Governance at Harbour Learning Trust

As a multi-academy trust, Harbour Learning Trust (HLT) is a charitable company limited by guarantee. This means that HLT is a single legal entity, but it has several academies within its family of schools.

HLT is an education charity that runs a family of seven primaries and one secondary school, in Greater Lincolnshire. After a substantial period of growth starting in 2018, Harbour Learning Trust now serves over 3000 children and young people across its eight academies. We are now entering the next phase of development and are looking to continue to drive school improvement, as well as growth and our development agenda. We are a values-driven organisation with a commitment to integrity, collaboration, and excellence. We strive to be a caring employer who values all our staff, providing genuine and exciting opportunities to develop expertise, share best practice and form strong partnerships both within and beyond our Trust. We know that education really can change lives for the better and we passionately believe that every child should receive the very best education in order to fully prepare them for the future.

Members, Trustees and Governors

The Trust has established three key layers of governance:

Members
Trustees
Local Governors

Please see below for the detailed governance structure and all other relevant documents.

Members

Members are the guardians of the governance of our Trust Partnership. They need to be assured that effective governance practice is taking place. To do so, they keep in touch with the work of the Board of Trustees by meeting at least twice per year (including the Trust’s AGM), and receiving regular updates after each Board meeting. Our Members receive the Trust’s annual report and accounts, an annual governance report, and they are able to appoint and remove Trustees.

Trustees

As HLT is a charitable company, the Board of Trustees are regarded as directors in company law, and Trustees in charity law. Reflecting the charitable objects at the core of the Trust’s work, members of HLT’s Board are referred to as our Trustees. They meet as a minimum four times per year.

The Board of Trustees is responsible for three core strategic governance functions:

Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
Holding the CEO and Headteachers to account for the educational performance of each school and its pupils, and for the performance management of staff
Overseeing the financial performance of each school and the Trust overall, and making sure that the Trust’s money is well spent

In May 2022, the Board launched a new three-year strategy, including the HLT Vision and Values. The Board has established key priorities for the Trust: pupil Academy Improvement, To Build an Effective and Efficient Central Services Infrastructure and To Ensure High Quality Leadership and Governance across the Trust.

The Trustees bring together knowledge, expertise and skills linked to the Trust’s core areas of: education, inclusion, environmental sustainability, governance and finance.

Local Academy Councils

Although the Board of Trustees is accountable for all of the academies within HLT, it highly values the work undertaken by local governors in supporting, and challenging, our academies and senior leadership teams to deliver high quality and inclusive education. Each academy has a Local Academy Council that meets four times a year.

To find out who the governors are, please see the ‘Our Schools’ areas on each academy website.

The different responsibilities overseen by Members, Trustees and Local Governors are set out in the HLT Scheme of Delegation, which is reviewed on an annual basis.

Member, Trustee and Governor Recruitment and Appointment

The recruitment and appointment of Members, Trustees and Governors is set out within the Articles of Association and Scheme of Delegation. The term of office, number and types of trustees and specific role are
all clearly defined.

If you are interested in becoming a Member, Trustee or Governor of the Harbour Learning Trust, please see recruitment packs below.

Get in Touch

To contact any of the Members, Trustees or Governors, please email: [email protected]

To send correspondence to the Chair of Trustees, please either send a letter addressed to:
Chair of Trustees
c/o Governance Professional
Harbour Learning Trust
Low Road
Healing
Grimsby
DN41 7QD
or by email to: [email protected]

Position		Trust Chair
Experience		Trustee and Non-Executive Director with fourteen years of experience. Vice Chair of NCFE (Awarding Body) between 2009 and 2011, Chair of the Vision 2015 Committee and Change Project. Currently Trustee of the Thermal Insulator Contractors’ Association and the Independent Trade Training Council, leading on assessment. Non-Executive Director of Saffron Cherry Television Ltd and The Strategic Development Network.
Career		Over twenty-five years of experience in education, predominantly post-14 education in the UK and overseas. Teaching and inspecting (for Ofsted and ISI) in secondary schools, further and higher education. Latterly working in the wider civil service advising on policy reform and large national programmes such as apprenticeships. Currently a broadcaster, trainer and education consultant, which includes training inspectors of education in the UK and overseas and advising schools and colleges on processes and systems working with inspectorates.
Pecuniary Interests		No
Start Date		16/12/2020
Term Ends		15/12/2024
Appointed By		Members

Position		Member
Experience		Currently Governor/Trustee of a "Hospital Academy Trust" for special needs learners and I am also a Trustee/Director of several National, Regional & Local Charities with over 30 years’ experience in Governance.
Career		Director of an Independent Training College with over 40 years’ experience at Board level in the Construction, Retail, Hospitality, Property and Marketing Sectors, specialising in Corporate Services & HR.
Pecuniary Interests		No
Start Date		13/02/2020
Term Ends		-
Appointed By		Members

Position		Member
Experience		Formerly a governor of a maintained Church of England primary school and a governor of a selective academy (vice chair and chair of pupil discipline committee)
Career		Solicitor, Partner and Head of Public Law with Wilkin Chapman LLP for six years. Independent Person to North East Lincolnshire Council and North Lincolnshire Council for five years. Formerly Clerk to Lincolnshire Police Authority.
Pecuniary Interests		Yes - Partner in legal practise providing Legal and HR services to the MAT
Start Date		04/12/2019
Term Ends		-
Appointed By		Members

Position		Member
Experience		Over 20 years experience in quality, governance, assurance and standards, working with and, on boards and committees in education and the charity sector
Career		Over 40 year’s experience in commercial & senior management roles including banking, further and higher education and latterly as the DCEO for local charity St Andrew’s Hospice
Pecuniary Interests		None
Start Date
Term Ends
Appointed By		Members

Position		Trustee
Experience		A wide range of experience of working with, and as a member of, boards at a local, regional and national level.
Career		Senior Manager with nearly twenty years’ experience working in and across public services (Local Government and Health and Care Sector including time at NE Lincolnshire Council and in NHS England). Held a variety of key corporate roles focused on strategic leadership and operational delivery in partnership and organisational change; service transformation; programme and project management; planning and performance management. Currently working across Health and Social Care Organisations in Northern Lincolnshire, Hull, East Riding, York and Scarborough, to develop through partnership working, integrated care.
Pecuniary Interests		No
Start Date		12/12/2022
Term Ends		11/12/2026
Appointed By		Members