Membership terms and conditions

Effective date: September 2025

Definitions
1. The following definitions apply throughout these Terms and Conditions:
  - Confederation of School Trusts or CST: The membership organisation governed by these Terms and Conditions.
  - School trust: Refers to single or multi-academy trust, which operate as an education charity focused solely on improving schools.
  - Member: Any school trust or organisation that has been accepted into membership of CST in accordance with these Terms and Conditions.
  - Application: The process by which a school trust applies for membership of CST.
  - Fees or Membership Fees: The annual subscription or other charges payable by members as determined by CST.
  - Services: The benefits, support, training, events, advice, or other offerings provided by CST to its members.
  - Website: Refers to the official website of the Confederation of School Trust: www.cstuk.org.uk.
  - Termination: The cancellation or cessation of membership, whether by resignation, non-payment, breach of these Terms, or other means.
  - You and your: Means the individual, organisation, or school trust applying for or holding membership of the Confederation of School Trust, and any authorised representative acting on their behalf.
  - We, our, and us: Refers to the Confederation of School Trusts.
Becoming a member
1. Membership is open to all school trusts in England. An application can be completed online.
2. If your school trust joins Confederation of School Trusts (CST), each school within your trust will receive all CST membership benefits, details of which can be found on our website.
3. CST reserves the right to accept or refuse any application at its absolute discretion.
4. By submitting an application form electronically, the member school trust is deemed to have signed the application form and to have the appropriate authority to do so.
5. All information provided by member school trusts must be true and accurate, and complete at the point of applying. In the event of a change of circumstances such as type of establishment, number on roll, phase of education or change of contact details, school trust members should notify CST by email so that our records are up to date. CST will revisit all details annually upon renewal of membership.
Membership payments, renewals and cancellations
1. Membership is for a period of 12 months. The membership year typically runs from 1 September to 31 August. If a school trust joins outside of this standard membership period, membership will begin on the date the application is processed if processed within the first five working days of the month; otherwise, it will commence on the first day of the following month. In such cases, a pro-rata membership fee will apply. All memberships will renew on 1 September the following year, regardless of the original start date.
2. The membership fee is determined by the type and size of the organisation applying. For school trusts, fees are calculated using a banding structure based on the number and type of schools within the trust. Separate fixed fees apply to maintained schools and affiliate organisations. Full details of different membership categories, and a fee calculator for trust membership, can be found on the CST website.
3. CST reserves the right to re-categorise a member to a more appropriate membership level if the information provided in support of their application is incomplete, inaccurate, or insufficient. The affected member school trusts will be informed of the requirement for re-categorisation and asked to confirm if they wish to continue with their application.
4. Membership fees are quoted exclusive of VAT and are payable in full on an annual basis via BACS. An invoice will be sent by email upon acceptance of the application.
5. If membership payment remains outstanding, we will notify members by telephone, email, or letter.
6. Members will receive a minimum of one month’s notice that their membership is due for renewal, prior to the start of their new membership year.
7. It is the responsibility of the member to inform CST if they do not intend to renew their membership. A grace period of 30 days will apply from the renewal due date, during which time payment may still be made. If payment is not received within this period, the membership will be deemed lapsed, and all associated benefits will be withdrawn.
8. Payment of the membership fee will be deemed to be acceptance of membership.
9. If a member trust merges with another trust, or if there is a significant change in the number or type of schools within the trust during the membership year, the member must notify the CST Membership Team as soon as possible. Such changes may impact the membership category and associated fees. CST reserves the right to review and adjust the membership fee on a pro-rata basis to reflect the updated trust structure.
10. To cancel membership at the point of renewal, members should notify CST by email (membership@cstuk.org.uk). While not required, members are encouraged to share their reason for cancellation to support CST’s ongoing service improvement. Any feedback provided will be used internally and treated confidentially.
11. You have the right to cancel your membership within 14 days of joining without penalty, during which any fees paid will be refunded in full (the “cooling-off period”). Please note, this does not apply to trusts that are renewing their membership (except in the instance where there is a change to the trust’s membership classification).
12. In the event that membership is cancelled or terminated prior to the end of the membership period, no refunds of any unused membership will be given.
Membership benefits
1. Member benefits are only available if subscription payments are up to date. Details of current member benefits can be found on the CST website.
2. Attendance at events, seminars, courses and programmes at member rates or as a benefit of membership is reliant on up-to-date subscription payments at the date of the event and not at the date of delegate booking.
3. If a member terminates their subscription while engaged in or registered for activities benefiting from exclusive CST member access or discounted rates, such activities may be cancelled or re-invoiced at the applicable non-member rates.
4. We reserve the right to change the benefits that apply to CST membership at any time and without prior notice.
5. Access to member benefits for individual school staff is dependent on the member trust providing names, roles and contact details for those staff, who must also register on the CST website to activate their membership privileges.
Terminating membership
1. CST reserves the right to withdraw membership or to prevent any member from renewing membership if the member puts CST into disrepute.
Intellectual property
1. Unless otherwise stated, all copyright and any other intellectual property rights for articles, blogs, images, and all other written material on the CST website, emails and materials belong to CST. Members may not use the CST corporate logo. However, they are encouraged to display the ‘CST Member’ logo on their websites and promotional materials. The CST Member logo is available to download from the CST website and must be used in accordance with the CST Brand Guidelines.
2. Material in the members’ area of the CST website is provided for the exclusive use of CST members and should not be shared with non-members of CST.
3. Material on the publicly accessible section of the CST website can be shared with non-members subject to the sharer informing the recipient that the material is owned by CST.
Confidentiality and code of conduct
1. Members must respect the confidentiality of all information shared within CST membership forums, meetings, and other member-only communications. Any discussions, documents, or details relating to individual trusts or their operations should be treated as confidential and not disclosed outside the membership forums/meetings without the explicit consent of those involved. This confidentiality obligation helps maintain trust and a secure environment for open and constructive dialogue among members.
2. Members are expected to engage with CST and fellow members in a professional, respectful, and constructive manner at all times. By joining CST, members agree to uphold the standards set out in CST’s Code of Conduct, which applies to all events, forums, communications, and activities. CST reserves the right to take appropriate action where member behaviour breaches these standards.
Complaints
1. Members may raise any concerns or complaints through the CST Complaints Procedure, details of which are available on the CST website.
Acceptance of terms and conditions
1. These terms and conditions may be revised from time to time and updated versions will be posted on our website. Members are responsible for keeping up to date with all changes. Continued membership shall be deemed acceptance of all changes to these terms and conditions.
Privacy policy
1. Please refer to CST’s Privacy Policy, which forms part of these terms and conditions.