The CST Blog

Thousands of students are today receiving their A level, T level, and Level 3 VTQ results. Confederation of School Trusts Chief Executive Leora Cruddas CBE said: "Many congratulations to all students receiving their level 3 results today. "Young people have worked exceptionally hard to achieve their qualifications and today must be about their success. These results open doors for young people to move on to the next stage in education, employment, or training.

The Confederation of School Trusts welcomes the new ministerial team at the Department for Education. We look forward to developing our relationship working behalf of school trusts with the new Secretary of State and minister Waugh, and renewing our existing positive engagement with ministers Gould, Smith, and MacAlister.

The key duties of a school trust chief executive  This guidance sets out the principal roles of the accounting officer as expected by Parliament and set out in the Academy trust handbook. It also covers the key messages for trusts in HM Treasury's Managing public money guidance.

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Chris Kirk Director, CJK Chris Kirk has enjoyed 25 years in leadership, management and strategy in the education sector, with senior roles in the UK civil service, a partnership within one of the largest accounting and consulting companies, and an international CEO role for a large school group. Chris is the founder of CJK.

The new Prime Minister has proposed changes to the education system with a new focus on technical education, skills training, work experience and connections with employers. Confederation of School Trusts Chief Executive Leora Cruddas CBE said: “We recognise the challenges that Alan Milburn’s independent review identifies, in particular for young people who are not in education, employment or training. As the review found, this is a complex social and economic problem, not just an educational one.

Guide to the qualities of school trust board chair This role description draws on Department for Education guidance, the Academy Trust Governance Code, and CST frameworks sets out some of the key qualities for a good chair. The chair of a school trust board has a vital role in setting the highest expectations for professional standards of governance and accountability and providing confident, visionary strategic leadership to the trust. They lead by example, setting the tone from the top.

A guide to the key qualities of a school trust board member. It is intended to assist prospective trustees and trusts looking to recruit board members, and so focuses on the general qualities for trustees rather than specific tasks or specialised knowledge that may be developed whilst in post.

Guidance for maintained schools becoming academies This guidance sets out the strategic and operational considerations for head teachers and governors of maintained schools considering joining a school trust. School trusts are groups of schools that come together to form a single organisation. This guidance includes many of the questions and considerations that your governing board will need to ask when you are considering joining a trust, as well as during the due diligence process.

A model code of conduct for school trusts The DfE's guidance  expects effective boards to create and maintain a code of conduct. Breaching the code could result in the removal of a trustee or committee member. This model code is provided as a base for school trusts to use as part of their governance and assurance work.