Before the meeting, trustees and members of the Executive Leadership Team were given a tour of the new Wallington canteen site. It was fantastic to see how much progress has been made, and it's clear it will be an excellent facility for our students once completed.

The Board also received a presentation from Tracey O’Brien on the new Ofsted framework and heard about the recent Ofsted inspection at the school. The Trust Board congratulated Tracey and the whole Wallington team for their efforts whilst we await the final report for publication.

Trust Strategy

The Trust Board reviewed and approved the final version of the Trust Strategy, including the updated Enablers and Commitments. Significant revisions were made to the Commitments following valuable feedback from the Trust Leaders’ Network and staff during the Staff Conference. The new strategy will be officially launched across the Trust after the Easter break.

Policy Updates

Following recommendations from the HR and Remuneration Committee, the Trust Board approved minor updates to two key HR policies:

• Staff Code of Conduct: now includes reference to Staff Safe, our new platform for reporting low-level concerns.

• Family Leave Policy: updated to reflect new legislative changes effective from 6 April 2025, which provide enhanced rights for parents of premature babies.

Additionally, a new Trust Complaints Policy was approved. It has been significantly revised to ensure alignment with the latest Department for Education guidelines. This policy is available on the Trust and school websites.

Following recommendations from the Finance Committee, updates to the Treasury Management and Investment Policy were also approved.

All new and updated policies are available on the Trust website and for staff via the Staff Zone.

Budget Principles and Capital Planning

The Trust Board discussed the budget-setting timeline for the 2025/26 academic year, agreeing on the principle of a zero-based budgeting approach. This method involves reviewing all areas of expenditure afresh. It also reviewed the draft three-year capital plan for estates and IT. This work was based on a significant amount of research and analysis, drawing on various surveys and condition reports.

Governance Updates

A timeline was agreed upon for recruiting new Trustees, including a Chair Designate, as Sandy Gillett will step down as Trust Board Chair in January 2026. Recruitment for these roles will begin in the coming weeks.

Term Dates 2025/26

A minor amendment was made to the term dates for the 2025/26 academic year, which are now updated on all school websites.

 

Publishing updates from Trust Board meetings is an important part of our commitment to transparency and openness. It ensures our community is informed about decisions that impact students, staff, and stakeholders, fostering trust and accountability.