The Academy Trust is a charitable company limited by guarantee (the liability of the members is set at £10 in the model Articles of Association). The Trust has two layers of governance:

• the members, who operate at a strategic level with ultimate control over the direction of the Academy Trust, and
• the governors (often referred to as the directors or trustees) with responsibility for day-to-day management and operation of the Academy Trust.

The Members

The functions of the members of the Academy Trust include:

• Overseeing the achievement of the objectives of the company.
• Taking part in Annual and Extraordinary General Meetings.
• Appointing some of the governors.
• Signing off the company’s financial accounts and annual report.
• Power to amend the Articles of the company and, ultimately, to remove the governors/directors.

Overall, members usually have much more limited practical involvement in the management of the company than the governors.

Current members are:

• Patrick Sullivan
• Lisa Hillan
• Liz Stokes
• Martin Green
• Emma McBriarty

The Governors (the Governing Body)

In Academies, the governors are directors or trustees of the Academy Trust. Most day-to-day management decisions are made collectively through a board of directors typically referred to as the governing body.

The governing body manages the Academy on behalf of the Academy Trust and the key responsibilities are to:

• Ensure the quality of educational provision.
• Challenge and monitor the performance of the school.
• 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 the Academy in accordance with the Funding Agreement that has been signed with the Secretary of State.