Governance
Helping Children Step into their Greatness
Greensand Multi Academy Trust is a charitable company, limited by guarantee. The formal governance arrangements for the Trust are set out in its Articles of Association.
The Trust’s governance arrangements and the roles of, and delegation to, its various governance layers are described in the Scheme of Delegation.
The highest level of governance of the Trust is its Members. The Members take the place that shareholders would have in a commercial company. They act as the “guardians” of the Trust and play a limited but crucial role in safeguarding academy trust governance. Members hold the Trust Board to account for the effective governance of the Trust and assure themselves that the Trustees are acting in accordance with the Trust’s charitable object, namely to advance and provide education for the public benefit.
The Trust is governed by its Board of Trustees, which is the body accountable for all schools within the Trust. The Trustees are the legal governors of the Trust and the directors of the charitable company. They are responsible for the operation and performance of all schools in the Trust. Their core functions are:
Holding executive leaders to account for the educational and financial performance of the Trust
The Trust Board creates robust accountability for executive leaders through rigorous analysis of performance data and financial information.
Setting the Trust’s vision and values, and the strategy for achieving this vision
The Trust’s vision centres on pupil progress and achievement. Working with senior leaders, the Board sets strategic objectives to help the Trust reach its goals.
Ensuring the Trust’s financial success and probity
Trustees are responsible for ensuring that the Trust operates with regularity, propriety and value for money, using only the resources it has available.
The Trustees deliver these functions via the Trust Board and the Board’s Central Committees.
Governance at our schools is fulfilled by the Governors and School Committees. Governors oversee the management aspects of their respective school, monitor the school’s performance and hold senior leaders to account to ensure high standards of achievement for all children and young people in the school. They work alongside senior leaders and support teachers to enable their school to run as effectively as possible.
Our Governors, Trustees & Members have a common goal to enrich the lives of every child in our Trust by providing inspiring and transformational learning, cultural and life experiences.
The Articles of Association, Scheme of Delegation and other key documents can be found on our Key Documents and Statutory Information page.
Governance Structure of Greensand MAT
Trust Board Central Committees
| Education & Standards | FARC | Growth & Development | Pay & HR | Crisis Response |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alison Woodhouse (Chair) | Sean Ruth (Chair) | Simon Garrett (Chair) | Nigel Gout (Chair) | Nigel Gout (Chair) |
| Alex Burnet | Ross Anderson | Ross Anderson | Mary McCrea | Andy Graham |
| Simon Garrett | Brigitte De Shong | Nigel Gout | Sean Ruth | Mary McCrea |
| Andy Graham | Andy Graham | Sean Ruth | Andy Tagart | Sean Ruth |
| Mary McCrea | Robert Gregson | Daphne Sherriff | Sue Wardlow | Sue Wardlow |
| Sally Olah | Daphne Sherriff | Sue Wardlow | Alison Woodhouse | Alison Woodhouse |
| Sue Wardlow | Andy Tagart |
designated governors
- Greensand MAT Role Description for SEND Designated Governor (updated March 2024)(ESA)
- Greensand MAT Role Description for Designated Governor for Safeguarding (updated March 2024)(ESA)
- Greensand MAT Role Description for Designated Governor for Health & Safety (updated 03.24)(ESA)
- Greensand MAT Role Description for Designated Governor for Assessment and Impact (updated March 2024)(ESA)
Greensand Multi Academy Trust Meeting Dates
- Greensand MAT Members' Board Meeting Dates for 2023-2024 (final).pdf
- Greensand MAT Trustee Meeting Dates for 2023-2024 (FINAL).pdf
- Greensand MAT Consolidated Meeting and Training Schedule for 2023-2024 all Boards and Committees.pdf
- Open Meeting Protocol for Greensand MAT 2023-2024 (approved September 2023).pdf
Greensand MAT Governance Events
In order to work together as a single governance community, to ensure a connection between our governance layers, and to maximise collaboration across the Trust, we hold three Greensand governance training events each year, one per term, for our Governors, Trustees, Members & Governance Professionals. Our Associate Member schools also benefit from these events.
We have both external speakers providing training at our sessions and, in order to draw on experience, expertise and practice from within the Trust, also have sessions run by staff members. We have a different focus for each event which provides an opportunity for continuing professional development, group discussion and sharing of best practice.
Please see the schedule below for this year's training events.
Greensand MAT Governance Events Schedule
Alison Woodhouse
Trustee
Alison has recently retired following 37 years in teaching. Although she originally trained in primary education, all of her teaching experience has been in the secondary sector where she held senior leadership roles for 30 years, including 13 years as the Headteacher of a large comprehensive school. As a Local Leader of Education and as Chair of the Tandridge Schools Partnership, she worked collaboratively with colleagues across all phases (including special education) to raise standards of education in east Surrey. She also became an accredited trainer with the National College for School Leadership on a Senior Team Development Programme. Alison currently works in a voluntary capacity alongside police with young people and vulnerable adults and sits on school admission and permanent exclusion panels. She is a Member of a Multi-Academy Trust in the Warlingham area.
