Trusts perform an important role in advancing education, promoting pupil welfare and keeping trusts’ estates safe and well-maintained. Governors and management must have the skills, knowledge and experience to run the academy trust.

Alongside the board of governors, our trust has members who have a similar role to shareholders of a company limited by shares. Member powers are set out in the trust’s articles of association.

Woodford Valley CE Primary Academy currently has five members – Luke March, Rev Mike Perry (The incumbent), Suzanne Waters (PCC), Prof Kyriaki Anagnostopoulou (Bath Spa University), Karen Walker (Interim Chair)

Members are kept informed by governors about trust business so they can be assured that the board is exercising effective governance and use their powers to step in if governance is failing. Members are provided with the trust’s audited annual report and accounts.

As a SAT (with one academy) we have a single funding agreement with the Secretary of State.

All academy trusts, as charitable companies, have both academy governors (trustees) and Members.

Members play a limited but crucial role in safeguarding academy trust governance. Whilst they ensure that they do not stray into undertaking the academy governors’ role, they do assure themselves that the governance of the academy trust is effective, that academy governors are acting in accordance with the trust’s charitable object(s) and that they, the Members, use their powers to step in if governance is failing. Members are not involved in the day-to-day business of the academy trust.

In addition, as Woodford Valley is a Church of England school, the Governors have a responsibility to ensure that the school remains true to its Christian foundation.

The Full Governing Body meets six times a year.  It consists of the following members:

• 8 foundation governors, who are proposed by the local church and formally appointed by the Diocesan Board of Education (This is because Woodford Valley is a Church of England school.)
• 2 parents governors, who are elected by parents
• 2 staff governors, who are elected by the school staff
• The Headteacher
• Other governors who have been co-opted by the Board

Governors belong to at least one sub-committee (Finance and Staffing, Curriculum, Buildings, and Ethos) which also meet six times a year.  Governors also have responsibility for a school subject and meet with that subject leader, make a school visit and report to the Governing Board on that subject once a year.

The Governors draw up a strategic plan for the school, looking ahead for key developments the school needs to make in the future.  We re-visit this plan several times a year.

The Governors audit their performance as a Governing Board, and are overseen in turn by the Board of Members, the majority of whom are not Governors.

Being a School Governor is a rewarding and vital role.  School Governors are the largest group of volunteers in the country.  We are very lucky to have a talented and strongly committed group of governors at Woodford Valley.