Trustees

The Trustees are responsible for the conduct of the college, and must promote high standards of educational achievement. It is the college’s accountable body and as such provides a strategic view of the college by establishing a vision and setting the purpose and aims of the college within an agreed policy framework. It appoints and performance manages the Principal, agreeing the College Improvement Plan which includes setting statutory targets with supporting budgets and staffing structures.

As an Academy Trust the key responsibilities are to:

  • Ensure the quality of educational provision
  • Challenge and monitor the performance of the college
  • Manage the Academy Trust’s finances and property
  • Manage the staff
  • Exercise reasonable skill and care in carrying out their duties
  • Ensure that the Academy Trust complies with charity and company law
  • Operate in accordance with the Funding Agreement that has been signed by the Secretary of State

Trustees are drawn from different parts of the community and can be foundation governors, parents, staff or from the Local Authority, the community and other groups. This helps ensure the Trustees have sufficient diversity of views and experience but does not mean Trustees of a particular category represent that group on the the board of Trustees.  For example, parent trustees do not represent the parents at the school and do not report back to them. As an Academy Trust we have a flexible governance model that allows us to constitute a board of trustees which meets the needs of our college.

Trustees have ‘strategic rather than management’ responsibilities and we work in partnership with the Principal and staff whilst acting as a ‘critical friend’. Whilst the whole Board of Trustees remains responsible for the governance function of the college we have distinct areas of work delegated to one of three teams. The Strategy Team is a small group of trustees including the Chairs and Vice Chairs working closely with the Senior Management Team of the college. The Learning and Development (Curriculum, Children and Staff) and the Resources (Finance, ICT and Premises) teams focus on the delivery of the College Improvement Plan in their respective areas, undertake monitoring and evaluation against the priorities and report to the Full Trustee Body three times each year.

Local Authority Trustee/Co-Chair of Full Trustees Board: Brian Hughes\ Debbie Coslett contact via hcc@hccat.net