Governance
Oversight and assurance
The following mechanisms are in place to review the effectiveness of Academy improvement planning and how Trust support is allowing all academies meet the strategic aims and performance standards set by the Trust.
1. Local Governing Boards
The Trust board has delegated the standards review for individual academies to each local governing board. The Trust board will ensure each local governing board has the appropriate skills and experience to conduct the support and challenge role effectively. Governors at each academy will use the following tools to ensure improvement planning is leading towards set targets.
- External review/school improvement partner reports
- Review of Academy performance tracker (how well targets are being met)
- Position statement by the Trust on how well each academy is meeting set priorities
- Reports from senior leaders on key priorities
- Academy development plan review
- Link governor visits
- Challenge and Improvement committees.
2. Trust Board
The CEO and other members of the executive will report to Trust Board regularly on how well academies are performing and the effectiveness of Trust school improvement support. The evaluation provided will support the Trust Board in setting the future strategy to meet the set performance standards. Tools that the Trust board will use to review performance and effectiveness:
- CEO and Executive reports at Trust Board and committees
- Trust Business plan review
- Academy card/Position statement/Risk register review
- External review/School improvement partner reports
- LGB minutes and Chair of Local Governing Board meetings
- Executive team performance management reviews.
3. External support
Each academy will have an NLE or other suitably qualified educational expert to act as the School Improvement Partner. All School Improvement Partners will be approved by the Trust Board with the primary role to:
- Quality assure and ensure the correct school improvement actions have been identified with robust data underpinning evaluation.
- Support development where appropriate and connect leaders to good practice.
- In addition, the Trust will commission external reviews to evaluate and support the development of the quality of education in each academy.
4. New schools joining the Trust
A baseline assessment is undertaken during the due diligence process to establish overall school performance against national benchmarks and Trust KPIs. A review of published data together with the school’s latest in-year data is undertaken along with a review of the school improvement plan and latest SEF. The Trust will evaluate whether a broad and balanced curriculum is in place that is effective and appropriate. All schools joining the Trust will be welcomed into the collaborative family with a role in supporting school improvement across the Trust. Where a school has been identified as a capacity taker through the due diligence process, the Trust will use its central capacity to support rapid school improvement. In addition, the Trust when appropriate, will commission support from other MATs and individual specialists in order to take swift action and implement strategies to make a positive impact on educational outcomes.
mersey view learning trust governance structure.pdf