Independent board assurance for your trust
School trusts are complex and agile organisations. Trust governance should therefore be a live conversation and boards should monitor and improve their performance continually.
The Academy Trust Governance Code identifies a three-year cycle of board assurance as an essential part of strong, strategic governance, in which an external review of governance (ERG) plays a significant role.
What does an external review of governance involve?
An external review of governance is an assessment of the governance arrangements in a trust, conducted by an independent reviewer. Through a detailed process of observation and evidence-gathering, the reviewer will provide assurance to the board where governance is compliant and impactful and identify areas where governance practice needs to be improved.
Reviews typically use a combination of methods, including review of core governance documents, surveys of trustees and local committee chair opinions, one-to-one interviews, and observations of board meetings. The finished output is a confidential report that captures key observations and provides recommendations that can form the basis of an action plan.
The scope of a review may have specific lines of enquiry such as effective decision-making, school improvement, or oversight of safeguarding. These are subject to agreement between the reviewer and the chair or governance professional commissioning the work on behalf of the board.
When should my trust commission an external review of governance?
If you are following a three-year cycle of board assurance, in years one and two you may undertake internal assurance conducted by a governance professional or similar role or through peer review. Some trusts find it useful to follow our Assurance Framework for Trust Governance to support this process. In year three, we recommend that your trust seeks external assurance facilitated by a credible organisation with strong quality assurance arrangements to validate the review of governance.
Reviews are also important before the board makes any meaningful change, such as when preparing for growth or merger, or in response to an area of significant concern.
How does CST approach external review of governances?
As the national organisation and sector body for school trusts, we are well positioned to provide you with expert insight into the effectiveness of your trust’s governance. We will take the time to get to know your trust, your reasons for commissioning a review, and any unique challenges that you may be facing. This ensures that the process will be tailored to your context and reflect your trust’s individual development journey.
CST’s experienced team of reviewers hold a range of specialist expertise within trust governance and leadership, including faith trusts and trusts of specialist provision. Our ERG process follows a clearly defined methodology that reflects the Trust Quality Descriptions, Academy Trust Governance Guide, Academy Trust Handbook and Academy Trust Governance Code. The structure of the reviews follows the four domains of board effectiveness set out in our guidance on Governing a school trust; board leadership; governance structures, accountability, and compliance.
To explore themes emerging from your documentation and survey findings, our reviewers will engage with stakeholders from across the organisation to build an in-depth understanding of the impact of your governance. Our developmental, action-orientated reports will then provide you with a clear route for sustained improvement.
Our reports are objective, honest and robust, and all are subject to quality assurance by a second experienced trust governance expert. This allows us to both check the rigour of our findings and draw upon good practice from across the sector in our recommendations. Furthermore, your reviewer is available to discuss the report with the board and can continue to support you on the implementation of its recommendations by separate arrangement if needed.
How long do external review of governances take?
The typical duration of an ERG is 10-12 weeks. The exact time that yours will take will depend upon your trust’s board meeting cycle and the availability of participants to take part in interviews and surveys.
As scheduling can take some time, we strongly recommend that you commission your trust’s review in the term before you want it to take place.
What do CST’s external reviews of governance cost?
The cost will vary according to the governance structure of the trust and the scope of the work. We estimate that the average duration of a review in elapsed time is between six and eight days including quality assurance. Our reviews are unlikely to be the cheapest, but the cost will reflect the depth and bespoke nature of the work undertaken, and create value for your trust by exploring the effectiveness and impact of your whole governance structure. CST members can access our services at a preferential rate.
How do I decide who should conduct my trust’s external review of governance?
There are several different providers in the trust sector to choose from in addition to CST. It is worth taking time to understand what they each offer and what will best suit your trust’s needs before making your decision.
We have collaborated with the Department for Education to provide guidance to help boards to choose the right review service.
Can CST help to implement the findings of our external review of governance?
The recommendations in your review will be designed to inform your governance development plan. On completion of your ERG, we can work with you to identify how best to support your trust in implementation of changes. Some examples of areas of additional support include:
How do I get started?
For a confidential, no-obligation conversation about how we can support your trust with an ERG, please contact us.
Following this initial discussion, we will provide you with a tailored, fully costed project proposal.
Other forms of board assurance
To augment a three-year review cycle, boards may wish to consider other activities that can supplement ERGs, self, and peer reviews. These include:
We have a range of resources on our Trustees and Governance Professional Community, designed to support trusts in their internal assurance processes. You can also find helpful guidance and tools on our website.
You may also be interested in our:
Masterclass in effective layers of governance
Masterclass in risk assurance for school trusts
Masterclass in creating the conditions for trust safeguarding excellence
Company no: 05303883
Charity no: 1107640
