Scheme of Delegation

Rationale

The underlying principles for this Scheme of Delegation are:

That all academies, ultimately, are in a partnership of equals irrespective of their length of membership
Focus-Trust is a registered charity and remains true to its aims and objectives.

Focus-Trust is mindful that their function is to ensure that all statutory obligations are met

Focus-Trust believes that involving governors, staff, parents and children is the best means of ensuring engagement and involvement with the local community.
Focus-Trust Board’s intention is to reflect the various governance arrangements across the trust and apply a differentiated approach to individual academies within the scheme of delegation dependent on performance and capacity.

Area	Ref	Task	Trust Board	Delegated to LGB	Principal	Note
Accessibility	1.1	Devise accessibility plan		LGB	P	LGB to approve. Review every 3 years.
Admissions	2.1	Devise admission policy	TB		P	Principal to devise and Trust Board to approve
Admissions	2.2	Application decisions		LGB
Attendance	3.1	Maintain register of pupil attendance			P
Behaviour and safety	4.1	Establish academy behaviour policy including anti-bullying; keep under review; monitor its effectiveness		LGB	P	Principal to devise annual report to LGB for information and LGB to ensure pupils feel safe and secure
	4.2	Implement behaviour policy including anti-bullying			P
	4.3	Devise Exclusions Policy	TB
	4.4	Exclude pupil for one or more fixed terms (not more than 45 day in one year) or permanently exclude			P
	4.5	Hear exclusion appeals		LGB
	4.6	Direct reinstatement of pupil		LGB
	4.7	Ensure child protection policy and procedures in place and in line with statutory requirements			P	Principal to devise and LGB to approve.
Capital	5.1	School Condition Allocation applications to be submitted by March each year			P
	5.2	Applications to be approved and funding allocated by March each year	TB
Collective worship	6.1	Ensure requirements are met			P
Complaints	7.1	Devise complaint procedure	TB
	7.2	Hear Stage 3 Complaints		LGB
Core business	8.1	Ensure that a clear and evidenced teaching profile is in place and kept up to date			P
	8.2	Maintain an overview of the quality of teaching and challenge leaders to affect improvement.	TB	LGB		LGB and TB to evaluate & challenge
	8.3	Monitor all pupils’ progress, individuals and groups; including setting challenging individual & cohort targets			P
	8.4	Evaluate pupil progress: whole-school and groups vs targets	TB	LGB	P	LGB and TB to evaluate & challenge
Curriculum	9.1	Devise and implement curriculum policy			P	Principal to devise and LGB to approve
	9.2	Devise and implement RSE policy; after consultation with stakeholders		LGB	P	Principal to devise and LGB to approve
	9.3	Monitor & evaluate curriculum policy and outcomes		LGB	P	LGB to evaluate & challenge
	9.4	Devise and implement EYFS policy		LGB	P	Principal devise and LGB to approve
Data Protection	10.1	Devise Data Protection Policy	TB
	10.2	Implement Data Protection Policy	TB		P
	10.3	Ensure Privacy Notices in place and updated regularly	TB
Equality	11.1	Ensure equality statement in place and publish annually			P	Review every 4 years
External Service Level Agreements/ Contracts	12.1	Depending on the context of each academy, different SLAs / Contracts may be in place. It is the responsibility of the Business Manager, working with the CFO, to manage local SLAs and contracts. From time to time, Focus-Trust may procure contracts on behalf of several/all academies as part of a best value procurement review.			P
Finance	13.1	Approve formal budget plan for each financial year	TB			Principal draft for approval
	13.2	Monitor monthly expenditure	TB		P	Monthly accounts sent to LGB members for info.
	13.3	Attend budget setting and budget review meeting (min twice annually)		LGB	P	Nominated LGB member
	13.4	Investigate financial irregularities	TB
	13.5	Enter into contracts	TB
	13.6	Sign off contracts	TB			See Financial Handbook, Financial Permission Form and Mandate for limits of authority
	13.7	Make payments	TB		P	See Financial Handbook, Financial Permission Form and Mandate for limits of authority
	13.8	Sign off monthly payroll report			P
	13.9	Establish charging policy	TB
	13.10	Establish scheme of delegation	TB
	13.11	Appoint auditors	TB
	13.12	Appoint Responsible Officer (RO)	TB
	13.13	Sign off settlement agreements	TB			Delegated to Chief Executive in line with agreed limits of authority
	13.4	Evaluate that the academy is making full use of all assets and efficient use of all resources to impact on pupil outcomes and ensure value for money.		LGB
	13.5	Evaluate that the Trust is making full use of all assets and efficient use of all resources to impact on pupil outcomes	TB
Freedom of Information	14.1	Devise Freedom of Information policy	TB
Health and Safety	15.1	Ensure that health and safety laws are adhered to and the appropriate health and safety certificates are in place.	TB
	15.2	Devise Health and Safety Policy	TB
	15.3	Ensure annual Health and Safety audit is undertaken	TB
	15.4	Ensure that the action points from any Health and Safety Reviews are addressed in a timely way.			P
Improvement plan	16.1	Create improvement plan			P	Share with LGB and submit to Trust for approval
	16.2	Evaluate, provide feedback and challenge as critical partners	TB	LGB
	16.3	Approve plan	TB
	16.4	Monitor and evaluate plan against agreed success criteria	TB	LGB	P
Information for parents	17.1	Ensure that statutory information is published on the academy website			P
	17.2	Ensure provision of free school meals to those pupils meeting the criteria			P
	17.3	Home-school agreement in place			P	Review annually
Insurance	18.4	Decide insurance provider	TB			RPA
Local GB	19.1	Appoint/remove Chair of governors	TB
	19.2	Appoint majority of governors (these will be Focus-Trust govs)	TB
	19.3	Remove governors	TB	LGB
	19.4	Appoint/dismiss clerk		LGB
	19.5	Establish register of governors’ business and personal interests		LGB		Complete annually and Trust to compile
	19.6	Ensure conflicts of interest are declared and recorded each meeting		LGB
	19.7	Establish scheme of delegation	TB
	19.8	Hold a meeting of the local governing body at least once per term		LGB
	19.9	Approve and set up governors’ expense scheme	TB
	19.10	Keep contact details of LGB and terms of office up to date		LGB
	19.11	Set schedule of meetings for year in advance and provide Trust with details		LGB	P
	19.12	Induct governors into Trust	TB

Premises management	20.1	Insure buildings	TB
	20.2	Ensure that premises improvement plan is in place		LGB	P	Principal to commission and provide to LGB for information
	20.3	Health & safety requirements met		LGB	P	Nominated governor to check
	20.4	Ensure that property management checks are in place			P
	20.5	Ensure that the action points from any Health and Safety Reviews are addressed in a timely way.		LGB	P
Policies	21.1	Ensure all academy specific policies are in place, communicated to staff and fully implemented			P	See Trust policy list for policies
Safeguarding	22.1	Ensure that safeguarding requirements outlined in statutory guidance and Focus-Trust documents are implemented and evaluated.		LGB	P
Safeguarding	22.2	Ensure single central record in place				Trust to monitor and nominated LGB governor to monitor.
School organisation	23.1	Set times of school day and term dates		LGB		With authorisation from Trust Board
School organisation	23.2	Ensure the academy meets for 380 sessions in academic year			P
SEN	24.1	Devise SEN policy in line with legislation and regulations		LGB	P	Principal to devise and LGB to approve
Staffing	25.1	Appoint Principal	TB			With LGB involvement
	25.2	Appoint leadership staff	TB		P	With Trust and LGB representation
	25.3	Appoint teaching staff			P	Principal leads (LGB members on panel if required)
	25.4	Appoint support staff			P	Principal leads (LGB members on panel, if required)
	25.5	Devise appraisal policy (link with capability policy) and keep under review	TB
	25.6	Implement appraisal/capability of Principal	TB			With LGB involvement
	25.7	Implement appraisal/capability of staff			P
	25.8	Agree pay policy	TB
	25.9	Pay recommendations for staff			P	Recommendation to LGB
	25.10	Authorise pay awards		LGB
	25.11	Pay recommendation for Principal	TB			Delegated to Chief Exec.
	25.12	Authorise pay award for Principal	TB
	25.13	Hear pay/appraisal appeals ref staff		LGB
	25.14	Hear pay/appraisal appeal ref Principal	TB
	25.15	Establish HR policies & procedures	TB
	25.16	Dismiss Principal	TB
	25.17	Dismiss other staff	TB	LGB	P	Advice from Principal with Trust representation.
	25.18	Suspend Principal	TB			Delegated to Chief Exec
	25.19	Suspend staff	TB		P	Chair of LGB to be informed
	25.20	End suspension of Principal	TB			Chair of LGB to be informed.
	25.21	End suspension of staff	TB		P	Chair of LGB to be informed
	25.22	Determine staffing structure	TB		P	Principal to draft (including discussion with Chair) for Trust approval
	25.23	Ensure high quality professional development is in place for all staff and that a proactive stance is taken to developing future leaders and teachers.			P
	25.24	Ensure that all recruitment follows safer recruitment policy and guidelines	TB	LGB	P
Stakeholder view	26.1	Ensure that appropriate account is taken of stakeholder view, including parents, pupils, staff, governors and use to set targets for improvement	TB	LGB	P

Note that the Chief Executive of the Trust can exercise their right to act on behalf of the Trust in taking on any of the duties delegated to the LGB or Principal should the need arise.

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