Academy Trusts are set up as charitable companies, and so they must have members. Members do not participate in the day-to-day running of a trust.
Members sit on top of the governance structure.
Their key functions are as follows:
Members sit on top of the governance structure.
Their key functions are as follows:
- Further the Trust’s charitable objectives.
- Appoint and remove some trustees.
- Hold the trust board to account for effective governance and financial performance of the Trust.
- Members meet once a year at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) to receive audited accounts, a report from the Chair of the Trust and to consider any matters requiring member action.
- Only two members can be trustees.
- No employees can be members.
Dave is currently Director of IT and Security for Parser and has worked in technology for over 19 years across financial services, software development, media and outsourcing. He also has experience in risk management, corporate governance, shareholder and stakeholder engagement, performance monitoring, information security, GDPR and audits. David is a father of two primary school age children and therefore education is of the upmost importance to him.
Dan was initially a Governor at Brandles School from 2018 before joining the Trust in 2020. He works at the London School of Economics, where he manages careers operations and leads projects to enhance student experience and engagement. He also has responsibility for student wellbeing in accommodation. Dan brings previous higher education governance experience and currently serves as a Trustee for the Students’ Union at the University of Bedfordshire. He is particularly passionate about widening participation and access, having been the first in his family to attend university.
Pete became a Parent Governor in 2010 when his stepson joined Larwood School. He became a Trustee in 2018 and has continued as a Member since 2022. Pete spent over 25 years in the Trade Union movement, promoting workplace education and training. He is currently a qualified therapeutic counsellor and runs his own practice, supporting clients both in person and online.
Rachael runs a business and governance consultancy for schools and has led and supported a broad portfolio of independent and maintained schools and academy trusts, mainly across Hertfordshire, London, Suffolk and Essex. Since 2019, Rachael has been deployed by the Department for Education as a ‘School Resource Management Adviser’ (SRMA). SRMAs are accredited sector experts, providing peer-to-peer advice and driving transformative change in the areas of workforce planning, governance and resource management. Rachael is a Governor at a Further Education College in the east of England and she also hears school admissions and pupil exclusion appeals, assisting two local authorities as an Independent Panel Member. Prior to working in schools, Rachael was a buyer in the retail industry.
