Why do school trusts have Trust Governors?

The board of Trustees have decided to delegate some responsibilities to a local governance layer. These responsibilities and delegated powers are set out in our scheme of delegation. Trust governors are the eyes and ears of the Trust board locally. They champion the educational standards, ethos and character of the school they support and all schools within the school trust.

Although governors are working at a school level, they are known as Trust Governors; this is to reflect the fact that School Governor Forums are a full and formal part of the trust governance structure and are a key component in:

• Supporting the effective operation of the trust and its policies
• Providing support and challenge to the school leaders
• Providing a vehicle for trust board engagement with the school, its parents and the local community to help ensure the trustees stay connected.
• Bringing issues and risks to the attention of the trust board.
• Providing constructive feedback to the board where a policy may not be effective in the local
• context and suggest alternative approaches
• Helping ensure the trust works as one entity in the interests of all its schools equally

Composition of School Governor Forum:

• Headteacher - Ex-officio (this post is not counted in the minimum 8 governance requirement).
• Parents Governors x 2 - elected or appointed by the school.
• Staff Governor x 1 - elected by the school staff team.
• Trust Governors x 5 - appointed by the Trust Board and assigned to the Local School Governor Forum.