and relevant regulatory information and reports
- Consider material breaches of the agreed risk limits, review the actions taken in response and to prevent a repeat occurrence.