Wrigleys Solicitors and Satis Education partner up to provide a comprehensive service for academy trusts.

Wrigleys Solicitors and Satis Education have joined forces to provide a governance review service for academy trusts which assesses and reports on the governance function and provides targeted recommendations and support where action is required.

Wrigleys has a nationally recognised team of dedicated lawyers who work with a range of academy trusts and have encountered and resolved many different governance issues. The firm is steeped in the sector and has a detailed understanding of the governance and compliance framework for academy trusts. Many of the staff are also experienced academy governors or trustees of academy trusts.

Satis Education has first-hand practical experience of governance in academy trusts, with a portfolio that spans visioning (including the development of growth plans and operating models), governance reviews, health checks and developing governance frameworks.

Why do a governance review?

Your academy trust is required to comply with the Academies Financial Handbook, which imposes strict governance requirements. A failure to comply, even a minor infringement, can attract the attention of the Education and Skills Funding Agency.  Repeated and more serious breaches can lead to a Financial Notice to Improve and ultimately re-brokerage of your academy trust. Regular governance reviews can help avoid formal intervention of this kind.

There is a wealth of best practice for you to draw on to support and improve how your trust is governed and ultimately ensure your success. A governance review will identify areas that can be improved and recommend best practice that best suits your particular circumstances.

Our governance review service offers you three levels of service.

Option 1 – Effective Governance

A review of your effectiveness including roles, relationships, meetings and decisions

Option 2 – Compliance

A review of your compliance with key regulatory requirements

Option 3 – Effective Governance and Compliance

A combined review of effectiveness (option 1) and compliance (option 2) to provide a comprehensive assessment of effectiveness and compliance across all key areas

Each review will conclude with a written report outlining the current position and providing recommendations for next steps

As a part of social distancing measures, all meetings may be conducted via phone or online video conferencing.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.