Learning is everything

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The Wessex Multi-Academy Trust has three layers of governance. This is to ensure robust leadership, full accountability and to meet the requirements of the Memorandum, Articles of Association and Funding Agreements, which are statutory documents entered into with the Secretary of State for Education. The three layers are: Members, Trustees and Local Governors. The governance roles are all unpaid, voluntary roles.

Members

The Members are accountable to the Department for Education and have ultimate responsibility for the Trust achieving its charitable objectives. They sign off the Articles of Association and have the power to appoint and/or remove Trustees. There are five Members of the MAT and they presently meet termly with the AGM taking place in January.

Trustees

The Trustees set the strategic direction for the MAT and are accountable to the Secretary of State for the performance of schools within it. As charity trustees, they must also ensure that they are complying with charity law requirements. The Trustees are appointed for their skills, knowledge or experience and fulfil the three core governance functions:

  • ensuring the clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
  • holding the Chief Executive Officer to account for the educational performance of the Trust schools and their pupils and the performance management of its staff
  • overseeing the financial performance for the schools and making sure its money is well spent

The Scheme of Delegation details the powers delegated to the different bodies involved in the governance of the MAT and sets out who is responsible for making which decisions within the Trust. The Scheme of Delegation, Memorandum, Articles of Association, Master Funding Agreement and Supplemental Funding Agreements can be found in the Statutory Document section of the Key Information page. The MAT presently has seven Trustees that meet monthly during term time.

Local Governors

Each school has its own Local Governing Body (LGB) which is a committee of the Trust Board of Directors. The LGB is made up of community representatives and elected parent and staff representatives, with the skills and experience that enable them to support the Directors and Headteachers by adding local context and challenge. This is to ensure that each school offers the very best provision. The LGB have governance functions delegated to them by the Trust Board of Directors for their particular school via the Scheme of Delegation and are accountable to the Trust Board of Directors.

Members and Trustees

Kate Adie

Kate Adie
Member

Martin Baker

Martin Baker
Safeguarding Link Director

Gary Batt

Gary Batt
Chair of Directors

Kaye Chittenden

Kaye Chittenden
Member

Simon Conibear

Simon Conibear
Member

Alun Cooper

Alun Cooper
Director

Lynne Cove

Lynne Cove
SEND and Medical Conditions Link Director

Genoveva Esteban

Genoveva Esteban
Member

Mike Foley

Mike Foley
Chief Executive

Matt Haines

Matt Haines
Vice Chair of Directors, Chair of Resources Committee, Finance Link Director

Godfrey Lancashire

Godfrey Lancashire
Member

Lucy Mignot

Lucy Mignot
Director

Meeting Attendance

2021 - 2022 15/09 29/09 06/10 19/10 10/11 01/12 15/12 15/12 12/01 26/01 09/02 09/03 23/03 30/03 04/05 18/05 15/06 22/06 13/07 13/07
K Adie
S Conibear
G Esteban
G Lancashire
K Chittenden
M Baker
G Batt
A Cooper
L Cove
M Foley
M Haines
L Mignot

Meeting Minutes