Delivered in four two-hour sessions, our new Governing a
school trust programme offers trustees CST’s bespoke vision of trust
governance, developed over the past five years based on our close work with
trusts, daily contact with our members and structured support through external
governance reviews, vision setting, and reviews of governance structures and
schemes of delegation. It goes beyond compliance and presents an exciting and
compelling version of trust governance that incorporates our thinking around
leadership mindsets, cutting edge boardroom practice, organisational health and
culture, workforce wellbeing and resilience, school improvement and
safeguarding at scale, civic mindsets and community partnering.
The programme is designed to ensure that those embarking on their trust governance journey will feel fully equipped to understand and carry out the trustee role. However, given the breadth of content, the programme is equally beneficial to trustees at any level of experience.
See below for more details on course dates and fees.
The programme will develop your knowledge and confidence as a new trustee or sharpen your practice as a more experienced trustee, and provide you with a helpful network of other trustees accompanying you on the course. The curriculum is designed around two CST publications, Next-gen governance and Governing a school trust. By participating in the programme you will take away an understanding of:
Stewardship: The values, mindset and behaviours necessary for effective, ethical and accountable governance in today’s fast-changing world.
Duties of competence and care: Your legal responsibilities and accountabilities as a trustee and director of a company and the skills and attributes that will enable you to fulfil them effectively.
Assurance: How the board assures itself around educational quality, financial oversight, risk management and safeguarding the children in your trust.
Culture: How to foster an organisational culture that will build long-term sustainability, increase wellbeing and retention and allow you to fulfil your role as an ethical employer.
Online - summer 2025
Session one – Monday 12 May, 16:00-18:00
Session two – Monday 19 May, 16:00-18:00
Session three – Monday 2 June, 16:00-18:00
Session four – Monday 9 June, 16:00-18:00
Online - autumn 2025
Session one - Thursday 6 November, 16:00-18:00
Session two - Thursday 13 November, 16:00-18:00
Session three - Thursday 20 November, 16:00-18:00
Session four - Thursday 27 November, 16:00-18:00
Session one – What do we do? An introduction to trust
governance (structures)
In the first session, trustees will receive an introduction
to the principles that underpin effective, ethical and accountable trust
governance, how the governance community can be structured in a trust and the
corresponding roles and responsibilities.
Session two – How do we lead? (board leadership)
The second session focuses on how to deliver strategic
leadership in a trust. We explore leadership mindsets and how to foster a
healthy organisational culture that aligns with the trust’s values. We describe
how to work with executive leaders to develop strategies, while remaining agile
and horizon scanning for risks and opportunities. And we introduce the concept
of civic trusts and the wider role trusts can play in their communities.
Session three – How do we know? (accountability)
Having set a strategic vision for the trust, the third
session asks how, as trustees, we can know that the trust is on track. We explore
the different ways trustees can monitor, evaluate and hold executive leaders to
account around educational quality, financial health and the overall delivery
of the trust’s charitable objects.
Session four – How do we behave? (compliance and care)
This final session ends where we started: we ask how we seek
assurance that we are fulfilling our duty to advance education for public
benefit. We explore what it means to exercise reasonable care, skill, and
diligence at all times, through risk-informed practice, careful management of
conflicts and a culture of continuous learning and development of the board to
ensure we have the right skills, knowledge and experience to enact this sacred
duty on behalf of children.
CST members £130+VAT / non-members £160+VAT.
View our Terms and Conditions.
Company no: 05303883
Charity no: 1107640
