Governance
Governance and accountability through TCES Boards
Introduction to Governance at TCES
The Complete Education Solution (TCES) believes in the importance of governance and accountability, and we have created and built a very robust Governing Body over the past five years. The makeup and expertise of our Governing Body is a significant strength, and our Governors have a more enhanced role at TCES than at most other Multi Academy Trusts (MATs) or multi-site schools or services.
Effective governance in TCES provides strategic direction, oversight and accountability to our schools, and services. This accountability is sought through a range of Governor annual activities including school visits and committee meetings. The Governors also have an escalation procedure for any concerns should they require this. All of these processes help to strengthen the accountability within our schools and services.
In summary, our Board of Governors create robust accountability, oversight and quality assurance for our schools’ educational and financial performance and our governance is ambitious for all children and young people to achieve the very best outcomes.
TCES Overall structure
TCES operates a social enterprise where society profits. Our legal constitution as defined by our Articles of Association is that of a social enterprise, whose mission is to create wide-scale social impact through pioneering inclusive practices. TCES operates a number of schools and services across a continuum of pupil need, risk, and vulnerability. We have two Independent Special Schools in East and West London, made up of all-through schools from key stage 2 to 5, Primary Create Nurture schools, Create in the Community services for secondary aged pupils and our National Online School.
N.B: Our Create in the Community services uniquely provides therapeutic education, clinical, social work, and family support services for some of the most complex, high-risk, and vulnerable children and young people in and around London, unable to attend mainstream school and alternative education settings.
The Commercial Board and Governors
TCES’ main board is our Commercial Board. It’s Chair and board members design, develop and are accountable for the company’s strategic vision, its financial resources, and its risk register. The Commercial Board holds the Board of Governors to account by meeting them twice each year and reviewing the work that the Governors do through:
- Commercial Board and Governors twice annual board days
- Governors two-day visits to each school/service
- Governors Business and Finance committees
- Governors Integrated Services committees
- Governors’ annual policy review
The Commercial Board meets the Governing Body each academic year in February and July and these meeting are accountability meetings where the Governors explain their work, their findings, and their impact on pupil’s outcomes. Additionally, members of the Commercial Board attend committees with TCES ‘Governors and collectively meet with the Headteachers/Heads of Service and School Business Managers in January and June to discuss Business and Finance and Integrated Services issues including the Governors findings.
Governors visits utilise regulator reports, internal QA inspections, the Heads reports, the SEF/SDP, and specialist governors’ reports to drive their work. Following Governors’ visits and related recommendations, schools and services are expected to align the recommendations into the SEF/SDP, and the Governors expect feedback on continuous improvement at every subsequent visit or meeting. This is how accountability is driven from the Commercial Board to our Board of Governors and onwards to the schools/service.
The Operations Board
Strategic vision is operationalised through TCES’ weekly Operations Board and Inspection and Quality Assurance are delivered through an internal inspection team led by a very experienced ex-Ofsted Lead Inspector and Peer Heads from the other schools and services.
The Board of Governors also hold the two Boards within TCES to account through their written reporting processes in which the Governors work closely with the Heads to ensure that the school has the appropriate resources to deliver high quality integrated services and ultimately to ensure that pupils are successful in their pathways and outcomes.
Our Governors
Our Governing Body is led by an experienced social worker who has managed LADO Services across a number of Local Authorities and is a coordinator for the London Region and National LADO Networks. The Chair’s role is to lead effective governance: giving the governing body a clear lead and direction, ensuring that the governors work as an effective team and understand their accountability and the part they play in the strategic leadership of the school and in driving school improvement.
The Governing Body comprises of:
- A Chair of Governors with a background in social work, who has managed LADO Services across a number of Local Authorities and is a coordinator for the London Region and National LADO Networks.
- A Governor for Education who is an ex-Head teacher, an ex-LA school improvement partner, and a very experienced ex-Ofsted inspector in maintained secondary schools and independent special schools.
- A Governor for Safeguarding, who is a Head of Inclusion and Safeguarding and has experience of strategic and operational, education safeguarding improvement.
- We currently have a vacancy for a Governor for Clinical Services.
- We currently have a vacancy for a Governor for Sixth Form and Careers.
- We currently have a vacancy for a Governor for Health and Safety.
You can see what our Governors’ have been working on, via the attached chart.