Pope Francis Multi Academy Trust

  • phone 0151 332 7000
  • mail info@pfcmat.org

Governance

Governance at Pope Francis CMAT is strong and balanced. It offers professional support and challenge so that leaders are supported to create opportunities and push boundaries while maintaining a laser-like focus on results and quality.

Our Governance Structure 

Members

The Members of The Pope Francis Catholic MAT are equivalent to shareholders of a trading company. As the Trust is charitable, with no power to distribute profit to shareholders, they are best viewed as guardians of the constitution - changing the Articles if necessary and ensuring the charitable object is fulfilled.

The Archbishop, through the Diocesan Education Department, also exercises oversight and supervision as diocesan authority. All Trust Governors are required to observe directions issued by on on behalf of the Archbishop.

The Trust's Members are:

John Peter Divine Appointed 27th January 2020

Michael Steven Fitzsimmons 27th January 2020

LRCATI LRCATI Appointed 1st May 2021

Directors

Decision making and accountability for Pope Francis CMAT rests with the Directors, who are Directors for charity law purposes and company directors registered with Companies House. They are personally responsible for the actions of the Trust and its Academies, accountable to the Members, Secretary of State for Education and the wider community for the quality of education and spending of public money.

The Directors have systems in place through which they can assure themselves of the quality, safety and good practice of the affairs of the Trust. They meet as a board and delegate aspects of governance and the day to day oversight of school leadership to Local Governing Bodies within each academy. Other committees established by the Board may by tasked with fulfilling particular functions or advising the Directors on strategic matters.

All of the governance information shown below is updated within one week of each board meeting to reflect current attendance, declarations and other relevant information regarding trust governance.  

Director Committee Membership 2023-24

Directors' Attendance 2023-2024

Directors' Declaration of Interests

If you would like to review copies of any of our governance minutes, or if you have any questions about governance at Pope Francis Multi Academy Trust or its academies, please email info@pfcmat.org and we will pass this on to our Governance Director to help you.

Directors' Profiles 

Local Governing Boards (LGBs)

The role of a Governor within the Trust is an important one - the Trust has sought to ensure that, as much as possible, the responsibility to govern is vested in those closest to the impact of decision making and that such responsibility matches the capacity of those assuming responsibility. 

The Trust Board has established LGBs for each of the Academies, for the most part made up of individuals drawn from their community, both as elected and appointed members. Those serving on the Local Governing Body are accountable to the Directors and the Archbishop, and must ensure that, at all times, they act in good faith and in the best interests of the Academies and the Trust, exercising reasonable care and skill, and having particular regard to local knowledge and experience. 

The Governors of at each LGB share a common belief that children should receive an education of the best possible quality. Staff Governors are teachers or other employees of the academy who are elected into office by their colleagues. Parent Governors are elected onto the Governing Body by parents of pupils currently attending the academy. Foundation Governors are appointed by Archbishop to represent and sustain their interests and priorities.

The Chair of Governors forum is made up of the Chairs of LGBs, which meets termly and provides a clear link between the Directors Board and the LGBs.

LGB Code of Conduct

Click below for further information about each of our Local Governing Bodies, including attendance, appointment details and declarations of interest:

  
Our core governing documents can be found below:

Articles of Association

Scheme of Delegation and Terms of Reference

Memorandum of Association

 Master Funding Agreement

Directors' Code of Conduct

 

Governors' Area

Use these buttons to login to your account with NGA or GovernorHub, click to view our governance dashboards, and book your training with Sefton Governor Services:

Trust Governance Team

GovernorHub Login

National Governance Association

Sefton Governor Training