Governance Arrangements

Members
The Tenax Trust is formally owned by its Members: currently The Bishop of Rochester, the Archdeacon of Tonbridge, the Rural Dean of Tunbridge Wells, Chichester Diocesan Board of Education (a single corporate membership) and the Chair of the Board of Trustees. The Members hold an Annual General Meeting once a year, but can also meet on other occasions as needed.

Board of Trustees

The Members have appointed a Board of Trustees with responsibility for managing the business of the Trust. It has four sub-committees, responsible for finance, audit and risk; educational standards; teacher training and development; and pay and HR. The Board and its sub-committees meet regularly to review the progress of all the Trust’s schools, to ensure that they are receiving the support they need and to set direction for the future.

Board’s membership and remit, including sub-committees and declared business interests, 2023-24

Relevant business and pecuniary interests as well as attendance records over the last academic year

Local Governing Bodies

The Board delegates some of its responsibilities to a Local Governing Body (LGB) for each school, to allow some areas of work to be monitored in more detail. This includes matters such as strategies to improve teaching and outcomes, success in closing the gap in performance for disadvantaged students and the implementation of statutory requirements on matters such as Special Educational Needs. The Local Governing Body meets at least three times a year. Its members also carry out regular visits to the school to meet staff, students and discuss developments in certain key areas.

The Local Governing Body includes members of the local community appointed by the Trustees, as well as parent and staff governors. A list of governors and details of their interests and attendance can be found on each school’s website.

Chief Executive Officer
The day-to-day work of managing and growing the Trust is the responsibility of the Interim Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr Richard Tyson. He is appointed by the Trustees.

Accounting Officer
The Interim CEO, Mr Richard Tyson, is the Interim Accounting Officer for the Trust.

Chief Operating Officer
The Board has appointed Catherine Dottridge as the Trust’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Chief Operating Officer (COO). She also fulfils the role of the Trust’s Company Secretary and Data Protection Officer.

Further information about our governance arrangements can be found in our Governance Plan.