Attendees will learn from leading practitioners and policy experts on enhancing governance to develop strong academy leadership, improve financial outcomes and support high quality educational performance across a trust.

8:45 am: Registration and Networking Breakfast

9:30 am: Chair's Welcome Address

Sir Andrew Carter OBE, Executive Headteacher and Chair, South Farnham School Education Trust (invited)

9:40 am: Morning Keynote - Evaluating the Future of Successful Academy Governance

• Analysing the latest requirements of governors and trustees within DfE’s Governance Handbook and Competency Framework
• Assessing the latest DfE guidance on what regional schools commissioners expect in terms of governance and leadership when they assess the establishment or expansion of multi-academy trusts (MATs)
• Exploring the government’s new £6 million fund to support governance training up to 2021 and the DfE funded Governance leadership development programme
• Evaluating the future challenges and opportunities for academies governance, including how trustee recruitment and retention can be enhanced

Dominic Herrington, Interim National Schools Commissioner, Department for Education (DfE (invited)

9:40 am: Keynote - Good Governance; Ethical, Effective and Accountable

• Analysing what constitutes good governance with an academy setting and discussing  effective methods of implementation
• Ensuring academy boards are guided by ethical governance to deliver leadership which raises progress, attainment and meets the needs of all pupils
• Sharing findings from the NGA diversity campaign ‘Everyone on Board’ and assessing how the underrepresentation of women, ethnic minorities and young people on governing boards can be addressed
• Developing accountability and transparency structures which support school improvement and enhanced leadership

Emma Knights OBE, Chief Executive, National Governance Association (NGA) (CONFIRMED)

10:40 am: Sponsored Session

11:00 am: Q&A Session

11:20 am: Refreshments and Networking

11:40 am: Keynote - Enhancing Academy Governance and Leadership through Effective Professional Development

• Assessing the core principles of a successful governance structure and discussing how boards can deliver professional development that supports effective accountability for an academy
• Evaluating what constitutes effective governance leadership and how a board can effectively collaborate with a principal to ensure joined up leadership
• Appointing trustees and committee members through skills based appointments and assessing how academies can conduct a skills audit of their governance structure
• Ensuring clarity of responsibility and structures and delivering self-review and skill development for a board

Leora Cruddas, CEO, Freedom and Autonomy for Schools - National Association (FASNA) (CONFIRMED)

12:00 pm: Keynote - the Role of Robust Financial Management within Academy Governance

• The importance of trustees and effective governance – what we need to ensure effective support and challenge of senior teams in trusts
• What governors need to know – the right questions to ask of your trusts – understanding your MI and data
• Plotting the journey and steering the ship – effective strategic planning and long term thinking on finances
• A rough guide to the Academies Financial Handbook and how it can help

Mike Pettifer, Director, Academies and Maintained Schools, Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) (CONFIRMED)

12:20 pm: Q&A Session

12:40 pm: Lunch and Networking

1:40 pm: Panel Discussion - Delivering Effective Governance to Support School Improvement and Enhance Learning Outcomes

• Assessing how boards of trustees can engage with key performance data to support a strategic plan for pupil outcomes
• Exploring how a governance structure engages with the leadership to enhance teaching, learning and outcomes within a trust
• Discussing the latest strategies in addressing teacher workload within an academy
• Analysing strategies to utilise benchmarking, shared learning and pooled resources to enhance teaching and learning and outcomes within a trust
• Evaluating the role of a governing board in supporting and developing a school improvement plan to close attainment gaps and address key barriers to learning
• Sharing lessons in effective governance strategies which have transformed attainment and performance outcomes

Michael Green, Head of Strategic Partnerships Education, University of Greenwich and Teacher Workload Advisor, Department for Education (DfE) (CONFIRMED)

Tiffany Beck, Senior Governance Adviser, Reach2 Academy Trust, National Leader of Governance and Chair of Trustees, Maritime Academy Trust (invited)

Stephen Chamberlain, National Leader of Governance, CEO, Challenger Multi Academy Trust (invited)

Julie Slater, Chief Executive Principal, Outwood Grange Academies Trust (invited)

Peter Martin, Board Chair, Thinking Schools Academy Trust (invited)

2:10 pm: Panel Discussion - Recruitment, Retention and Diversity; Developing a High Quality Governing Board

• Evaluating the role of boards to ensure diverse trustees in terms of age, ethnicity, gender and experience
• Assessing strategies to attract and retain trustees with corporate and financial management experience
• Analysing the role of a robust skills audit and gap analysis in supporting effective competency based recruitment
• Delivering an effective appointment and induction process to ensure governors understand their roles and responsibilities
• Sharing lessons in how boards of trustees have recruited high quality candidates and the implications it has had on decision making and independent scrutiny of an academy

Emma Knights OBE, Chief Executive, National Governance Association (NGA) (CONFIRMED)

Kirsty Watt, Head, Academy Ambassadors( CONFIRMED)

Ammo Talwar MBE, Chair of Directors, CORE Education Trust( CONFIRMED)

Julia Skinner, Trustee, Endeavour Academies Trust (CONFIRMED)

2:40 pm: Refershments and Networking

3:00 pm: Case Study - Developing an Outstanding Governance Model in the Transition to a Multi Academy Trust Case Study - Ensuring Effective Risk Management and Due Diligence within Academy Governance

• Formulating a strategic vision to develop a MAT in order to support improvement in underperforming schools by sharing learning and guidance
• Delivering an effective CEO focussed leadership structure, whilst supporting schools to retain their individual characters and specialisms
• Centralising HR and finance functions and integrating IT systems across the trust to drive efficiency and value for money outcomes
• Supporting dedicated peer to peer support, benchmarking and best practice sharing across the trust
• Assessing the outcomes of the transition to a MAT in transforming outcomes for previously underperforming schools resulting in ‘good’ and ‘outstanding’ ratings from Ofsted

Winner of Outstanding Governance in  a Multi-Academy Trust at the NGA Awards for Outstanding Governance 2017

Jo Brinkley, CEO and Founder, The Spring Partnership Trust (CONFIRMED)

Clive Lees, Chair of Directors, The Spring Partnership Trust (CONFIRMED)

3:20 pm: Case Study - Ensuring Effective Risk Management and Due Diligence within Academy Governance

• Assessing the risk management procedures of trustees and evaluating how the Trust effectively identified the core risks to high quality operational and educational outcomes
• Mapping the core risks facing the Trust against their impact and likelihood
• Developing a mitigation strategy to prevent the risk of financial failures, reputational damage, safeguarding concerns or staffing challenges
• Implementing a trustee led programme which monitors financial management, educational performance and workforce development to mitigate central risks
• Evaluating the success of the programme with the Trust recognised in 2017 as one of the top performing MATs and one of the best performers for Progress 8 Scores

Julian Bond, Member of the Institute of Risk Management and Chair of the Executive Board, Business and Audit Committee, Redhill Academy Trust (invited)

3:40 pm: The Role of a Successful Clerk in Supporting High Quality Academy Governance

• Guiding board members in their roles and functions and supporting clear responsibilities and management in ensuring academy oversight
• Evaluating how the role of a clerk develops in the transition to a multi-academy trust
• Supporting legal and regulatory compliance for academy boards and assessing the duty of a clerk in risk management, assurance and financial compliance
• Ensuring effective self-evaluation and performance management within an academy’s governance structure
• Sharing lessons and strategies in enhancing the decision making functions and accountability capacity within an academy

Specially Commended in the Outstanding Clerk to a Governing Board at the National Governance Association’s (NGA) Outstanding Governance Awards 2017

Fiona Stagg, National Leader of Governance and Clerk, Glebe Academy, Fenton (CONFIRMED)

4:00  pm: Q&A Session

4:20 pm: Chair's Closing remarks

*programme subject to change

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