The Sycamore Church of England Trust is a charitable company (a company limited by guarantee and an exempt charity) which exists for the provision of education.
Every trust has members who have a similar role to shareholders of a company limited by shares. The members of an academy Trust have a different status from the Trustees.
The Academies Financial Handbook (2022) summarises the role of members as follows, They:
Members must not be employees of the the Trust nor occupy staff establishment roles on an unpaid voluntary basis. While members can also be Trustees, retaining some distinction between the two layers ensures that members, indpendent of Trustees, provide oversight and challenge.
In the Sycamore Church of England Trust, the Members, acting corporately and by majority vote, appiont members of the Board of Trustees. Members may remove any Trustees appointed by them and receive the Trust's Annual Report, including its annual accounts.
In addition, in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006, Sections 489 and 490, the members ensure the Trust has legally appointed auditors.
New Trustees are recruited from time to time. This is done in a transparent way using a role description and an indication of the areas of specialist skill, experience or expertise the Board wishes to strengthen in the light of an audit of skills and experience.
In accordance with our Articles of Association, the Foundation Trustees must always hold an overall majority of at least two. It is the Foundation Members who appoint the Foundation Trustees. Where it is felt by the Foundation Trustees that additional skills are required on the Board, with teh consent of the Diocesan Board of Education, they may appoint additional co-opted Trustees.
The Board of Trustees discharges its responsibilities through meetings 4-6 times per year which include all Trustees, including the CEO, and the CFO, in attendance.
It receives reports from: