Trustee Impact Report 2023/24

Purpose

The Trustee body has three core functions:

• Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction; we work alongside the Senior Leadership to set the school’s aims and objectives, including how the school will continue to develop and improve.
• Holding Senior Leadership to account; we support and challenge to ensure the best possible outcomes for pupils.
• Overseeing financial performance; a key responsibility for trustees is oversight of school expenditure, including monitoring reserves, 3-year budgets and annual financial plans.

Organisation
The board operates on a circular model, ensuring all board members have a broad understanding of all aspects of the school.  This enables decision making to be made within the wider context, using the full breadth of experience our Trustees have. All of our Trustees are volunteers, and all have shared responsibility for board decisions.

Due to our Academy status, we also retain a Finance and Audit Committee, who meet alongside the full board, but have delegated responsibility for internal audit.

Our Trustee body structure at the end of the 2023-24 academic year was as follows:

6 trustees, consisting of 3 parent and 3 co-opted.  This is in addition to our 3 members.

The Chair of Trustees is Mrs Clare Quinlisk.

The Vice-Chair of Trustees is Mrs Katy Tyrell.

Our Co-Opted Trustees are:

Mr Peter Buckley
Mrs Katy Tyrell
Mrs Katherine Yardley-Turpin

Our Parent Trustees are:

Mrs Clare Quinlisk
Mrs Jenny Legg
Ms Nava Flower

Actions and Impacts

Strategic Direction
The Trustee Board reviewed both the Vision and Ethos, as well as the Values, and determined that these continue to reflect the culture of the school and remain relevant.  Trustees and Senior Leaders worked jointly to agree and determine the Academy Improvement Plan, which outlines the key areas of focus for 2023-24.                                                              

Trustee Monitoring
Monitoring is aligned with the school priorities, determined through the Academy Improvement Plan.  Monitoring for this year has included:

• Reading, phonics and writing for Key Stage 1
• Language and communication for EYFS
• Embedding the Thrive approach across the wider school
• Embedding the behaviour policy
• Safeguarding, to include the Single Central Record
• SEND
• Health and safety
• Website

 

All Trustees have nominated areas or subject areas, and monitoring covers a range of data, school and pupil visits, as well as updates from subject leaders.  Trustees report findings to the wider board, to ensure all our board members have a strategic overview of the school, enabling challenge and questioning to be relevant and informed.

 

Performance and Pay
The headteacher performance review has been completed, with support from our external advisor to ensure robust targets are set and reviewed.  These targets are then cascaded through the school as appropriate to ensure the strategic direction is understood and a key focus across all academy roles and levels.  Targets are linked, where appropriate, to pupil progress and attainment.  The pay committee met and approved pay recommendations, ensuring processes are fair and in line with local and national guidelines.

 

Financial Oversight
As with many schools, budgets continue to be tight.  Trustees are closely monitoring all expenditure, both short and longer term through the budget process.  The Business Development Manager attends board meetings to enable detailed discussion and questions to be asked.  Looking at the longer-term financial security of the school is a key priority for Trustees, and explorations of existing and planned local multi academy trusts are taking place to ensure Trustees are well placed to make informed decisions at the appropriate time.  External financial advice has been sought to ensure Trustees are up to date on the local and national challenges facing schools, and where Southwater Infant Academy sits within this picture.  Actions from these recommendations will be continuing in future years. 

The Risk Register was also reviewed and agreed, with this process ensuring all Trustees are aware of the key risk factors impacting the academy.  The internal audit process is guided by the risk register, to ensure key areas are reviewed.

Policies
Trustees continue to review and ratify policies to ensure these remain relevant, up to date, and are in place to support both staff and pupils at the school.  Key policies, such as well-being and behaviour, continue to be monitored to ensure the best possible outcomes.

Skills audit and 360 feedback
A skills audit was completed to identify any gaps or weaknesses in the boards shared knowledge and skills.  A 360-degree feedback process was completed to ensure the Chair, Vice-Chair and Clerk are appropriately supporting the wider board and to ensure a focus on continuous improvement.

 

Focus for 2024-25

• Continuing to focus on the longer-term financial security of the school
• Agreeing the priorities and focus for the forthcoming year with the Senior Leadership team
• Look to bolster numbers of Trustees to ensure robust challenge and adequate range of skills

 

Latest newsletter

Trustee News- July 2024

We are a voluntary group who work closely alongside senior leaders and teachers at the academy assisting and supporting with the school strategy, and ensuring we are well positioned to offe…

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