The Reach Academy Trust currently includes Reach Academy Feltham, an all-through school serving pupils aged 2-18 which opened in 2012. Reach Academy 2, another all-through school in Feltham was approved in 2016 and is currently in pre-opening. 

Multi-Academy Trusts are established in order to operate independent, state funded schools and as such are free from Local Authority control. While subject to charity law, they are exempt charities whose Executive Headteacher Regulator is the Secretary of State for Education.  S/he provides oversight and regulation through a range of statutory frameworks and provisions.

Academy Trusts are required to adopt a set of Articles of Association specifically tailored to the operation of Academies and to sign a Funding Agreement, setting out the conditions under which a Trust must operate its schools.  In addition to this, the DfE and the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) provide a range of statutory guidance to Trusts that they must comply with. These include (but are not limited to):

  1. The Academies Financial Handbook:www.gov.uk/government/publications/academies-financial-handbook
  2. The Governance Handbook and Competency Framework www.gov.uk/government/publications/governance-handbook
  3. The SEND Code of Practice: www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25
  4. School Admissions Code: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-admissions-code--2

The DfE’s publication Statutory Polices for Schools lists the polices and procedures Academy Trusts must have in place as a condition of their Funding Agreement.

Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs) are Academy Trusts that are able to operate two or more academies.  The structure of Single Academy Trusts and Multi-Academy Trusts are broadly similar, save for in MATs additional provisions allow the Trust to delegate roles and responsibilities to local bodies overseeing the individual academies within the Trust.

The Trust (inline with other MATs) is governed by a number of constituent groups.  These ensure effective and transparent oversight and consist of:

  • Members – these are the “guardians” of Reach Academy Trust.   They establish and oversee the effectiveness of the Trust Board.  As such DfE describes their role as “eyes on, hand off” and are akin to shareholders within a Company limited by Guarantee.  
  • Trustees – who are appointed by Members to oversee the business of Reach Academy Trust, agreeing the overarching strategic direction and ensuring robust governance.
  • Executive Team – who manage the day-to-day business of the Trust in line with policies approved by Trustees.
  • Local Governing Bodies – these provide challenge and support to each academy’s leadership team as they implement policies and priorities.
  • Academy Leadership Teams – these manage the day-to-day business of individual academies under the oversight of the Executive Team.

 

You can read more about our plans for growth here (link to growth page). 

The Trust works with schools and trusts across the country to foster Cradle to Career partnerships and to offer a range of training and resources. 

Members, Trustees and Key Documents