Welcome to our Governance section. This includes details of how our Governing Body (Academy Council) is structured, including the names, categories, responsibilities and terms of appointment for each Academy Councillor.
Accountability is a key part of our values and, as such, our local governance model is vital to this. We have two models operating across our schools as follows:
- Academy Councils (ACs)
- Interim Executive Boards (IEBs)
Academy Councils offer a more traditional model of local governance, with an appointed membership board working regularly with schools under our scheme of delegation. Academy Councils work to a standardised agenda produced by SET, which covers a wide range of school business to ensure the school is meeting the needs of its pupils and the local community. As such, the Academy Council will have 2 parents as members.
IEBs are an interim measure put in place when SET judges a school to require rapid impact. IEBs are made up of education and support services professionals from within the Trust who have the expertise to challenge and support the school to succeed. Once the school has achieved improvement expectations, the IEB will transition into an Academy Council.
Within Shaw Education Trust our function of governance at local level is:
“To be responsible for supporting and challenging our Academy and Trust leaders, ensuring that decisions made at a local level are for the benefit of pupils, and directly linked to the strategic vision of the Academy and Trust. To ensure these decisions consider the views of our other stakeholders (parents, staff and local community) and effective communication exists between all. These decisions centre mainly around areas of educational standards & provision, and operational functions, as detailed in the Scheme of Delegation.”
Waterside currently works with an Academy Council.
The role of an Academy Council is an important one. It is to provide focused governance for the Academy at a local level and it is the intention of the Shaw Education Trust Board to ensure that the responsibility to govern the Academy is vested in those closest to the impact of decision-making.
The Academy Council monitors the Academy's key performance indicators and acts as a critical friend to the Principal and the Academy's senior leadership team, providing challenge where appropriate.
The Academy Councils carry out their functions in relation to their respective Academy on behalf of the Shaw Education Trust Board and in accordance with policies determined by the Trust Board. The act of delegation from the Shaw Education Trust Board to the Academy Council is a delegation of powers and duties, and not a delegation or shedding of responsibilities.
Commitment of Academy Council Members
Academy Councillors are asked to:
- prepare for and make an active contribution at meetings of the Academy Council;
- champion the Academy in the local community;
- familiarise themselves with the Academy's policies;
- visit the Academy both during school hours (with prior arrangement with the Principal) and for evening events to get to know the Academy and to be visible to the Academy community;
- attend training sessions for effective governance.
Throughout the school year, we will provide opportunities for our families to meet with our Academy Councillors which will be published via our Newsletter.