Governance within a Multi-Academy Trust
Fishponds CE Academy is part of Lighthouse Schools Partnership (LSP), a multi-academy trust that is responsible for a number of academies across Bristol and North Somerset. Governance for a multi-academy trust operates at two levels.
1. Trust level
As a charitable company, limited by guarantee, LSP rely on the support of volunteer Governors, Trustees and Members, supported by the Diocese of Bath & North Wells and the Executive Team.
As an exempt charity, they operate like any other charity but are not regulated by the Charity Commission, instead they are overseen by the Secretary of State for Education.
2. Local Level
At a local level, each academy has an School Council. Similar to a Governing Body, the role of the Academy Council is primarily to support and scrutinise the activities of the Academy to ensure the highest standards are achieved for both students and staff.
Academy Councils are responsible for holding Headteachers and Senior Leadership to account for the quality and effectiveness of the academic experience for all pupils at the Academy with the aim of securing continuous school improvement. The Council do this through monitoring performance against the Academy’s annual school improvement plan, through monitoring risk and response, and by overseeing systems and processes for the safeguarding of children and the health, safety and wellbeing of academy staff.