Effective governance is the key to the success of our Trust. As a charitable company, limited by guarantee, we rely on the support of our volunteer Governors, Trustees and Members. They are further supported by the Diocese of Bath & Wells, Diocese of Bristol and our Executive Team.

As an exempt charity, we operate like any other charity but are not regulated by the Charity Commission but instead we are overseen by the Secretary of State for Education.

The main documents that set out how we operate are our Articles of Association, which define our internal governance structure, and our Master Funding Agreement with the Secretary of State. We also comply with the Department for Education’s Academy Trust Handbook, which sets the framework for financial governance and accountability across academy trusts, alongside the wider legislation that applies to both schools and charities.

Our Trust has two layers of governance; our Members who are accountable to the DfE and have ultimate responsibility for the Trust, achieving its charitable objectives and our Trustees who have three core functions: 

• Strategic leadership of the academy trust: the board defines the trust vision for high quality and inclusive education in line with its charitable objects – it establishes and fosters the trust’s culture and sets and champions the trust strategy including determining what, if any, governance functions are delegated to the local tier.
• Accountability and assurance: the board has robust effective oversight of the operations and performance of the academy trust, including the provision of education, pupil welfare, overseeing and ensuring appropriate use of funding and effective financial performance and keeping their estate safe and well-maintained.
• Engagement: the board has strategic oversight of relationships with stakeholders – the board involves parents, schools and communities so that decision-making is supported by meaningful engagement
• Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
• Holding the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to account for the educational performance of the Trust's schools and its children, and the performance and management of staff; and
• Overseeing the financial performance of the Trust's schools and making sure that money is well spent.

Copies of agendas, reports and minutes for Board and Committee Meetings, including our Local Governing Bodies (LGBs) are available to the public for public inspection.  If any member of the public would like to request a copy of these documents, please submit a request in writing, specifying which documents are being requested, to enquires@lsp.org.uk

Please visit the individual school's website for their local governing body information.  Their websites can be accessed through the Our Schools page.