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The Diocese of Chelmsford

Vine Schools TrustWelcome Pack –

Local Governance

CONTENTS PAGE NO:

1. Welcome........................................................................................................................................ 4

1 | P a g e The Diocese of Chelmsford Vine Schools Trust is a company limited by guarantee.

Registered in England No 8709542. Registered Office 53, New Street Chelmsford CM1 1AT

2. Vine History................................................................................................................................... 5

3. Vine Governance Structures..........................................................................................................5

4. Vine Trust Board............................................................................................................................ 6

5. Vine Academies............................................................................................................................. 6

6 Central Infrastructure Services and Providers..............................................................................7

7. Finance........................................................................................................................................... 7

8. Risk Management..........................................................................................................................8

9. Purpose and Core Responsibility of Local Governance.................................................................8

10. Being a member of a Local Governance Board.............................................................................9

11. Approach to Academy Improvement..........................................................................................10

12. Academy Improvement Consultants...........................................................................................11

13. Central Team................................................................................................................................11

15. Governance Support....................................................................................................................12

16. Governance Training....................................................................................................................13

17. Policies......................................................................................................................................... 13

18. Conclusion....................................................................................................................................13



The mission of the Chelmsford Diocesan Board of Education is to: Promote life in all its fullness through Education across Essex and East London. Support transforming presence that offers life enhancing encounters with Jesus Christ. Provide schools of Christian character for the common good. Our priorities are to resource and equip schools, colleges and parishes to

o go more deeply, o range more widely o relate more closely

“I am the vine; you are the branches.

If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit”

John 15:51. Welcome

Welcome to the Diocese of Chelmsford Vine Schools Trust Family. The importance of your role in local governance cannot be underestimated. Although highly rewarding, this role has many challenges. Therefore, I am always thankful to anyone with the time and skills necessary to secure effective local governance and effective well-rounded education for the children in our Academies. The Vine has three elements to its vision, to bear much fruit in our academies:

Christian Character is the underpinning element to everything we do. It is central to our foundation and to the vision of the Diocesan Board of Education. In Vine Church academies the deeply Christian foundation for this vision will be seen explicitly in teaching and learning both in RE and across the curriculum, and also in the authentically Christian worship and ethos of the academy. The Vine vision is rooted in being deeply Christian, with the promise by Jesus of ‘life in all its fullness’ at its heart.



As Vine Academies we are in the business on providing an Excellent Education. Always striving to enable every child to achieve the highest standards and have every academy recognised as ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted.

Vine academies are Outward Facing, serving their local communities within the Vine Vision. Vine academies develop partnerships beyond the Vine to the benefit of all children. A good education must promote life in all its fullness.

The Vine is a Trust growing in both size and reputation due to the positive impact we are having in our academies. It is with immense pride that our approach to leadership, academy improvement and preserving what is unique about each of our academies has led to schools from all backgrounds actively seeking to join. As a Multi-Academy Trust, the Vine has a unique opportunity to do things differently from cost savings to joint working. We know that high standards start with excellent leadership, therefore developing excellent leaders is a core aim of the Vine. I feel privileged to be able to work so closely with such a passionate team both centrally and in our member Academies. As a new member of that team, I look forward to hopefully meeting you in the future.

John CraneChief Executive

2. Vine History

The Church of England has a long association with education in this country stretching back to 1811 when the Church established its first schools which were available to everyone without charge. By 1851 the Church had established 17,000 schools. Nearly sixty years later the 1870 Education Act brought state provision of public education into being: this Act produced the partnership in education between the state and the church that still exists today. Therefore the Church of England has a proud history of two centuries of unbroken provision in education.

The Church has constantly developed its role within education and schooling. Changing and adapting as context and times, both social and political change. This is as true in today’s world as ever.

Therefore, the Church has continued responding to new educational landscapes and the challenges and opportunities they bring. This led to the creation of the Diocese of Chelmsford Vine Schools Trust in 2013 which enabled the diocese to continue to serve and support the schools and academies for which it shares responsibility.

The Vine was established by the Diocese of Chelmsford to provide a home for all diocesan schools who seek to become an academy. The Vine will therefore guarantee the Christian character of Church schools who join.

3. Vine Governance Structures



The Vine Members appoint the Trust Board. The members are; The Diocesan Director of Education, The Chair of the Diocesan Board of Education, The Chair of the Diocese of Chelmsford Vine Trust Board and Chelmsford Diocesan Education Trust. The Vine Trust Board are ultimately accountable. However, significant responsibility is delegated to local governance through a scheme of delegation. The Headteacher/Executive Headteacher and Local Board continue to be responsible for the day to day running of Vine academies.

4. Vine Trust Board

Our Board is currently made up of twelve members, representing a variety of personal and professional backgrounds. If you want to find out more about our Directors, please visit their section of our website.



Members

Standards Committee

Vine Trust Board

LGB Local Board

Academy Council

Academy Council

LGB Local Board Executive Board

Finance and Audit Comittee

Philip Preston (Chair)

Bryan LesterJoan Costello

Terri Wood

John Crane

Rebecca Poynter

Doris OlulodeCaroline Haynes

Tim Rose

Ven. Elizabeth Snowden

Philip HowlettGavin Flynn

5. Vine Academies



* St.

James

* Howbridge

* St.

Cedds

* St. Margaret’s

* Bulphan

* St. Latchingdon

* Southminster

* St.

James

* Mistley Norman

* Rolph

* St.

Andrew’s

* St.

Osyth

* Gt. Clacton

Joining the Vine Ofsted Judgement Vine Assessment

* Belchamp St Paul

* Ridgewell

* Orsett

6 Central Infrastructure Services and Providers

Although our Trust recognises and supports localised approaches to education, we also know that savings can be made where we work together. There are also services which we must provide centrally as employer of all staff within our Academies and so we have procured some centralised services and systems to support our work. Centralised service providers who we are currently working with are EES, PS Financial and Orovia. Further details on core and preferred supplies along with our group arrangements is available from the Central Team.

7. Finance

Finance is an area with distinctive differences between maintained schools and being part of a Multi-

Academy Trust. Academy trusts hold a multitude of positions such as companies, charities and public bodies. As independent bodies responsible for public funds, there is close regulation and audit to



ensure that the funds being used by the trust and the academy are benefiting the children in their care.

Each Vine Academy must comply with the principles of financial control set out in the Academies Financial Handbook the Academy Funding Agreement and associated Vine Policies. The Academies Financial Handbook sets out the duties and obligations of academy trusts which have a funding agreement with the Secretary of State for Education. The handbook, together with the funding agreement describes the financial relationship between Education Funding Agency and Multi-Academy Trusts.

A Scheme of Delegation applies to each academy and local board members should familiarise themselves with this and other documents mentioned so as to support their decision making.

8. Risk Management

It is a requirement of the DfE that academies regularly review and mitigate all types of risk. As a Multi-Academy Trust, this is a vital element of our compliance and is an area that is regularly considered by our Finance and Audit Committee as well as our Auditors.

Risk review (A risk assessment template is provided to each academy) must therefore be an on-going element within each academy and must be reviewed on a regular basis by the Headteacher and Local Governors. It is suggested that the lead is taken for managing and maintaining the risk register by a small committee from the local governance board. To ensure compliance the Vine will review academy Risk Registers on a regular basis.

9. Purpose and Core Responsibility of Local Governance

Local Governance (Local Governing Body/Local Board) is a localised committee of the Vine Trust Board with delegated authority, to make decisions for and on behalf of the Vine Trust Board for the Academy(ies).

The role is summarised by four core functions: o Upholding the principles of its foundation and ensuring that the Academies’ ethos plays an

integral part of the work within its community. o Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction; o Holding the Headteacher to account for the educational performance of the Academy and its

pupils, and the performance management of staff; o Overseeing the financial performance of the Academy and making sure its money is well spent.

What’s Different?A traditional Governing Body is the responsible Body for its school, and is empowered to carry out the support and scrutiny of the school leadership.

With Multi-Academy Trust’s, the Vine Trust Board are the Responsible Body. Local governance is empowered by the Board to carry out the governance function via the Scheme of Delegation. In broader terms, the local governance is entrusted to ensure that children are attending a successful Academy providing them with an excellent education, supporting their well-being, and is underpinned by high standards and expectations.

Full guidance on how local governance board members are appointed can be found in the scheme of delegation.



10. Being a member of a Local Governance Board

First and foremost the local governing board/ local board acts according to the principles of a corporate body, which means:

o No local member can act on her/his own without proper authority from the LGB/LB or the Vine Directors;

o All local members carry equal responsibility for decisions made, and o Although appointed through different routes, the overriding concern of all local board

members must be the welfare of the Academy as a whole and all members of its community.

As a result of this corporate identity, you will be asked to sign a code of conduct and follow the Nolan Principles. These outline the expectations of members in terms of their conduct in and outside of meetings. It is important to read this document, because by taking a position as a member of a local governance board you are taking a position in public office. This is therefore a position that may affect you both inside and outside of meetings, especially where difficult decisions have to be made.

You will also need to undergo a full check with the Disclosure and Barring Service. You cannot take up your position of a local governance board member until this check has been completed.

You will be expected to sign a Code of Conduct which includes a commitment to both the Nolan Principles and core Christian values (both detailed in the Code). This is to ensure that governance is carried out locally in a way that is consistent to standards expected of those fulfilling a public office and in a Church of England context.

The LGB/LB will make you feel welcome, and have a clear induction procedure to support you in getting to know the team, and understanding the roles that people have taken on. There are a two key people on the Body that you will need to be aware of. These are the Chair and the Clerk.

Role of the Chair The Chair of LGB/LB holds a key role in the leadership and management of our Academies. Effective chairs will have a good understanding of a board members role and responsibilities, as well as their own responsibilities as Chair, so that the Academy gains maximum benefit from the work of the local board members. The Chair will normally welcome you as a new member and introduce you to the basic workings. They are still part of the corporate identity, and do not hold any more power than any other member, unless there is an emergency, or the body has delegated that responsibility to them.

The role is pivotal and it is the chair’s responsibility to; o Ensure that the LGB/LB undertake its core functions effectively and are aware of the work they

have undertaken to ensure improvements have been made in the Academy o Give the LGB/LB a clear lead and direction, to ensure that the board members work as an

effective team, understanding their accountability and the part they play in the strategic leadership of the academy and in driving academy improvement.

o Help and attract local board members with the necessary skills, and ensure that tasks are delegated so that all members contribute and that individual skills, knowledge and experience are well used and the overall workload is shared.



o To act as a critical friend and to offer support, challenge and encouragement, holding the Executive Headteacher/Headteacher to account.

o Ensure improvement is the focus of all policy and strategy, and that local governance scrutiny, monitoring and challenge reflect the academy improvement priorities and its Christian Values where appropriate.

o Ensure that statutory requirements and regulations are met, that the Academy provides value for money in its use of resources and that LGB/LB business is conducted efficiently and effectively.

Role of the Clerk The Clerk is the only fully paid role within the LGB/LB, and they are pivotal in supporting effectiveness and compliance. They should have a very close working arrangement with the Chair, and Executive Headteacher/Headteacher. They will normally be line managed and appraised by the Chair and should be allowed to attend regular training sessions to aid their knowledge, and to support the effective working of the LGB/LB. The Clerk’s role will normally be outlined in a job description or a service level agreement with a Clerking service provider. As a result, the specifics of the role may vary in each Academy but as a rule of thumb the role includes:

o Providing advice on governance, constitutional and procedural matters. o Provide effective administrative support (agenda creation and minute taking for example); o Ensure the LGB/LB is properly constituted and support with activities;o Manage information to and from the LGB/LB effectively in accordance with legal and

procedural requirements.

11. Approach to Academy Improvement



Academy Leadership Board (ALB)

Academy Improvement Lead (AIL)

Academy Improvement Consultant (AIC) Professional Development

Headteachers in each locality meet with the CEO and AIL half termly. These meetings identify areas for collective and individual academy improvement, provide opportunities for workshop development, hold HTs to account, set targets and track progress, measure performance against the Vine quality standards and identify opportunities for joint working / academy to academy support.

The AIL line manages the AICs. She improves the performance of senior leaders through coaching for improvement and personal growth. The AIL monitors the academic performance of academies, works with HTs to ensure improvement plans are fit for purpose and facilitates joint working / academy to academy support, reporting to the CEO and VTB.

Every Academy has regular visit from an improvement consultant. These are tailored to the individual academy with a ‘good’ academy receiving termly and an inadequate academy monthly visits. Development areas are identified by the CEO, AIL and HT at the Academy Leadership Board. Reports are received by the AIL, HT local governors and VTB through the CEO.

Every Vine Academy has access to ‘What If’ training to develop Christian Character. The Vine has a policy of developing its own teachers and leaders and therefore provides matched funding for nationally recognised development courses including - Church School Leadership, NPQH, NPQSL, NPQML, OTP, ITP and School Business Management Diploma.

Approach to Academy Improvement

Moderation Performance Management External Review Joint Working

Academy staff in each locality meet every term to moderate judgements every term from all year groups. Where Vine academies do not have other local Vine academies this is facilitated with other local schools.

The VTB retains the responsibility for the performance management of the HT of each academy. This is conducted with support from local governance. The HT performance management is carried out in July with objectives set from September. This allows the VTB to focus on key groups for improvement and the HT to use their performance management when setting targets for the academy staff.

The VTB has a policy of every Vine academy receiving an independent external review of their performance on an annual basis. This is carried out using a range of appropriately qualified external consultants who have not visited the academy before. This report is used by the VTB, CEO, AIL, HT and local governors to measure the progress so far and plan for future improvement.

Opportunities for joint working are identified at the ALB and facilitated by the AIL. Examples include data presentation, improvement plans, sharing resources, sharing staff, moderation, sharing good practice and development of policy. The Vine has appointed a Governance consultant to work alongside local governors and facilitate them working together to share good practice.

12. Academy Improvement Consultants

Every Vine academy will have an Improvement Consultant appointed to them. This person will support the leadership of the academy to bring about academy improvement. Academies are allocated visits according to need as they work to get to ‘Outstanding’ through ‘Good’.

Their role is to support the continuing positive development of the Academy, to provide advice and guidance through their skills and expertise and to offer appropriate challenge where improvements in practice could be made. All our Improvement Consultants are specially selected by the Trust for their experience and expertise in providing robust and sustained improvement in schools and academies within the Diocese of Chelmsford and beyond.

Following each visit the improvement consultant will write a report which should be received and considered by the LGB/LB.

13. Central Team

John CraneChief Executive Officer

John has been the headteacher and then executive headteacher for two diocesan academies. John has extensive experience of leading strong church schools. This has included consistently being in the top 25% of schools for valued added and leading a school out of special measures to a good judgement in 18 [email protected]



mailto:[email protected]

Jackie WilliamsAcademy Improvement Lead

Jackie has over 30 years’ experience in schools, 15 of them as a senior leader. She works with a number of national bodies to develop outstanding teaching and learning, excellence in middle and senior leadership, as well as working in Initial Teacher Training. Jackie specialises in training, mentoring, coaching and school [email protected]

Brendon InceChief Operating Officer

Brendon has overall responsibility for all financial and operational matters, including training and strategic financial planning. Brendon has extensive experience that includes working for a bank, being the financial director of Corporate IT Limited and a school bursar.

[email protected] Sharon Porter

Finance ManagerSharon has responsibility for the Vine finances. She works closely with academy finance staff, coordinating training and support. Sharon has worked in schools and in the finance department of a large company. She has extensive financial and school experience.

sharon.proter @vineschoolstrust.org

Sarah MuckleFinance Officer

Sarah coordinates the Trust relationships with external providers. She supports Sharon and the Vine central finance team. Sarah has a wide range of financial experience including working in commercial and personal banking for 20 years and school finance departments for the last 8 [email protected]

Julia RixSupport Manager

Julia is the Support Manager for the Central Team. Julia looks at the governance for the Vine schools and works closely with her assistant Dawn. Julia has worked over 25 years as Finance Officer in a Vine School so comes to us with extensive education experience.

[email protected] Dawn Watts

Support OfficerDawn has worked as Support Officer since January 2017. Dawn assists Julia with governance for the schools. Prior to her role as Support Officer, Dawn worked as an admin assistant in a Vine School so comes to the Central Team with school experience.

[email protected]









Sharon Hogan

CEO PASharon provides secretarial support to the CEO and COO. Sharon has over 35 years experience in administration and finance both in the UK and in the USA. Sharon previously has worked for local government, schools both state and private and her most recent role was working 12 years for a [email protected]

15. Governance Support

Mike SimmondsGovernance Consultant

Mike has thirty years experience in school governance and currently chairs a Multi-Academy Trust as well as supporting governance in two Dioceses, another Diocesan MAT and Liverpool Hope University. He recently had published a Grove book titled ‘Church School Governance’ available from: [email protected]

The Vine Trust has contracted Mike Simmonds, Governance Consultant, to provide support for the governance of all the academies.

His role is to support new and experienced members of academy governance boards, to provide advice and guidance to boards and through his skills and expertise to offer appropriate challenge where improvements in practice could be made. 16. Governance Training

All local governance board members are expected to undertake training for their role. The Vine Trust will provide some of this training, other courses will be recommended by the Trust. It is vital that members develop their understanding and skills in order to contribute to effective governance. A skills audit will be carried out on an annual basis.

All new members must:

i. Complete the Diocese of Chelmsford online course: Church School Governance within two months of appointment. You will be provided with details of access this.

ii. Attend a governance induction course within the first four months, subject to the course being run within that timescale.

iii. Complete the Vine Child Protection online course with one month of appointment.

All board members should plan to attend a minimum of two additional training sessions during each year of service. The cost of these will be covered by the Trust and expenses such a travel can be claimed in accordance with the Expenses Policy.




http://www.grovebooks.co.uk/


17. Policies

The Vine have a number of central policies. These can all be accessed through the Vine website http://www.vineschoolstrust.co.uk/ with word copies available to the Academy Leadership. Please become familiar with these policies so that you are able to implement them in your academy.

Please take particular note of the Scheme of Delegation for your academy, the Academies Financial Handbook, the DfE Governance Handbook and DfE Competency Framework for Governance.

Please be aware that these documents are updated on an annual basis and therefore local board members will need to keep up to date.

18. Conclusion

You now have some initial information to help you to undertake your role as a local governor. This document does not replace the need for you to book onto training however; we would urge you to speak to your Training and Development Governor and to book onto the Induction for new board members as soon as is practical.

It is important to know that being on a local governance board is a learning journey. What we hope for all of our board members is that through our contacts with you and your Academy, you will have the support needed to guide you along the path.

If you need any advice, support or information though, please ask a member of the team. We will be happy to help.



https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/583733/Competency_framework_for_governance_.pdf

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/582868/Governance_Handbook_-_January_2017.pdf

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/535870/Academies_Financial_Handbook_2016_final.pdf

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/535870/Academies_Financial_Handbook_2016_final.pdf

http://www.vineschoolstrust.co.uk/

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goministriesweb.files.wordpress.com · Web viewA good education must promote life in all its fullness. The Vine is a Trust growing in both size and reputation due to the positive