Hartismere Family of Schools

What is a Trust?

Whilst they may take different forms, our Trust is education charity that run schools to give children a better future. It is a family of schools working in collaboration as one entity to improve and maintain high educational standards across in our communities. Our trust has a single legal and moral purpose: to advance education for the public benefit.

Our Schools Trust is a charity, not a business – nor is it run by ‘private’ people.

Our Trust was the first to be set up in England and was founded purely for the purpose of running and improving schools. Trustees have strict duties under charity  law. Trustees hold public office – they do not run the trust for ‘private’ interest but are required to advance education for public benefit. They are required to uphold the Principles of Public Life.

Sponsors, Governors, Trustees and Members cannot make profits.

As education charities, academy trusts are not allowed to make profits or distribute profits to trustees or members. All surpluses are invested into the front-line to improve the quality of education for children.

School trusts are highly accountable

School trusts are held to account to a higher standard than maintained schools. The obligation of transparency and accountability is much greater than maintained schools. They are held to account by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), Ofsted and Regional Schools Commissioners.

They are required to have an independent audit annually and to publish their accounts. They are also required to disclose pay in thresholds. If the ESFA investigates a trust, the investigation report is published on the government’s website. There is no similar requirement on local authorities to publish investigation reports or disclose head teacher pay.

Academy trusts are part of state-funded education

Like any other state school, academies are free to attend, inspected in the same way, and children take the same tests and examinations. Academy trusts are state-funded – parents do not pay fees. They operate in accordance with their funding agreement with the Secretary of State.

So, why are Trusts a good thing?

Trusts are specialist organisations set up to run and improve schools – this is why it is clearer to talk about School Trusts, rather than academy trusts. There a very clear lines of accountability in the School Trust model. Where a Trust runs a group of schools, it has the power to create a collaborative framework.

A group of schools working together in a single entity can do lots of things that are harder for stand-alone schools to do:

Teachers work and learn together to improve the way they teach;

Schools share practices that make a difference to the quality of teaching;

Teachers and leaders can work together on the things that matter – like curriculum and assessment;

It is easier for teachers and leaders to move to another school to help improve the quality of education where that school is struggling – and these moves are more likely to be to schools with more disadvantaged pupils; and

School Trusts not as Charities are more efficient – and thereby to invest money in supporting pupils to have wider opportunities.