GLF Schools
Forge Wood 63

Governance at GLF Schools

The governance structure for the Trust has been developed to support the culture of the Trust and the effective management and oversight of a growing organisation.

The Trust Board is accountable to the Secretary of State for all schools within the MAT and responsible for compliance with government and ESFA requirements, company law and charity law. Whilst the Trust Board will always remain accountable, our governance structure allows for the delegation of decisions to the most appropriate body.

In order to ensure effective governance of such a large Trust with such a variety of different schools, governance in GLF Schools is designed to be

Collaborative

The Trust Board and the School Standards Boards (SSBs) collaborate to ensure effective governance of the whole Trust for the benefit of all pupils in our schools

Connected

The operation of the Trust Board and SSBs is designed to ensure oversight at the right level, with clear lines of communication and non-duplicative roles.

Customised

The governance framework of the Trust is customised to suit our needs and ensure maximum impact at each level.


Appointees at all levels of governance must conduct themselves in line with the vision and values of the Trust, and in accordance with the seven principles of public life.

Our Articles of Association and Scheme of Delegated Authority below set out the details of our governance structure. 

Articles of AssociationScheme of Delegated Authority

Master funding agreementThe Register of Business Interests is available here Financial information is available here

Members

You can find out more about the members of the Trust here

The Board of Trustees

The Board of Trustees is the accountable body for all schools in the Trust, and is responsible for
the three core functions of governance:

  1. Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
  2. Holding executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the organisation
    and its pupils and the performance management of staff
  3. Overseeing the financial performance of the organisation and making sure its money is
    well spent.

The Board has four sub-committees: Audit & Risk, Budget, Education and Operations & Growth.

Meet the Board

School Standards Boards

Each school in the Trust is overseen by a School Standards Board (SSB), which consists of between
5 and 7 people plus the Headteacher, and has the following core responsibilities:

  • Strategic oversight of the education provision of the school(s)
  • Strategic oversight of compliance of the school(s) with Trust policies
  • Supporting the Trust Board to ensure good governance across the Trust

SSBs are also the Board’s interface with pupils, staff, parents and the local community. They ensure that stakeholder voices are heard and responded to, and provide a local focus on wellbeing of pupils and staff.

GLF Schools is clear that each school must retain its own distinct character to meet the needs of its local area. The Trust places a high value on recruiting members for the SSBs who can represent the local community whilst also contributing a useful skillset, and encourages applications from interested parties.

Click here for more information

Apply to become a member of a School Standards Board

The SSB is responsible for local governance and oversight of the school, and being a member is a challenging but hugely rewarding role. It will give you the chance to make a real difference to the life chances of young people, give something back to the local community, and use and develop your skills in a board-level environment.

Schools need a SSB that has a balance and diversity of knowledge, skills and experience to enable it to be effective. However, no special qualifications are needed, and training will be provided to successful candidates. The most important thing is that you have a keen interest in the school/governance, a commitment to ensuring all children receive the best possible education, and you are prepared to play an active part in the SSB’s work. You should be committed to the role and to supporting young people; confident in having courageous conversations; curious with an enquiring mind; able to challenge the status quo to improve things; collaborative to build strong relationships; critical to improve your own work and that of the SSB.

We are always keen to hear from members of the community who want to make a difference to the outcomes of the children and young people in our schools and who believe they have skills which would add value to one of our School Standards Boards. If you are interested please contact our recruitment team at: