This article sets out the 3 core purposes of governance for trust boards, as outlined in the academy trust governance guide (section 2.2).
If you're on a maintained school board, see our other article on the 3 core functions for maintained boards.
The first purpose: strategic leadership
This involves:
- Setting your trust's vision for high-quality and inclusive education (in line with your charitable objects)
- Establishing and fostering the culture of your trust
- Setting and championing your trust's strategy
- Deciding what governance functions are delegated to the local tier
This is set out in section 1.10 of the Academy Trust Handbook.
You share this responsibility with your trust leadership team
Together, you'll create the trust's vision, distil that down to a vision statement and embed that vision across the trust.
If your board has delegated some of these functions to the local tier, they may be responsible for setting each