Although the Trustee Board takes overall responsibility for the Trust decision making, many decisions can and should be delegated to others, including the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), board committees and local governing boards (also committees).

The purpose of our Scheme of Delegation is, therefore, to explain the way in which the Trustees fulfil their responsibilities for the leadership and management of the Trust, and identify the respective roles and responsibilities of the CEO, Members, Trustees and members of the Local Governing Boards of each school in carrying this responsibility out.

This Scheme of Delegation has been put in place by the Trustees in accordance with the provisions of the Company’s Articles of Association and it should be read in conjunction with those Articles. It is vital that the decision to delegate a function is made by the full board of trustees and is recorded. Without such formal delegation, the individual or committee has no power to act.

The Scheme of Delegation will:

• Ensure the executive leadership (Members, CEO and Trustee Board) are clear about which decisions they control
• Ensure that the roles of the Members, Trustees, CEO and Headteachers’ Board are fully understood throughout the MAT
• Promote a culture of honesty and accountability
• Identify responsibility for the appointment and performance management of the CEO and Headteachers
• Identify responsibility for policy and practice in each school
• Identify responsibility for oversight of each school’s budget and the central MAT budget
• Identify responsibility for assessment of risk in each school
• Identify responsibility for oversight of educational performance in each school.

The Scheme of Delegation will be reviewed annually to ensure it continues to be relevant as the MAT matures and grows. All involved in governance within the MAT will be made aware of any changes made and what these mean in practice.

Governance Structure and Lines of Accountability

The Board of Trustees delegates responsibility for the delivery of the vision and strategy to the CEO. The Trust Board will hold the CEO to account for the performance of the Trust, including the schools within it. The CEO in turn holds the other senior executives to account by line managing them. This scheme of delegation identifies what is delegated by the board to the Headteachers and the various committees of the Trust Board, which includes Local Governing Boards (LGB). Whilst the board cannot ever delegate its accountability, it can and must delegate some of the detailed scrutiny, oversight and decision making. 

The LGBs will use their detailed knowledge and engagement with stakeholders to monitor that their school is being well-served by the Headteacher; they also have direct access to the Trust Board to raise any concerns via the Area Governance Committee.