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Governance Structure

Trust Members, Trustees and Local Governors generously volunteer their time without financial compensation, leveraging their diverse skills and experience to support our leadership teams in achieving excellence. Our governance structure adheres to our Memorandum, Articles of Association and Funding Agreements with the Secretary of State, ensuring robust leadership and complete accountability. Members, directors and local governors all play crucial roles. Their appointments are based on the skills, knowledge, or experience needed by the Board.
 

Trust Members

Trust Members are the ultimate owners of the entire Trust and are responsible for its operations and conduct. Their distinct responsibilities include the authority to appoint and dismiss Trustees, amend the articles of association, receive annual accounts, and appoint auditors. Members serve as an additional layer of accountability, overseeing the board's actions. Their engagement involves attending bi-annual Annual General Meetings, where they actively scrutinise the Trust's activities.

Trustees

Trustees have three core governance functions: ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction. They hold the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) accountable and oversee the educational outcomes and financial performance of the schools within the Trust. As academy trusts are all charitable companies, the Directors must also ensure they comply with the company law requirements that govern them. They are all registered with Companies House. They are also responsible to the Secretary of State for operating the Trust for the public benefit and compliance with legislation, including charities' legislation.

Trustee roles are mainly strategic. They have responsibilities for managing the Trust, its finances, and a schedule of agreed delegated powers and duties to Committees. The committees cover Finance & Risk, Standards, and Staffing, working alongside the Trust's three working groups (Estates, Growth and Safeguarding). All work alongside the Local Governing Boards (LGB). In addition, the Trust has two working groups - Estates Management and Growth. Responsibilities for all committees and working groups are detailed below:

Committee/Working Group Responsibility
Finance & Risk Committee This Committee is an independent panel composed of Trustees, established to assist in overseeing the finance and risk strategy. Its primary goals are to ensure the financial health of Equinox and to implement effective risk management to protect against major losses.
Staffing Committee This Committee is a second independent panel composed of Trustees, established to assist in overseeing the quality of education and effective safeguarding within Equinox. Its primary metrics are derived from national assessment data and Ofsted reports of individual schools. Additionally, it collects information on student behaviour and the enrichment opportunities provided, ensuring that Trust Leaders are nurturing pupils into responsible future citizens.
Standards Committee The Standards Committee is responsible for monitoring the Trust's School Improvement Plans and the educational performance and standards achieved by each school in the Trust through the work of Governors. It approves and monitors annual targets for each academy and reviews governors' work regarding the data dashboard, which covers pupil attendance, exclusions, punctuality and disciplinary matters for each school.

Local Governing Bodies

The Trustees establish Local Governing Bodies (LGBs). They operate at each school and are committees of the Board of Trustees. Their primary role is as a school improvement committee with their work programme across the year, prioritising school improvement within the Trust framework. The Local Governing Bodies manage each school within the framework set down by the Trustees. After that, it is for the Local Governing Board to oversee the affairs of each school, bringing them to the Board's attention and advising the Trustees of any matters they feel necessary.

Lines of accountability are via the minutes of the Local Governing Board, to the Trustees and, of course, from the reports written by the individual Headteachers and the CEO about the operation of each school to the Trustees. The health and strength of all schools under the Trust rely on clear and careful communication between our Members, Trustees and Local Governing Bodies.

Note: Agendas and minutes of meetings are available upon request.

Records of Attendance and Basis of Appointment for:

Equinox Learning Trust* Members & Directors 2021/22 >>>

Francis Baily Primary School Local Governing Board 2021/22 >>> 

Kennet School Local Governing Board 2021/22 >>>

Whitelands Park Primary School Local Governing Board 2021/22 >>>​​​​​​

*The Equinox Learning Trust was formerly known as Kennet School Academies Trust (KSAT). It was rebranded in January 2024.