Governance and accountability

We are committed to our academies being part of their local communities. To them being significant players in driving the transformation and economic development of the communities in which they sit, via the establishment of local governing committees, and working together regionally.

You can read our full Governance Statement in our Annual Report and Financial
Statements For The Year Ended 31 August 2023.

Governance Structure and Lines of Accountability

Effective governance within Aldridge Education is achieved through a shared vision and a connected thread of delegated responsibility and accountability. Whilst the Board cannot ever delegate its accountability, it can and must delegate some of the detailed scrutiny, oversight and decision-making.

Our governance structure is:

The Members – the guardians of the constitution (articles of association) and the application of Aldridge vision and goals within the Trust
The Trust Board – is accountable to the Members, to the Secretary of State for Education and to the wider community for the quality of the education provided to all of our registered students and for the appropriate expenditure of public money
The Local Governing Committee for each school or college – provides scrutiny of the delivery of the Academy Improvement Plan and monitor expenditure against the academy budget, thus holding the school’s leadership to account. It ensures that enterprise and entrepreneurship are embedded in all aspects of school life and that the local community is engaged with the academy, so that the school is properly meeting its community’s needs.

The relationship between the Trust Board and the Executive Team and the Local Governing Committees is characterised as a partnership to achieve our vision. To promote highly effective and efficient ways of working we aim to ensure that:

We minimise duplication of governance
Strategic decision-making is as close as possible to the point of impact
Delegation is in line with our Scheme of Delegation which is regularly reviewed
The Aldridge Education Board determines the Trust vision, ethos, entrepreneurial values and strategic direction, and will delegate responsibility for operational leadership and management to the Chief Executive Officer.

Some strategic, Trust-wide oversight roles and responsibilities are delegated by the Board to the Trust level committees i.e. finance and resources including estate management, audit and risk plus educational standards

The relationship between the Trust and the Local Governing Committees is one of partnership and collaboration – drawing on each other’s strengths in order to overcome challenges by sharing best practice. It is based on a shared culture that strongly reflects our entrepreneurial attributes: teamwork; determination; passion; creativity; risk taking and problem solving.

A copy of our Articles are available here.