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Governance
Be an influence in our improvement journey
and become a Member or Trustee of The Burgate School and Sixth Form
Join us in our journey from Good to Great!
Are you interested in becoming a Member or a Trustee of The Burgate School and Sixth Form?
If you have recent Board level experience, an interest in education and a passion for improvement we would like to hear from you. Please contact the Clerk via: clerktotrustees@burgate.hants.sch.uk For further details please click here.
The Burgate School and Sixth Form is an Academy Trust which operates as an exempt charity and a company limited by guarantee, not having share capital. The objective for which The Burgate School and Sixth Form was established is 'to advance for the public benefit education in the United Kingdom, in particular but without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing by establishing, maintaining, carrying on, managing and developing a school offering a broad and balanced curriculum'.
The Academy is governed by members and a board of trustees who are the directors of the Academy Trust constituted under the Memorandum and Articles of the Academy Trust. The Trust currently operates one mixed comprehensive secondary school.
Click here to view our Governance structure
National Governance Association - External Governance Review 2024:
At the request of our Trustee Board, the National Governance Association conducted an external governance review, with the final report presented in June 2024. The key message was, “The board has much effective governance practice in place and a good understanding of its three core functions:
• Being Strategic – The board is clear in its role regarding strategic oversight and recognises that now is the time to revisit ‘Who are we: The Burgate School and Sixth Form’ which contains the school’s motto, purpose, vision, mission and values. This will be done through a joint board and school leadership development event to co-create a refreshed vision for the school.
• Holding to account – Moving to a no committee, flat structure will provide an opportunity to develop the trustee portfolio roles.
• Oversight of financial performance – The board has had effective oversight of finances but recognises the need for succession planning following turbulence and change of board leadership. The trustees, school leadership and governance professional deserve great credit for maintaining a strong focus on effective governance. Moving to a no committee, flat structure will further strengthen the effectiveness of the board as the school moves forward, ensuring governance is sustainable.”
Responsibilities of the Members
As charitable companies limited by guarantee every academy trust has Members who have a similar role to the shareholders in a company limited by shares. They:
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are signatories to the articles of association which includes definition of the academy trust’s charitable object and governance structure (where they are Founding Members);
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may appoint or remove members and trustees;
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hold the AGM and issue direction to the academy trustees to take a specific action;
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appoint the academy trust’s auditors and receive the academy trust’s annual audited accounts; and
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safeguard the academy trust governance.
Terms of Reference Burgate School Members
Disqualification and Termination of Members & Trustees
Responsibilities of the Trustees
The Academy Trust is responsible for setting and monitoring the overall strategic direction of the school and to provide overall governance. They are not responsible for the day-to-day management of the school which is delegated to the Headteacher who manages the school through a Leadership Team comprising of three Deputy Headteachers, two Assistant Headteachers and a School Business Manager.
The Department for Education's Governance Handbook states that the Board of Trustees needs to have a strong focus on the following three core functions:
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Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
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Holding executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the organisation and its students, and the performance management of staff; and
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Overseeing the financial performance of the organisation and making sure its money is well spent.
Disqualification and Termination of Members & Trustees
Full Board and Committee meetings
The Board of Trustees, chaired by Mr Mowbray, meets eleven times each year, approximately twice each half term. The board oversees strategic issues within their remit, including academic performance; student progress; the school's curriculum policy; the pastoral care of students; safeguarding; the academy's finances and resources; maintaining the academy's land and premises; health and safety, and staff welfare. The Headteacher and Deputy Headteachers are fully involved in the work of the board and work in partnership with the trustees.
The Audit and Risk Committee, chaired by Mr Himmel, meets three times a year to maintain oversight of the academy’s financial, governance, risk management and internal control systems.
In addition to the above there are committees which meet as and when required to deal with admissions arrangements; student appeals and staff appeals.
Meet our Members
Mr Robin Townsend
Meet our Trustees
Trustee/ Members Terms of Office, Link Roles and Business/Pecuniary Interests
Trustee Information 2024/2025
Click here to view The list of Trustees, Terms of Office and their link roles within the school. This summary will provide business and pecuniary interests of the Board of Trustees on The Burgate School and Sixth Form Academy Trust. This list also includes those individuals who have been a trustee within the last 12 months. A full register is kept and held at the school and is updated on an annual basis.
Committee Membership Information 2024/2025
Click here to view committee membership information.
Scheme of Delegation
A scheme of delegation is a critical document used by academy trusts to detail the governance structure in place and define lines of responsibility and accountability; it describes who carries out which governance function and can make the decisions associated with that function.
Click here to view our Scheme of Delegation.
Trustee attendance at full board and committee meetings
A record of the attendance of all trustees at both full board and committee meetings in the last academic year. This list also includes those individuals who have been a trustee within the last 12 months.
Trustee Board and Committee Meeting Attendance 2023-2024
Contacting the Board of Trustees
We hope you will be very happy with everything at our school and would welcome positive feedback at any time. It is always good to know what you feel we are doing well. Equally, if you ever have a concern about an aspect of our school it is important that you let us know. Your first contact should always be with the relevant member of staff, please click here for a link to the key members of staff, but if necessary you can contact the trustees. Any queries should be directed to the Chair of Trustees through the Clerk to the Trustees, Mrs Linda Williamson, at The Burgate School and Sixth Form, Salisbury Road, Fordingbridge, Hampshire, SP6 1EZ or via email at: clerktotrustees@burgate.hants.sch.uk.
We feel it is important for parents to understand the role of our Board of Trustees and what we do to support the school, its students and its staff. You can keep up to date with our efforts by reading our regular contributions to the school's termly Newsletter.
Are you interested in being a Trustee?
We are always happy to hear from individuals who are interested in becoming a school trustee. When there’s a vacancy for a parent trustee all parents will be informed and have a chance to stand for election, however anyone over 18 can be a school trustee, you don’t have to be a parent with a child at the school to become involved.
Why should you become a School Trustee?
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Help to make a positive impact on the lives of children and young people;
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Develop new skills, such as board-level leadership, strategic planning, chairing, financial planning, and team working, skills that are valued by employers and can help your own career development.
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Use your skills and expertise to contribute to making schools more effective.
The most important qualities for being a school trustee are enthusiasm, commitment and an interest in education. The board of trustees relies on a variety of skills, experiences and perspectives and training and support is available for both new and existing trustees.
School trustees have a term of office of four years. However, as a volunteer you can resign at any time if your circumstances change.
If you would like to know more about the role and/or register your interest in becoming a school trustee, please contact the Chair or the Clerk, Mrs Linda Williamson, at The Burgate School, Salisbury Road, Fordingbridge, Hampshire, SP6 1EZ or email at: clerktotrustees@burgate.hants.sch.uk.