ALTUS EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP

LOCAL ACADEMY COUNCILS

STANDING ORDERS FOR THE CONDUCT OF BUSINESS

CONTENTS

HEADING

/ Paragraph number
Interpretation / 1
Role of the Local Academy Council / 4
Membership of the Council / 5
Appointment of Chair and Vice-Chair / 8
Appointment of the Clerk / 11
Eligibilityto Serve / 12
Members’ Terms of Office / 14
Resignation & removal of members / 15
Members’ Interests / 20
Role of individual members / 21
Meetings of the Council / 22
Quorum / 31
Proceedings of Meetings / 34
Adjournment / 40
Minutes & Publication / 41
APPENDICES
1 / Role of the Local Academy Council
2 / Procedure for the selection of parent and staff members
3 / Declaration of Eligibility
4 / Register of Interests
5 / Role of Council members

INTERPRETATION

  1. In these Standing Orders:

“Trust Board” means the Board of Trustees of Altus Education Partnership

“Academy” means Rochdale Sixth Form Academy

“Chair” means the Chair of the Council or of a meeting of the Council as the context requires

“Vice-Chair” means the Vice-Chair of the Council

“Member” means a member of the Council

“Principal” means the Principal of Rochdale Sixth Form Academy

“Parent member” means a parent, or an individual exercising parental responsibility for a student, who is elected and nominated by the parents to serve as a member of a Local Academy Council (subject to definitions contained in Articles 54 and 54AA)

“Staff member” means a member of staff elected and nominated by the staff to serve as a member of a Local Academy Council

Words importing one gender shall import all genders and the singular number shall include the plural and vice versa (unless the context otherwise requires).

  1. These Standing Orders are intended to be supplementary to the Articles of Association of the Trust. In the event that any question arises as to the interpretation of these Standing Orders, the Articles shall take precedence.
  1. Having first taken the advice of the Clerk, the ruling of the Chair as to the meaning and/or application of these Standing Orders shall not be challenged at any meeting of the Council or a committee, nor open to discussion.

ROLE OF THE LOCAL ACADEMYCOUNCIL

4.The role of the Council shall be as set out in Appendix 1.

MEMBERSHIP OF THE COUNCIL

5.The membership of the Council shall be:

  • 4 members appointed by the Trust Board
  • 2 members nominated by the parents of students studying at the academy
  • 1 member nominated by the staff of the academy
  • the Principal

6.The procedure for the selection of parent and staff membersis contained in Appendix 2.

7.The Council may continue to act notwithstanding any vacancies in its composition.

APPOINTMENT OF CHAIR ANDVICE-CHAIR

8.The Chair and Vice-Chair of the Council shall be appointed at the last meeting of the Council prior to the commencement of the next academic year. The Chair and Vice-Chair shall hold office for one academic year and, at the expiry of their term of office, shall be eligible for reappointment. The Principal and the staff member shall be ineligible to serve as Chair or Vice-Chair.

9.Where the Council is unable to appoint a Chair or Vice-Chair, a Trustee shall fulfil the role temporarily and, during their period as Chair or Vice-Chair, shall be regarded as a member of the Council.

10.If both the Chair and the Vice-Chair are absent from a meeting, the Council shall select another member to Chair the meeting.

APPOINTMENT OF THE CLERK TO THE COUNCIL

11.The Clerk to the Council shall be appointed by the Council. The Clerk shall not be a Council member. Notwithstanding this paragraph, in the absence of the Clerk at a meeting, the Council may appoint any one of their number or any other person to act as Clerk for that meeting.

ELIGIBILITYTO SERVE

12.Members shall be required, as a condition of Council membership, to declare their eligibility to serve. The form of the Declaration is given in Appendix 3.

13.All members shall be required to undergo an enhancedDisclosure & Barring Service check prior to appointment.

MEMBERS’ TERMS OF OFFICE

14.Members will be appointed for a four-year term.Subject to remaining eligible to serve a member may be re-appointed for consecutive periods

RESIGNATION AND REMOVAL OF MEMBERS

15.A member may at any time resign his office by giving notice in writing to the Clerk to the Council.

16.A member shall cease to hold office if he/she is removed by the person or persons who appointed him. This provision does not apply in the case of a parent or staff member.

17.The Trustees may terminate the appointment of any member whose presence or conduct is deemed by the Trustees not to be in the best interests of the Trust or the academy.

18.A staff member shall automatically cease to hold office if she or he ceases to be employed at the academy. However, a parent member shall not automatically cease to hold office solely by reason of the child (of whom that parent member is a parent or carer) ceasing to be a student at the academy.

19.The Trustees may terminate the appointment of any member who has failed to attend a Council meeting for 12 months or more.

MEMBERS’ INTERESTS

20.Members shall be required, as a condition of Council membership, to declare any financial, business or personal interests which, when publicly known, would or could be perceived as likely to affect their judgement in relation to any aspect of the Academy’s business. Members must also register any interests that arise during their term of office. The form of the Register of Interests is given in Appendix 4.

ROLE OF INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS

21.The role that an individual member is expected to fulfil is set out in Appendix 5.

MEETINGS OF THE COUNCIL

22.The Council shall meet at least once in every term, and shall hold such other meetings as may be necessary.

23.Subject to paragraphs 25,26 and 34, all meetings shall be called by the Clerk, who shall, at least seven calendar days before the date of the meeting, send to the members of the Council written notice of the meeting and a copy of the proposed agenda.

24.A meeting of the Council, called a “special meeting”, may be called at any time by the Chair or at the request in writing of any three members.

25.Where the Chair, or in the Chair’s absence the Vice-Chair, decides that there are matters requiring urgent consideration, the written notice convening the special meeting and a copy of the proposed agenda may be given within less than seven calendar days.

26.Only the business on the agenda will be discussed at Council meetings except for urgent matters which the Chair rules may be considered. Full details of such matters must be given to the Chair in advance of the meeting and the Chair’s approval obtained before such items are raised.

27.Members will sign a register of attendance, any omissions from which may be remedied by the Clerkby annotating the register and by including the member’s name in the minutes.

28.The Principal shall be authorised to invite members of staff to attend in their employed capacity for both non-confidential and confidential business as appropriate.

29.As a committee of the Trust Board, Trustees can attend any meeting of the Council.

30.Any question of attendance by any other person at a meeting of the Council shall be decided by theCouncil on the recommendation of the Chair after taking advice from the Principal and the Clerk.

QUORUM

31.Meetings of the Councilshall be quorate when at least three members are in attendance provided that at least onemember appointed by the Board of Trustees is present

32.If the number of members present for a meeting of the Council does not constitute a quorum, the meeting shall not be held. If during a meeting of the Council there ceases to be a quorum, the meeting shall be terminated at once.

33.If a meeting cannot be held or cannot continue for lack of a quorum, the Chair shall, if he/she thinks fit, determine the time and date at which a further meeting shall be held and shall direct the Clerk to convene the meeting accordingly.

PROCEEDINGS OF MEETINGS

34.Every question to be decided at a meeting of the Council shall be decided by a majority of the votes cast by members present and entitled to vote on the question.

35.Where, at a meeting of the Council, there is an equal division of votes on a question to be decided, the Chair of the meeting shall have a second or casting vote.

36.A member may not vote by proxy or by way of postal vote.

37.No resolution of the members may be rescinded or varied at a subsequent meeting unless consideration of the rescission or variation is a specific item of business on the agenda for that meeting.

38.A resolution in writing, signed by all the members shall be valid and effective as if it had been passed at a meeting of the members duly convened and held. Such a resolution may consist of several documents in the same form, each signed by one or more of the members.

39.Any member shall be able to participate in meetings of the Council by telephone or video conference provided that:

a.he has given notice of his intention to do so detailing the telephone number on which he can be reached at least 48 hours before the meeting; and

b.the members have access to the appropriate equipment if, after all reasonable efforts, it does not prove possible for the person to participate by telephone or video conference the meeting may still proceed with its business provided it is otherwise quorate.

ADJOURNMENT

40.The Chair may at any time adjourn a meeting of the Council. The decision of the Chair in this matter shall be final and shall not be open to discussion.

MINUTES & PUBLICATION

41.Written minutes of every meeting of the Council shall be prepared, and, subject to paragraph 43, at every meeting of the Council the minutes of the last meeting shall be taken as an agenda item.

42.Paragraph 42 shall not require the minutes of the last meeting to be taken as an agenda item at a special meeting, but where they are not taken, they shall be taken as an agenda item at the next meeting which is not a special meeting.

43.Where minutes of a meeting are taken as an agenda item and agreed to be accurate, those minutes shall be signed as a true record by the Chair of the meeting.

44.Minutes of all Council meetings will be submitted to the next available meeting of the Trust Board.

45.Subject to paragraph47, the members shall ensure that a copy of:

a.the agenda for every meeting of the Council;

b.the draft minutes of every such meeting, if they have been approved by the person acting as chair of that meeting;

c.the signed minutes of every such meeting; and

d.any report, document or other paper considered at any such meeting,are, as soon as is reasonably practicable, made available at the Academy to persons wishing to inspect them.

46.There may be excluded from any item required to be made available in pursuance of paragraph 46, any material relating to:

a.a named teacher or other person employed, or proposed to be employed, at the Academy;

b.a named pupil or named student at, or candidate for admission or referral to, the Academy; and

c.any matter which, by reason of its nature, the members are satisfied should remain confidential.

47.Meetings of the Councilshall not open to members of the public and representatives of the press.

APPENDIX 1

ROLE OF THE LOCAL ACADEMY COUNCILS

The role of the Local Academy Councils is to carry the Trust’s vision, policies and priorities forward and, in doing so, to question, challenge and support the academy leadership and to be confident that they know, and are able to discuss, the performance of the academy

Terms of Reference

  1. To ensure the implementation of the Trust’s vision, policies and priorities in the academy and to monitor their effectiveness.
  1. To receive assessment reports on the quality of the education provided by the academy and advise on any necessary action.
  1. To monitor the outcome of lesson observations and to address with academy management any areas where performance is unsatisfactory.
  1. To contribute to the setting of educational performance targets for the academy and to monitor and assess performance, with a particular emphasis on recruitment, retention and achievement of students.
  1. To address with academy management any areas where performance is unsatisfactory.
  1. To oversee the academy self-assessment processes seeking to ensure regular and rigorous assessment of educational performance which identifies strengths and weaknesses and leads to continual improvement.
  1. To pay particular attention to the outcome of student surveys and to address issues raise by the ‘student voice’ as appropriate.
  1. To ensure the implementation of the Trust’s systems for teaching staff appraisal and professional development and to monitor their effectiveness

APPENDIX 2

ALTUS EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP

PROCEDURE FOR THE SELECTION OF PARENT AND STAFF MEMBERS

OF LOCAL ACADEMY COUNCILS

1.PARENT MEMBERS

1.1When the term of office of a parentmember is nearing expiry or a vacancy arises for any other reason, the Clerk shall arrange for all known parents of students registered at the academy to be invited to make nominations to fill the vacancy (refer to definitions in Articles 54 and 54AA).

1.2In circumstances where there are more nominees than vacancies, the Clerk shall arrange for a ballot in accordance with the requirements of Articles 53-56. The name(s) of the successful candidates will be put forward for appointment by the Board of Trustees.

2.STAFF MEMBERS

2.1When the term of office of a staff member is nearing expiry or a vacancy arises for any other reason, the Clerk shall arrange for all permanent employees to be invited to make nominations to fill the vacancy.

2.2Where there is more than one nominee, the Clerk will arrange for a ballot and the name of the successful candidate will be put forward for appointment by the Board of Trustees.

3.APPOINTMENTS

It is a condition of appointment for staff and parent members that they must:

(a)Declare their interests in the form prescribed by the Board

(b)Agree to be bound by the Code of Conduct approved by the Board

(c)Undergo an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check

APPENDIX 3

ALTUS EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP

LOCAL ACADEMY COUNCILS

DECLARATION OF ELIGIBILITY

FOR COUNCIL MEMBERSHIP

The Articles of Association state that a person is disqualified from holding office as a Trustee in any of the following circumstances:

  1. If

a) his estate has been sequestrated and the sequestration has not been discharged, annulled or reduced; or

b) he is the subject of a bankruptcy restrictions order or an interim order.

  1. At any time when he is subject to a disqualification order or a disqualification undertaking under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 or to an order made under section 429(2)(b) of the Insolvency Act 1986 (failure to pay under county court administration order).
  1. If he is disqualified from acting as a trustee by virtue of any provision in the Companies Act 2006 or is disqualified from acting as a trustee by virtue of section 72 of the Charities Act 1993 (or any statutory re-enactment or modification of that provision).
  1. If he has been removed from the office of charity trustee or trustee for a charity by an order made by the Charity Commission or the High Court on the grounds of any misconduct or mismanagement in the administration of the charity for which he was responsible or to which he was privy, or which he by his conduct contributed to or facilitated.
  1. At any time when he is:

a) included in the list kept by the Secretary of State under section 1 of the Protection of Children Act 1999; or

b) disqualified from working with children in accordance with Section 35 of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000; or

c) barred from regulated activity relating to children (within the meaning of section 3(2) of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006)

  1. If he is a person in respect of whom a direction has been made under section 142 of the Education Act 2002 or is subject to any prohibition or restriction which takes effect as if contained in such a direction.
  1. If he has, at any time, been convicted of any criminal offence, excluding any that have been spent under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 as amended, and excluding any offence for which the maximum sentence is a fine or a lesser sentence except where a person has been convicted of any offence which falls under section 72 of the Charities Act 1993.
  1. Is aged under 18 or is a current student at one of the Trust academies.
  1. If he becomes incapable by reason of mental disorder, illness or injury managing of administrating his/her own affairs.
  1. If he is absent without permission of the Board from all of their meetings held within a period of six months and the Board resolves that his office be vacated.
  1. If he/she has not provided to the Chair of the Board of Trustees a criminal records certificate at an enhanced disclosure level under Section 113B of the Police Act 1997.

I …………………………………………… declare that I am not disqualified from serving as a Trustee under any of the above criteria

Signed: ……………………………………………Date: ………………………….

NB.If a member of the Board becomes disqualified at any time under any of the above criteria, he/she must immediately inform the Clerk to the Council in writing.

APPENDIX 4

ALTUS EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP

LOCAL ACADEMY COUNCILS

REGISTER OF INTERESTS OF MEMBERS & SENIOR STAFF

I ……………………………………………………………. declare the following interests:

My Interests (see notes on reverse before completion)
My spouse/partner’s Interests
Interests of other close relatives
Name Relationship to me Interests

I also declare that I shall inform the Clerk immediately of any new interest that may arise.

Signed :…………………………………………….Date :………………………………..

Notes on completion of Register of Interests:

  1. For the purposes of declaration of interests, ‘staff’ are defined as:
  1. The Principal
  2. Any other member of staff designated by the Principal
  1. Interests to be declared are any financial, business or personal interests which, when publicly known, would or could be perceived as likely to affect your judgement in relation to any aspect of the School’s business. For guidance, you should consider declaring the following interests:

Financial Interests

  1. Remunerated employment, office, profession or other activity
  2. Directorship of a company
  3. Shareholdings (greater than 5%) in a company (senior staff must declare all shareholdings)
  4. Partnership in a business or professional partnership
  5. Consultancies (whether or not remunerated)
  6. Trusteeship of a trust where you or your spouse/partner or a member of your family may be a beneficiary
  7. Gifts or hospitality offered by outside bodies and arising from your position as a Trustee, non-Trustee member of a committee, senior member of staff or member of staff with responsibilities for procurement
  8. All known financial interests with the Trust, such as provision of goods and services or remuneration for lectures or academic consultancies

Personal Interests

  1. Membership of another public body, including:
  • Local Authorities
  • Health Authorities
  • NHS Trusts
  • School or Trust Governing Bodies
  • Education funding bodies
  1. Unremunerated posts, honorary positions and other positions that might give rise to a conflict of interest or of trust
  1. Membership of other organisations including closed organisations

3.Other close relatives include, for example, father, mother, brother, sister, child, stepchild, grandparent or grandchild.