Strong governance is an essential part of strong schools and a strong Trust.

Across MAST, governance provides strategic oversight, constructive challenge and assurance, helping to ensure that schools remain focused on educational standards, safeguarding, financial sustainability and the needs of their communities.

Our central governance function supports Trustees, Local Governing Bodies and school leaders to carry out their responsibilities effectively, confidently and consistently.

We aim to make governance purposeful, well-informed and focused on the things that matter most.

Professional governance support

Governance across MAST is supported by our Governance Professional, working alongside our Clerk and the wider central team.

The Governance Professional provides strategic advice and guidance to the Trust Board, Local Governing Bodies and senior leaders, helping to ensure that governance arrangements remain effective, compliant and aligned with the Trust’s Scheme of Delegation.

The Clerk provides professional support to governance meetings, helping to ensure that agendas, papers, minutes and actions are managed effectively and that governors have the information they need to fulfil their roles.

Together, they provide a consistent and professional governance service across MAST.

Supporting Trustees and Local Governing Bodies

Our governance structure recognises that different levels of governance have distinct but complementary responsibilities.

Trustees retain overall accountability for the Trust, while Local Governing Bodies provide important local oversight, challenge and insight within each school.

Our central team supports both levels of governance by helping governors and Trustees understand:

• their statutory and fiduciary responsibilities;
• the Trust’s Scheme of Delegation;
• accountability for educational standards;
• safeguarding responsibilities;
• financial and operational assurance;
• risk management;
• local school priorities; and
• the distinction between governance and operational leadership.

This clarity helps governors focus their time on strategic questions rather than becoming drawn into day-to-day management.

Effective meetings and information

Good governance depends upon governors receiving the right information at the right time.

MAST supports a consistent approach to governance meetings, agendas, reporting and assurance across the Trust.

This includes:

• preparing and coordinating meeting cycles;
• developing agendas and annual workplans;
• supporting the preparation of governance papers;
• professional minute taking;
• tracking actions and decisions;
• maintaining governance records;
• ensuring declarations and statutory information remain current; and
• supporting governors to access information through GovernorHub.

We work to ensure that meetings are focused, proportionate and allow governors to spend their time discussing the most important strategic issues.

Training and development

Governance is most effective when governors understand both their role and the context in which schools operate.

We provide induction, training and ongoing development for Trustees and governors so that they can contribute confidently and constructively.

Development may include:

• safeguarding;
• SEND and inclusion;
• finance;
• educational standards;
• curriculum;
• attendance and behaviour;
• risk and compliance;
• understanding data;
• effective challenge; and
• the responsibilities of Chairs and other governance leaders.

We also encourage governors to learn from one another and share effective practice across the Trust.

Monitoring and assurance

Local governance is an important part of how MAST knows its schools well.

Governors support assurance through meetings, monitoring activity and visits linked to key school priorities.

Named governors may take particular responsibility for areas such as safeguarding, SEND, finance or other agreed priorities, enabling governing bodies to explore important areas in greater depth.

The central governance team supports schools and governors to ensure that monitoring is purposeful, evidence-informed and connected to the wider Trust assurance framework.

This helps avoid unnecessary duplication while ensuring that Trustees receive appropriate assurance from local governance.

Compliance and statutory governance

Our central team supports the Trust to maintain strong governance compliance.

This includes oversight of:

• governance records;
• statutory appointments;
• declarations of interest;
• governance information published online;
• Get Information About Schools records;
• policies and governance documentation;
• membership and vacancies;
• terms of office;
• governance evaluations; and
• regulatory and statutory requirements.

Central coordination helps ensure that governance information is accurate, up to date and consistent across MAST.

Developing strong Local Governing Bodies

We want Local Governing Bodies to be more than committees that receive reports.

They should understand their schools, know their communities and provide meaningful challenge and support to leaders.

Our governance team works with Chairs, governors and Headteachers to strengthen the effectiveness of Local Governing Bodies, including support with:

• governor recruitment;
• induction;
• skills and succession planning;
• Chair development;
• meeting effectiveness;
• governor monitoring;
• self-evaluation; and
• developing the strategic contribution of local governance.

Where governing bodies require additional support, we can provide more targeted guidance and development.

Connecting local and Trust governance

One of the strengths of a Multi Academy Trust is the ability to combine strong local knowledge with Trust-wide accountability.

Local governors bring valuable understanding of their school and community, while Trustees maintain oversight of the Trust as a whole.

Our governance framework is designed to connect these levels effectively so that information, assurance and challenge flow in both directions.

This helps ensure that local voices are heard while maintaining clear accountability across the Trust.

Governance that adds value

Our aim is not simply to ensure that meetings take place and records are maintained.

We want governance to make a meaningful contribution to school improvement.

By providing professional advice, clear structures, high-quality information, training and consistent support, we enable governors and Trustees to focus on the strategic questions that matter most.

Strong governance helps leaders make better decisions, strengthens accountability and provides assurance that every school is working effectively towards our shared ambition for children to Belong, Be Safe and Flourish.