Governance
Our mission statement, ‘Learning Together, Learning for All, Learning for Life’, is at the heart of our Trust.
This video was filmed and edited by New Bridge students
Our vision is to remain faithful to the original key strategic intents set out by our Trustees:
to develop schools at the heart of communities and ensure that the contribution of every individual is valued
to offer all our children and young people access to the highest quality and trained staff and to ensure our facilities and resources are entirely fit for purpose
to offer all the young people access to an ‘extended year’ through holiday clubs and before and after school activities
to ensure all children and young people have access to an appropriate, challenging curriculum pathway with a clear aspirational destination.
Our Trust Portfolio Boards
Our trust has a number of portfolio boards that meet every term. These boards include a linked governor from each school, a linked trustee and a linked executive team member. The Portfolio Boards are:
- Vision
- Leadership and Management
- Learning/ Impact
- Cultural Capital/ Community
- Safeguarding
- Compliance
- Finance
- Estates
- Staff/ Training and Development
Introducing Steve Williams, Chair of Trustees
Steve is chairperson of our trustee board and was previously Chair of Governors at Marland Fold School before it amalgamated with Park Dean and Hilltop School to form New Bridge School.
Steve has a wealth of experience with the Fire Service and is the spokesperson for Oldham on the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Board.
Steve is in full time employment working the early shift at YODEL in Shaw, part of the Littlewoods Shop Direct Group in Oldham.
Steve is also an active Labour Party Ward Councillor and very much enjoys his work in the Hollins and Limeside area, making a difference to the lives of local people through supporting community work, training and development and family days out.
“Being chair of trustees for the New Bridge Multi-Academy Trust is by far the greatest and most fulfilling part of my professional life.
At New Bridge, we have a can-do attitude to everything that we do and work at a fast and exciting pace to ensure that our children and young people have the very best opportunities.
None of what we do is about egos or a need for recognition. Our passion drives our ambition. Our driving principle of ensuring the very, very best educational offer for every one of our children and young people remains at the heart of what we do”
Steve Williams
Please see the headings below for further details of how our Governance Structure works:
Our Governors
Each school within the Trust has its own local governing body which is made
up of:
- two staff governors, one being the Head of Site
- two parent governors
- five co-opted governors
The local governing bodies meet at least three times a year with meetings being held every term.
The Trust has a formal risk management policy to assess business, strategic
and educational risks and to implement risk management strategies.
The process involves identifying the types of risk the Trust faces, scoring and prioritising each risk in terms of its potential impact, assessing the likelihood of occurrence and identifying means of mitigating the risk.
A risk register is
maintained and reviewed by the Audit Committee on a regular basis.
Our Trustees
Our Trustees play a vital role in holding all our schools to account and are responsible for:
- establishing and steering the Trust’s clarity of purpose
- overseeing effective governance and decision-making
- scrutinising plans for growth or consolidation
- ensuring the Trust is financially competent and has a sustainable budget
- ensuring young people are making progress and gaining the best educational experience possible
- putting effective leadership in place and holding the executive leadership to account
- managing risk and ensuring the Trust is meeting all its statutory and legal responsibilities
The Trustees have a number of committees that are empowered to make decisions:
- Pay Committee
- Performance Committee
- Finance Committee
- Audit Committee
- Complaints Committee
- Appeals Committee
The Trustees meet twice every term and all committees and local governing bodies are required to report to them.
How We Work Together
School leaders and teachers can share thinking and planning to spread
expertise and tackle challenges together.
Trustees and Governors work together to share strategic thinking,
combine skills and support each other.
Leaders, teachers and other staff are shared across more than one school, enabling schools to find different solutions to recruitment challenges.
We retain the best staff by providing new opportunities within our Trust, allowing us to plan succession more effectively.
Groups of schools find it easier to source and fund specialist expertise such as specialist teachers, health and safety, HR and finance.
We share professional development and research more effectively across
our Trust.
Economies of scale and collective purchasing ensure that best value procurement methods are achieved.
Our Members
New Bridge Multi Academy Trust was established in 2014 when the Members set out the Trust’s constitution and signed its Memorandum and Articles of Association.
Members of the Trust have an overview of the governance arrangements and the power to appoint and remove Trustees and Governors.