Members of Holy Trinity CofE Primary Academy Local Academy Committee took over the role previously held by Governors when Holy Trinity became an academy and part of a Multi Academy Trust.
This is how the Local Academy Committee sits within the framework of St. Chad’s Trust:
Local Academy Committees (LAC)/Governors are one of the largest volunteer groups in the country and have an important part to play in raising school standards.
As members of the LAC:
- you have been appointed by the Trust
- you are highly valued members of the team
- the LAC is a sub-committee of the Trust Board
- you are the eyes and ears of the Trust Board, holding the academy to account
The role of the LAC Member is to contribute to the work of the Trust through the Local Academy Committee ensuring high standards of achievement for all children and young people in the academy by:
- ensuring the academy’s vision, ethos and strategic direction reflect those of the St Chad’s Academies Trust;
- holding the Principal to account for the educational performance of the academy and its pupils;
- overseeing the financial performance of the academy and making sure money is well spent.
The LAC has significant autonomy from both the Trust and Local Authority but with this comes responsibility. Crucially, this means creating robust accountability for Academy leaders by using and being familiar with objective data on the performance of pupils, teachers and finances; being aware of and be able to use other sources of information to create an informed narrative around school effectiveness. Basically, our job is to ask the right questions. It means ensuring resources are allocated to strategic priorities. It also means ensuring that schools prepare pupils for the next phase of their life: build up their resilience against negative influences and develop other key attributes that will serve them well in a complex world. We will ensure our school implements robust Safeguarding policies and practices so that the safety of all children is at the very heart of daily life. Our task is to monitor the robust application of practice such as the Prevent duty, for example, and to ensure British Values are consistently upheld in the context of a multi faith, but distinctively Christian school community.
How do we do this? Members of the LAC attend formal meetings every half term. At these meetings we examine the Principal’s report, which details the work of the school, and ask questions to better understand where the school is on its journey. Questions are asked to elicit information about the impact of school actions, policies and procedures on school development and effectiveness.
In addition to this LAC members try to engage with stakeholders of the school whenever possible: staff, pupils, parents/carers and the local community. Members also visit the school for Learning Walks and Link Members will meet with the subject/area leader to better understand how the school is progressing towards identified areas for improvement. Members examine the findings and ask questions to better understand the circumstances that led to the conclusions drawn. Additional monitoring activities may include interviews with children to capture their views about the school, its strengths and weaknesses, or work scrutiny to check standards. Members also volunteer to listen to children read or accompany classes on Educational Visits, giving them a unique insight into the workings of the school.
This continuous cycle of monitoring and evaluation is to ensure the children and other learners in the Academy’s care get the best possible education and are kept safe. We take Safeguarding seriously and we believe that your children will benefit from their time with Holy Trinity CofE Primary Academy.
For more information regarding St Chad’s Academies Trust Governance and Financial information click here: Trust Governance | St Chads Academies Trust
