1879, on August 20th, a Scheme for the management of the School came into operation, and thus after a period of 294 years the Governors and Assistants of the Grammar School were no longer responsible for the running of the School.
The Governors of the School were a body of 15 persons of which 9 were to be called Representative Governors ( members from the community), and 6 Co-optative Governors ( members from the Governors and Assistants of Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School).
With the passing of the Education Act at the end of the Victorian age Derbyshire County Council became responsible for the School but the Old Trust retained members on the School Governing Body.
In 2011 the School converted to an Academy School and in 2017 became established as a Multi-Academy Trust.
At the present time there are 7 schools in the Multi-Academy Trust, each of which has 2 Local Governors.
The Multi-Academy Trust
Members
There are 5 members, one of whom is a member is nominated by the Old Trust
They are often considered as the custodians of the trust and act as a ‘check and balance’ on the performance of the multi-academy trust. The members have the power to appoint or remove trustees, amend the Articles of Association and, if necessary, wind up the multi-academy trust.
The Trust Board
There are 10 Trustees on the Trust Board, 2 are members Old Trust, one on each of the 2 committees.
The Trust Board has overall responsibility and accountability to the Department for Education (DfE) for the performance of the Trust, including: educational results; attendance; exclusions; admissions; staffing; finance; premises; curriculum; well-being and safeguarding; and reporting requirements to the DfE, the Education Funding Agency (EFA) and the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted). The Trust board has two sub-committees to assist them, namely the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee and the Performance Committee, as can be seen in the above chart.
Local Governors
The Local Governors consist of 2 committees, the Well Being Committee and the Curriculum Committee, 2 are members nominated by the Old Trust, one on each Committee.
The Governors carry out the trust’s vision, policies and priorities and engage with the academy’s key stakeholders (students, parents, staff and members of the community). Their role is to support & challenge and to seek assurances on behalf of the board in regard to academic performance and quality of care and provision for their academy. They are responsible for making decisions by way of the powers delegated to them by the Trust Board in accordance with the terms of reference and scheme of delegation.
The Curriculum Committee
The Curriculum Committee is tasked with monitoring tracking and evaluating rates of progress by all students and ensuring that a broad and balanced curriculum is available and accessible to all students.
The Wellbeing Committee
The Wellbeing Committee is tasked with monitoring tracking and evaluating behaviour, attendance and general well-being of all students. Ensuring Safeguarding is complied with and managed effectively for Students and Staff and monitoring performance of staff and other HR matters.
Having secured representation on all levels of the Multi-Academy Trust, it is important that the Old Trust ensures that the five places are filled, not necessarily with its Trustees, but nominated by the Old Trust, to maintain its representation on the academy, and to ensure it has input into any future changes to the School Governing Body