The Board monitors plans annually, or where the need arises, against which it monitors both operational and financial performance which cover both the long term and short term.

The Board understand the importance and benefit of having a broad range of skills, experiences, perspectives and backgrounds in our teams and continuously strives to attract, engage and retain a diverse range of talented people. Understanding the importance of the Trust’s employees to the long-term success of the business, the Board regularly communicates to its employees through presentations, internal group wide emails and newsletters. The Trust’s structure gives our employees the opportunity to interact with members of the Board and other key management personnel. Employees are offered a range of development opportunities including formal programmes, mentoring, coaching, supervision and e-learning that enable the Board to identify and develop the skills and knowledge it needs to succeed now and in the future.

See also "Engagement with employees" in the Annual Report here (page viii).

The Trust regularly reviews how it maintains positive relationships with all its stakeholders. It understands the importance of its suppliers in delivering the long-term plans. The Trust’s risk register sets out risks that can impact the long-term success of the Trust and how these risks interact with our stakeholders. The Trustees actively seek information on the interaction with stakeholders to ensure that they have enough information to reach appropriate conclusions about the risks faced by the Group and how these are reflected within the long-term plans.

The Trust is committed to protecting against the long-term critical depletion of natural resources and lasting damage to species, habitats, biodiversity and climate. The Trust is actively working to improve energy efficiency and to ensure that high standards are promoted through suppliers, partners, customers and encourages others to implement environmental measures in their business.
The Trust supports communities in several ways and aims to make a positive contribution to improving people’s life chances, especially those of young people, through the education it provides. The Trust website and those of the schools have continued to be developed, having been launched as brand-new sites in the prior year. The Trust, continues to develop its online presence and that of its schools using appropriate social media channels. Educational and operational success stories are promoted, including residential trips, visits, extracurricular enrichment activities and construction schemes.

The Trustees take the reputation of the Trust seriously, which is not limited to only operational and financial performance. The Board follows and approves a suite of controls that include adherence to anti-corruption, bribery, anti-slavery and Nolan principles. The Board has committed to having a workforce that reflects society as a whole. It is developing the data, and narrative, relevant to the Group’s Gender Pay Reporting in preparation for external publication, including proposed improvement plans to enhance performance. A dedicated People & Infrastructure Committee exists with standing agenda items to review matters related to the interests of employees, with agenda items covering marketing plans. Trustees and Governors review and sign a Code of Conduct at least annually which is based on the model code from the National Governors Association. The academy Trust’s code is reviewed and agreed by the Chair of the Board of Trustees and the Chief Executive Officer. All Trustees and Governors commit to striving to uphold this code. Decisions of significance are discussed by the Trust’s Executive and Leadership Groups and proposed for recommendation by Trust functional committees and/or approval by the Full Trustee Board. These decisions follow the Academy Trust Scheme of Delegation that provides a Trust-wide governance structure and clarity over levels of authorisation. These decisions are made taking into consideration the skills and knowledge of Trustees from various professional backgrounds, informed by high-quality evidence-based and discursive papers from the Trust’s executive. Decisions are therefore considered against medium and long-term objectives ensuring that there is due regard for any likely or foreseen adverse consequences. The Finance and Audit Committee and Finance Manual combine with the work of internal and external auditors to limit the Trustee risk of impropriety. High standards of business conduct and integrity are maintained as a matter of course as would be expected of those in public office and aligned with the seven principles of public life arising from the Nolan Committee in 1995.

The members rely on the Board to protect and manage the Trust in a responsible and sustainable way that results in excellent educational outcomes.