New* Governance Structure from September 2020

New Governance Structure

As the GEMS Learning Trust has grown this year, we have taken the opportunity to re-structure our governance. The changes below will take effect from September 1st 2020.

Governance Structure

*Quality of Education and Safeguarding Committees has replaced the Local Academy Boards and the Standards Committee. New from September 2020/2021

Merging the LAB and Standards Committee

We have merged the Local Academy Boards with the Standards Committee, which are now called Quality of Education and Safeguarding.

We have made this decision for a number of reasons:

1. To improve communication between the schools and the Trust Board

2. To avoid repetition of information shared with the Standards Committee and the LABs

3. To give members of the LABs a stronger role to play in governance

Membership of the new QES Committee

From September 1st 2020, all LAB members (apart from Community members) will become members of our new Quality of Education and Safeguarding Committee (QES) unless they choose to step down. They will be called Governors.

Elections will be held to replace parent members and votes will be held amongst staff to replace staff members if vacancies should arise. Current LAB members will see out the remainder of their term of office. WPA will have elections and votes in the Autumn term 2020.

Status of Governors

Governors appointed to the QES Committee will not be appointed as Directors to the Trust Board and will not need to attend full Board Meetings. 

QES Meeting Cycle

There will be four QES meetings per year, the location will rotate between schools in the hubs (Hub 1, DPA and WPA in Oxfordshire and Hub 2. TPA and SPA in South West London) and membership of the two QES committees will consist of:

Oxon QES - Membership

• WPA Principal - Ex Officio
• DPA Principal - Ex-Officio
• 2/3 DPA parents - Voted by Parents
• 1/2 DPA staff - Voted by staff
• 1/2 WPA parents - Voted by Parents
• 1/2 WPA staff

SWLON QES - Membership

• WPA Principal (Whilst new Surbiton school is being built)
• TPA Principal - Ex-Officio
• 2/3 TPA parents  - Voted by Parents
• 1/2 TPA staff - Voted by staff
• 1/2 SPA parents - Voted by Parents
• 1/2 SPA staff - Voted by Staff

Key

TPA: Twickenham Primary Academy

DPA: Didcot Primary Academy

SPA: Surbiton Primary Academy

WPA: Wantage Primary Academy

Directors and Governors - Roles and Terms of Office