Trustees

Trustees

Nigel Rees (Chair)
Leadership, Governance, Finance, Business

Ruth Sullivan
Education, HR, Foundation

Roy Davey
Education – Primary and Secondary, School improvement, Foundation

Caryl Plewes
Strategic, Governance, School improvement, Primary Education, Foundation

Tim Bartley
Business, Project Leadership, Finance, Asset Management

John Ponsonby OBE (Vice Chair)
Strategic, Business, Commercial, Training

Claire Bedding
Executive skills training

Steven Lusher
Estates management

Graham Colls
Strategic business management, Finance

Simon Jones
Foundation Trustee

Ian MacFarlane
Strategic, Business, Commercial

 

 

 

Trustee Overall purpose

Trustees are responsible for the strategic direction, broad policy framework and oversight of the Trust and all its schools. They take decisions that are in the best interests the MAT as a whole and are not representative of any one of the constituent academies. The Trustees are also Directors of the Academy which is a company limited by guarantee and registered as such at Companies House.

Main duties and responsibilities

1. To ensure that the activities of the Trust fulfil the objectives as described in the Articles of Association and the Memorandum of Understanding
2. To ensure compliance with the Trust’s duties under company and charity law
3. To ensure the schools are compliant with all statutory obligations (eg curriculum, SEND, safeguarding)
4. To safeguard the assets of the Trust
5. To ensure the solvency of the trust and to abide by the agreements made with the Department for Education and Educational Funding Agency including the Master Funding agreement and the Supplemental Funding Agreement and as defined in the current issue of the Academies Financial Handbook
6. To determine the overall strategic direction and development of the Trust through good governance and clear strategic planning
7. To approve the Trust’s strategic plan
8. To challenge and support the Trust’s Executive Principal, senior staff and academy leaders to achieve the outcomes of the strategic plan
9. To oversee the performance of the Trust and its schools and direct change where performance falls short of expectation
10. To agree policies across the schools within the Trust
11. To ensure that risks are mitigated where possible and otherwise effectively managed
12. To review the Trust Board’s terms of reference on a regular basis and to recommend any changes to the Board of Members
13. To approve the terms of reference of the Board’s committees
14. To approve the terms of reference of the Local Governing Bodies for the schools
15. To, approve the Trust’s annual budget and monitor progress through the receipt of regular reports and to commission auditors
16. To approve the annual budget for each school and monitor expenditure against the budgets
17. To approve the annual and other statutory reports to Members and the EFA*
18. To agree and review from time to time the scheme of delegation to the schools
19. To review the effectiveness and skill set of the Board and recommend appropriate changes to the Board of Members
20. To appoint and if deemed necessary to remove the Executive Principal

Expected time commitment – 6 Board meetings per year plus committees

*Trustees appointed by the Diocese are required to provide prescribed reports to the Salisbury Diocesan Board of Education.

 

SAST Trust Board Committees:

Finance & Resources Committee

Core Purpose

• Finance
• Audit
• Premises
• Financial compliance
• 5 meetings per year

Membership: At least 5 Trustees, the CEO, SAST Finance Director, 2 Headteachers

SAST Teaching and Learning Improvement Committee

Core Purpose

• Performance & standards
• Educational development
• Staffing
• Safeguarding
• Other compliance

Membership: At least 5 Trustees, the CEO, the SAST Head of Improvement, 2 Headteachers

Trustees: Peter Tait (Chair), Caryl Plewes (Vice Chair), Roy Davey, Jono Tregale, Ben Gudgeon, Janis Hill

Headteachers: Neela Brooking, Jen Jacklin

 

SAST Pay & Remuneration Committee

Core Purpose

• Staff pay and appraisal
• Staff expenses

Membership: At least 3 Trustees, the CEO, the SAST Head of HR

Trustees: Caryl Plewes (Chair), Tim Bartley (Vice Chair), Jono Tregale, Tony Cooke, Phil Tebbatt

 

SAST Audit & Risk Committee

Core Purpose

• External and Internal Audit
• Estates/Health & Safety Compliance
• Financial compliance
• Risk Management

Membership: At least 3 Trustees, the CEO, the SAST Head of Finance, SAST Head of Estates

 

SAST School Condition Allocation Committee

Core Purpose

• Allocating capital funding to school projects in line with SAST estates vision:
• Prioritise school projects transparently, fairly and meeting statutory frameworks
• Monitoring, budgets, value for money
• Regular review of two-page School Condition Allocation Summaries

Membership: At least 3 Trustees, the CEO, the SAST Head of Estates

 

Trustee Meeting Attendance 2020-21 SAST Register of Business Interests 2020-21 Trustee Meeting Attendance 2019-20 SAST Register of Business Interests 2019-2020