Company Secretary for the Trust

To coordinate Governor activity within the Trust and ensure the highest quality governance including:

• Identifying potential Trustees and Governors for consideration (coordinating succession planning)
• Organising Trust Board away days (to facilitate training, Governor updates/expert speakers, Trust strategic vision and action planning)
• To coordinate Trust Board meetings, and committees of the Trust, and ensure highly effective communication
• To ensure that the Governance Manager coordinates LAGB meetings (and other allocated committees) and ensure highly effective communication
• Plan and coordinate the delivery of an effective, comprehensive Governor training programme across the Trust, including online and face to face training
• Ensure the maintenance of a live Governor training log that identifies compliance with mandatory training, and recognises optional training, for all committees
• Maintain and manage a complaints register for the Trust
• To facilitate the dissemination of information flow from NGA and other national governance associations information/policy and best practice to governors
• To oversee and ensure compliance of Central RSA Academies Trust (CRSAAT) website, and ensure effective monitoring of policy compliance of all Trust websites
• To maintain and update all public information and statutory requirements for the Trust

Company Records

The Trust is required to keep company books that contain details of its members and its officers (i.e. directors, known also as “Trustees”, and the company secretary). The company books include the following registers and the company secretary should ensure that these registers are kept up to date.

• register of members
• register of directors
• register of directors’ interests - lists each director’s personal interests (and the interests of that director’s immediate family or some other close personal connection) that are relevant to the Academy Trust’s affairs and business and is used to manage conflicts of interest
• register of directors’ residential addresses
• register of secretaries, if appropriate and
• other registers if appropriate (including register of mortgages, register of debentures).
• The company books usually also contain copies of minutes of each meeting of the directors. The company secretary should ensure that a minute of meetings is kept.
   

New Directors (“Trustees”) or Company Secretary

• Whenever there is a change to an officer’s details, an officer is appointed or an officer’s appointment is terminated, the Company Secretary must update the registers.
• The Company Secretary, on behalf of the Trust, must then file the appropriate form at Companies House within 15 days of the change so that the Companies House register can be updated.

 

New Members, General and Restricted changes to governing document

• Ensure that the regulations regarding the above topics are fully adhered to.

Documents and procedures for meetings

• Take responsibility for the management of paperwork before and after meetings, in particular, preparing agendas and documents for each meeting in consultation with the chair and sending to Trustees five working days in advance.
• Manage and maintain a secure on-line portal for Trustees and Governors to access meeting agendas, documents, actions and sensitive information. 
• Prepare  a  draft  of  minutes  from  each  meeting,  incorporate  any  amendments  and distribute.
• Ensure sign-off of minutes by chair of committee and file electronic and paper copies. Keep a record of documents referred to at meetings and file electronic and paper copies. Write correspondence arising from meetings.
• Ensure actions are completed and outcomes reported.
• Record the attendance of Trustees at meetings and provide information to the Chair if any Trustee may become disqualified through non-attendance.
• Terms of Reference and committee membership are reviewed and signed off annually and any in-year changes must be signed off at a full board meeting.
• Ensure maintenance of the register of governors – to be updated and re-distributed as and when any changes occur.
• Coordinate and plan a calendar of meetings – to be set by July for the following year and updated and re- distributed as and when any changes occur.
• Ensure that each Trustee and LAGB governor has a current DBS check and that a list of checks is maintained in conjunction with the academies.

Policies

• Keep a live schedule of policies and review dates, a signed off hard copy of all reviewed and approved policies and a library of approved electronic copies which the Trust needs to be able to access via an electronic system
• Maintain a scheme of delegation of policies so there is clarity at different layers of the Trust governance structure
• Present policies to the relevant staff member in timely fashion in order to enable committee review when due
• Ensure the effective communication of changes to policies, including producing a summary of changes document to Principals and other relevant stakeholders
• Ensure that trust policies are loaded on to trust and appropriate academy websites when adopted
• Manage policy compliance across the Trust

Clerk for the Trust Board

• To act as clerk for the Trust Board and agreed committees of the Trust

Trust Clerking Services

• Be responsible and accountable for the recruitment and retention of quality clerking services for each Academy
• Line manage the clerk team effectively to ensure all LAGB’s are fully provisioned for clerking services and meeting agendas, minutes and actions are recorded accurately and distributed in a timely manner
• Take oversight and monitor papers for all committees prior to them being sent out
• Ensure as standing item the log of training (including non-compliance) at all committees

Trust Due Diligence & Transition Support

• When required and as instructed by the Executive Principal (CEO) / COO attend Full Transition Group meetings (and as required operational transition meetings) for new schools joining the Trust, supporting the COO and other Trust officers in the due diligence process.
• Be responsible for the due diligence requirements and transition of new school governance processes and services, including policy compliance & Single Central Register (SCR).

 

Risk Register Management

• Be responsible and accountable for the management of and training in use of GRCOne the Trust standard risk management system.

• Support the Executive Principal (CEO) / COO / CFO in providing analysis and data reporting from the system to aid in risk management reviews.
• Provide a central point of contact for Academy queries on Risk Management and GRC One
• Provide updates on legal and legislative Changes in relation to Risk Management
• Ensure each risk category has the relevant policy linked to it for risk mitigation

Marketing

• Partner with the CEO and COO in developing an effective marketing strategy to improve awareness of the Trust and it’s reputation.
• Partner with IT and any website providers to ensure websites are current, informative, easy to use and appropriate.
• Use social media in all it’s forms to promote the Trust.
• Develop, design and produce appropriate marketing and branded materials.
• Ensure up to date branding utilised across the Trust.

General office management/ support

• To ensure the ongoing management of information, including making certain that electronic and paper records systems are well maintained.
• To work in close collaboration with the other office administrative staff with regard to general office matters and ensuring continuity of support including support and occasional hosting of external events.
• When necessary in the P.A’s absence liaise with service providers including IT and telecoms, resolving issues as and when needed.
• Maintain oversight of the budget and spend for the Central Office ensuring best value for money is obtained at all times.

Additional duties

• To line manage the Governance Manager and Trust Clerks
• Ensure, via the Governance Manager, that any statutory appeal committees/panels that LAGBs are required to convene are Clerked and if the contracted clerk is not available ensure appropriate cover is provided
• Participate in, and contribute to the training of Governors in areas appropriate to the clerking role
• Maintain a file of relevant Department for Education (DfE), local authority and church authorities (if appropriate) guidance documents
• Maintain archive materials
• Prepare briefing papers for LAGBs, as necessary

• To be budget holder for Governance to include a training budget and clerking service

To undertake other duties as requested by the Executive Principal CEO and Chair of the Trust Board.

• Perform such other tasks as may be determined by the Trust Board from time to time

 

Health and Safety

• Ensure that clerks and yourself follow all relevant health and safety guidance, policies and laws.
• Ensure that any equipment is used in line with relevant health and safety guidance and policies

 

Conduct & Professional Development

• Ensure compliant governance
• Keep any systems and processes safe and secure at all times
• Understand the role of safeguarding within the context of governance (Trustees and Governors) and the governance team of clerks in schools, and the wider context across the Trust.
• Attend relevant courses/undertake online training to improve skills and knowledge and encourage this in others
• Advise and train individual staff, groups, volunteers and external parties
• Have appropriate communications with contacts and suppliers
• Network with colleagues within the Trust and in similar roles outside the Trust
• Read organisation policy documents, schemes of work and other related documents to develop an in depth understanding of teaching and learning needs.

• Undertake appropriate and regular training and development to maintain knowledge and improve practice
• Keep up-to-date with current educational developments and legislation affecting school governance
• Participate in regular performance management

 

 

Safeguarding

• Current policy knowledge

 

 

Data Protection

• Ensure that the Trust data protection policies are adhered to
• Highlight any potential risks and proposed solutions to line management