Our governance structure

Osborne Trust governance structure diagram, consisting of Members (up to 5), the Trust board (up to 11 trustees), individual school local governing bodies (each with up to 15 local governing body members, and a Forum consisting of pupil, parent, staff,alumni and community representatives.

Members

Our members represent our stakeholders. They are appointed as representatives of our Forum, or by the members themselves. CDET (Chelmsford Diocese Education Trust) is a corporate member of Osborne Co-operative Academy Trust.

Meet our Members

Trust Board

The role of the trust board is to ensure the trust’s objectives, as set out in its Articles of Association are being met, maintaining an overview of the effectiveness of the trust structure. The trust board reports its activities annually to the Members, in the Financial Statement. The Financial Statement is filed with Companies House, the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) and is available on this website.

The trustee's duties include:

Setting the strategic direction of the trust and its schools
Ensuring high standards of achievement and improved performance
Ensuring strong and robust governance
Ensuring sound financial practices
Ensuring effective child protection and safeguarding
Ensuring a secure health and safety environment
Acting as the admissions authority
Becoming the employer of choice
Acting as the landlord if letting or subletting
Appointing and removing trustees in line with the trust's Articles of Association

The trust board has set up the following committees, with delegated responsibilities.

Standards Committee

The purpose of the standards committee is to ensure effective management of the Trust’s educational standards (including outcomes, behaviour and attendance) and curriculum, including proper planning, reporting and monitoring. The scope of its responsibilities includes the Trust, all its schools and its subsidiaries. To fulfill its role, the standards committee will review and evaluate teaching and learning; pupils’ standards and progress; and teachers’ CPD, taking account of the performance of the full range of different groups represented in the Trust’s schools, including disadvantaged pupils, pupils with SEND, looked after children and pupils in different ethnic, social and ability groups.

Audit and Risk

The Audit and Risk Committee exists to provide assurance to the trust board regarding the management and identification of risk, and the sound management and control of the trust’s finances and other resources. The committee is separate from the finance committee and does not have overlapping membership.

It takes delegated responsibility on behalf of the board of directors for ensuring that there is a framework for accountability; for examining and reviewing all systems and methods of control both financial and otherwise including risk analysis and risk management; and for ensuring the Trust is complying with all aspects of the law, relevant ESFA and other regulations and good practice.

Resources Committee

This committee's role is to ensure sound management of the academy trust’s finances and resources, including proper planning, monitoring and probity in line with the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) guidelines in the Academy Handbook and Accounts Direction documents. The scope of its responsibilities includes the Trust, all its schools and its subsidiaries.

ICT Committee

The ICT Committee is responsible for monitoring, providing advice, challenge, and support for all matters related to the implementation and improvement of the ICT Strategy that has been approved by the Osborne Co-Operative Academy Trust Board.

Meet our Trustees

Local Governing Bodies

Each of our schools has a Local Governing Body, whose role is to carry the Trust's vision, policies and priorities forward, based on each school's specific qualities, context and community characteristics. The governors are expected to question and challenge school leadership and to hold them to account within the Trust's scheme of delegation.

Forum

Our forum consists of representatives from various stakeholder constituencies, including pupils, parents, staff, alumni, and community members. Its purpose is to make recommendations to the Trustees in relation to the appointment of co-opted Trustees and on the role of any trust school in the community. It may also be asked to perform other functions by the Trustees.