Agenda item

Report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services – to follow.

Members considered a report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services on the governance of the City’s academies. The Chairman noted that the Board was being called upon to  agree the broad principles of refreshed governance in respect of its academies and that final proposals would be brought back to the Board, and be referred to other relevant Committees, as relevant, and the Court of Common Council for final approval. The following points were made,

·         As the chain of the City’s sole-sponsored academies expanded, it was essential that City resources were utilised under a unified body able to adopt a coherent approach across its remit.

·         The expansion of the City’s academies posed a reputational risk if the City Corporation lacked the ability to delegate effectively and intervene where necessary.

·         Any adoption of a unified governance arrangement for the City’s sole-sponsored academies would need to operate along-side, and co-operatively with, the two co-sponsored City academies.  The existing memoranda of understanding with our co-sponsors would be reviewed and refreshed to support those arrangements.

RESOLVED, that members support the principle that one multi-academy trust (MAT) be established to deliver the City of London’ sole-sponsored academies, which MAT could encompass the expansion of the City’s academy offer; and work and consultation with stakeholders be undertaken to determine how best to achieve that end result.