To set and communicate a strategic vision for the Trust and to plan strategically for its future, including for its sustainable growth, future shape, leadership, outcomes and financial health  

To assess and manage principal risks to the trust – financial, educational, reputational and legal risk in particular – and to set an acceptable risk level in key areas and for key significant projects. This is done through the maintenance of a Trust risk register which is considered at every risk and audit committee meeting. 

To appoint and hold to account the CEO for the implementation of the Trust’s overall performance, and for the discharge of the role of Accounting Officer, and to determine arrangements for the performance management of the CEO, including securing external professional advice. The CEO is held to account principally through outcomes set out in the trust development plan and progress towards them, and through the risk register and the satisfactory mitigation of principal risks.  

To ensure that the terms of the Funding Agreement are being fully met. This is done through an annual review of the obligations of the Funding Agreements as part of preparation for the annual report.  

To ensure that all strategic decisions are taken in the light of the Trust’s charitable objects. The charitable objects are set out in the annual report and in the articles, and all trustees are familiarised with these when they join the board and regularly thereafter.  

To ensure the requirements of the Academies Handbook (AH) in force at the time are being fully met, in particular that the Trust Board takes overall responsibility for Trust funds and approves a delegation of financial powers that maintains robust internal controls. The CFO/Company Secretary leads on the AH and ensures all trustees are familiar with its requirements  

To ensure that the Trust undertakes prudent financial planning and remains solvent at all times in order that it can continue to discharge its responsibilities. This is done through annual budget planning and prudent financial projections, along with stress testing against lower than anticipated income or higher than anticipated expenditure.  

To set a budget for the Trust, (to include the ‘trust contribution’); to monitor the budget of the Trust as a whole and to take action when necessary in the light of that monitoring. This is done on the recommendation of the CFO who prepares draft budgets for approval.  

To review end of key stage pupil achievement targets for each school, overall and by significant pupil groups such as the disadvantaged, to monitor end of key stage achievement at least once per year. Targets are set on the recommendation of the CEO and are designed to move performance overall forward incrementally each year towards outstanding, or maintain an outstanding level of performance.    

To receive minutes of each local governing body (LGB) meeting (to include all papers and reports appended to them); to challenge the CEO where these reveal underperformance.  

To ensure that each LGB is discharging the obligations placed by Trustees on their behalf with respect to the distinctive character of worship and religious education in the school.  This is determined by the school’s religious, or non-religious, designation prior to conversion, is set out in the Funding Agreement and is therefore a duty of trustees. In the Minster Trust for Education this duty is delegated at an operational level to LGBs. 

To make sure appropriate arrangements are made for the external verification or moderation of information provided by the CEO, FD, LGBs, head teachers or other staff on any main area of responsibility, for example though commissioning of an external advisor or consultant from time to time, or the scrutiny of audit reports or external benchmarking data. 

To ensure that the health and safety and safeguarding obligations of the Trust (including ‘Prevent’ and ‘British values’) are met via regular health and safety reviews in each school, reports of training on Prevent and British Values, and reports of the implementation of these through the curriculum in each school.  There is a nominated Safeguarding trustee. 

To ensure that all conflicts of interest are declared and documented. Because conflicts of interest are the subject of regular briefing and training, trustees may identify conflicts of interest for other trustees, and as such are obliged to draw these to the attention of the chair. Once declared, identified and documented, conflicts of interest are managed by ensuring that no trustee is party to a decision from which they may derive personal advantage or advantaged for any party connected with them. In most cases this will mean being absent from both discussion and decision making on that issue. In some rare cases, and at the request of the chair, a conflicted governor may be asked to provide information about the conflicting issue but will always be absent from the decision itself. That absence will be specifically noted in minutes.  

To understand and appreciate the demographic profile of schools in the trust and consider that in shaping the strategic direction of the trust. 

Audit  

• Consider and advise the Board on the Trust's annual and long-term audit programme, ensuring that the Trust's internal controls are subject to appropriate independent scrutiny at least in accordance with Government standards  

• To make recommendations to the Board in relation to the appointment, reappointment and removal of the external auditor and to approve the remuneration and terms of engagement of the external auditor  

• Discuss the nature and scope of each forthcoming audit  

• Consider all relevant reports by the Internal Auditor and the appointed external auditor, including reports on the Trust's accounts, achievement of value for money and the response to any management letters  

• Monitor the management’s response and implementation of any actions to address adverse control findings or recommendations made by the internal auditor or the appointed external auditor  

• Review the effectiveness of the Trust's internal control system established to ensure that the aims, objectives and key performance targets of the organisation are achieved in the most economic, effective and environmentally acceptable manner  

Risk  

• Monitoring the risk profile of the business against the Trust Board’s desired risk appetite;  

• Monitoring the effectiveness and output of the annual risk management process;  

• Assessment of the overall population of risk within the risk registers, including any changes during the period  

• Consideration and challenge of risk prioritisation as provided by the risk owners, including discussion of any discrepancies  

• Ensuring that risk management is appropriately embedded within line management and that this process is monitored  

Business continuity  

• To develop and continually monitor the effectiveness of a business continuity plan and to periodically test the underlying assumptions of the plan.  

Other  

• Consider any other matters where requested to do so by the Trust Board 

• Report at least once a year to the Trust Board on the discharge of the above duties.