Governance

Governance at Aequalis is the framework that ensures clear accountability and strategic direction which drives consistent standards, improvement and safeguarding across all our schools. It ensures that there is clarity of vision and robust decision-making at every level. Our approach to governance balances autonomy for individual schools with Trust wide consistency and compliance. In short, it’s about leadership, accountability and making sure every decision serves the best interests of our children and young people.

Organisational Structure

The organisational structure of the Trust embodies accountability, oversight, support and challenge. The Trust Board delegates authority to the following key groups to ensure the effective leadership and governance of the Trust:

Trustee Attendance at Trust Board Meetings, 2025-2026

Governor Attendance at LAGB Meetings

MFS Governor Attendance, 2025-2026

FFS Governor Attendance, 2025-2026

CHS Governor Attendance, 2025-2026

SPFS Governor Attenance, 2025-2026

Constitutional and Governance Framework

The Articles of Association: are the legal document that sets out how the Trust is governed, defining its purpose, structure and the responsibilities of its Members and Directors (Trustees).

The Scheme of Delegation: is the document that outlines how the decision making authority is distributed within the Trust, clearly defining which responsibilities sit with the Trust Board, its committees and with the individual schools.

The Terms of Reference: this document sets out the purpose, structure and responsibilities of the committees within the Trust, clarifying their authority and how they support governance and decision-making.

AET Articles of Association, 2 AET Scheme of Delegation, 2025 (Excel)

AET Scheme of Delegation, 2025 (Word)

AET ToR Education & Curriculum, 2025-2026 AET ToR Finance, Audit & Risk, 2025-2026 AET ToR People & Remuneration, 2025-2026 AET ToR Trust Board, 2025-2026

Governance Responsibility

The Trustees and Governors are jointly responsible for delivering the core functions of governance which are:

strategic leadership
accountability and assurance
strategic engagement

In addition, the Trust is responsible for delivering an excellent education to children and young people whilst maintaining effective financial management. The Trust must also ensure compliance with:

the trust’s charitable objects
regulatory, contractual and statutory requirements
their funding agreements

Attendance at Trust Board Meetings, 2025-2026

AET Attendance at Trust Board Meetings

Attendance at LAGB Meetings, 2025-2026

CHS Attendance at LAGB Meetings

FFS Attendance at LAGB Meetings

MFS Attendance at LAGB Meetings

SPFS Attendance at LAGB Meetings

Personal and Pecuniary Interests

Members, Trustees and Governors are required to act impartially in the best interests of the school at all times and it is a condition that these are published on the website.

Declarations of Interest, Jun-26

Trustee Attendance at Meetings, 2025-2026

Trustee Attendance at Trust Board Meetings

Trustee Attendance at FAR Meetings

Trustee Attendance at E&C Meetings

Trustee Attenance at P&R Meetings

Attendance at LAGB Meetings, 2025-2026

AMS: Governor Attendance at LAGB Meetings

CHS: Governor Attendance at LAGB Meetings

FFS: Governor Attendance at LAGB Meetings

MFS: Governor Attendance at LAGB Meetings

SPFS: Governor Attendance at LAGB Meetings

Performance Tables, Ofsted

Ofsted is the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills and is the independent, non-ministerial government department, responsible for inspecting and regulating education and children's services in England.

Performance Tables, CSCP

The Compare School and College Performance (CSCP) service is the Department for Education's official online database for schools and colleges in England. It is published on GOV.UK and its purpose is to provide transparent information about the performance and characteristics of schools so that all audiences can compare schools using nationally published data.