Governance

REAch2 Academy Trust is a charitable voluntary organisation, which relies on the valuable input of a considerable number of non-executive volunteers, supported by an experienced team of staff. Due to the size of the organisation and the number of schools for which it is responsible, coupled with its drive for accountability, it is also a complex organisation with various important elements of governance.

Effective governance in our large Academy Trust is supported by the following:

Trust Members – the guardians of the constitution
Trust Board – the Directors / Trustees
Trust Board sub-committees – made up of Trust Board members
Cluster Boards – including the Cluster Non-Executive Representatives
Local Governing Bodies – the Local Governors
The Executive Team – the Chief Executive Officer (the CEO), the Deputy CEO and Chief Operating Officer (together the Executive Leaders) and their respective teams

The Trust Board delegates authority to the following key groups in order to ensure the effective leadership and governance of the Academy Trust:

Trust Board Committees populated entirely or largely by trustees (Education Standards and Performance, Executive Nominations, Finance & Resources, Remuneration and Risk & Audit Committee)
Executive leadership and management team (the Executive Team)
Cluster Boards – of which there are 10 that provide additional cluster governance oversight, support and challenge for the associated cluster academies

Local Governing Bodies for each Academy

In September 2019 a Cluster based Governance model was introduced. With two Directors of Education, each Cluster is led by a Deputy Director of Education.

The relationship between the Trust Board, the Executive Team, the Cluster Boards and the Local Governing Bodies is characterised as a partnership to realise a common vision and a common purpose.

In the case of the Trust Board, Cluster Boards and Local Governing Bodies governance the relationship is also based on the principles of:

no duplication of governance
governance should be as close as possible to the point of impact of decision-making
risk Management is key responsibility for each tier with clear lines of responsibility and accountability

The Scheme of Delegation and various Terms of Reference provide clarity as to the responsibilities of the different groups and who the decision makers using a Responsible, Accountable, Support and Consulted methodology. Effectiveness of management and governance is supported through clarity over who holds the decision-making responsibility and who supports and advises the decision makers.