The Hawksmoor Learning Trust is proud of the volunteers have committed their time, skills, knowledge and diversity of experiences to governance roles across our Multi Academy Trust, representing our colleague, parent and community bodies.
Our local governors, Trustees and Members form a governance team that is strong, effective, and pivotal in ensuring that we are successful in delivering our Vision, Values and priorities in all schools and across the Trust.
Our governance structure
Our governance structure is represented by the diagram below:
What we do and who we are
Our Members
The Hawksmoor Learning Trust (THLT) has “Members” who are best viewed as guardians of the constitution, changing the Articles if necessary and ensuring the charitable object is fulfilled. The Members appoint some of the Trustees and can exercise reserve powers to appoint and remove Trustees, but it is anticipated that this power will be rarely exercised. The Academy Trust currently has three Members.
Our Trustees
The corporate management and trustee responsibility for the actions of the company is vested in the “Trustees” of the Academy Trust (together, referred to as "the Trust Board"), who are company directors registered with Companies House.
The Trustees are personally responsible for the actions of the Academy Trust:
- Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos, and strategic direction
- Holding the executive to account for the educational performance and quality of provision of the academies within our Trust.
- Ensuring compliance in all safeguarding and safety.
- Overseeing the Trust’s financial performance and making sure that money is well spent.
- Establishing the governance structures for the Academy Trust, from Members to Academy level, in keeping with the Articles of Association.
- Developing the Trust Board to ensure that it has the capacity, skills and succession plans to have a positive impact on outcomes for pupils.
Trust Board Sub-Committees
Trust Board Sub-Committees will provide the overview and high-level scrutiny of the prioritised risks. The principle of ‘no duplication of governance’ requires a clear differentiation of the nature of the scrutiny and challenge provided by the Trust Board Sub-Committees of each Academy’s contribution to the overall performance of the Academy Trust. The Trust Board Sub-Committees comprise of:
- Educational Standards and Performance
- Pupil Welfare and Safeguarding
- Resources –Finance and Human Resources
- Risk and Audit.
Our Local Academy Boards (LABs)
Our Local Academy Boards are the champions of our values in our Academies. The role of a Local Governor within a Multi-Academy Trust is an important one. In developing our governance arrangements, the Trust Board has sought to ensure that the responsibility to govern is vested in those closest to the impact of decision making and that such responsibility matches the capacity of those assuming responsibility.
The Hawksmoor Learning Trust establishes Local Academy Boards for each of our Academies, for the most part made up of individuals drawn from the Academy’s community, both as elected and appointed members.
The broad duties of the Local Academy Board are summarised as:
- To contribute to and fulfil the vision and ethos of The Hawksmoor Learning Trust in so far as it relates to the Academy, ensuring that the Academy achieves the aims and ambitions it has for its pupils, having regard to the benefits of being part of a family of schools which stresses the importance of collaboration and mutual support.
- To implement, review and challenge from time to time the development plan for the Academy, focusing on the Academy’s performance and achieving sustained school improvement and having regard to any locally agreed priorities identified by the Trust Board.
- To act as a critical friend to the Academy’s senior leadership team, being ready to challenge and hold senior leaders to account for all aspects of the Academy’s performance.
- To support the Trust Board in ensuring that insurance or equivalent risk protection is put in place and maintained for all risk areas including damage to property, employer liability, public and third-party liability, and director liability in accordance with any policy issued by the Trust Board from time to time.
- To review, adopt and implement all Trust policies.
- To develop effective links within the Academy’s community, communicating openly and frequently as appropriate and ensuring that the Academy meets its responsibilities to the community and serves the community’s needs in relation to the safeguarding and education of its pupils.
- To carry out the duties delegated to the LAB by the THLT Board of Trustees.
Academy Improvement Boards (AIBs)
In line with DfE and ESFA requirements, the responsibility for the performance of schools must remain at all times with the Board of Trustees. Should additional performance support be required by a school, the Board of Trustees will reconsider the level of delegated powers and duties of a Local Governing Body and may install an Academy Improvement Board in its place.
The remit and delegated powers of the AIB are reduced from that of an LAB to particularly determine:
- Safeguarding is effective and compliant.
- The quality of education is undergoing a rapid and sustainable improvement.
Meet our Members and Trustees
Register of Business and Pecuniary Interests for our Trustees
NB: please see individual schools for this information regarding Local Governors
Additional Governance Information / Links
The legal document which outlines our structure and purpose as a Multi Academy Trust.
This document outlines the roles, purpose and delegations throughout The Hawksmoor Learning Trust’s Governance structure.
Apply to be part of our governance structure
Contact us
To contact the Board of Trustees at any time, please email our Trust Clerk, Teresa Elkin on TrustClerk@thlt.academy or by using our contact form
Alternatively, email the Chair of the Board of Trustees, Karen Falvey, on ChairofTrust@thlt.academy.