Governance Contact Details
If you would like to contact a member of our Management Committee, please do so by sending your written correspondence to:
Chair of Management Committee, Avenue Centre for Education, Cutenhoe Community Learning Park, Cutenhoe Road, Luton, LU1 3NJ.
Alternatively you may wish to email:
Daniel Connor – Chair of Management Committee
Michelle Francis-Joseph – Governance Professional
Laura Forgham – Governance Clerk
Governance & Management Committee
As ACE is a Pupil Referral Unit (PRU), the Board of Governors is called a Management Committee and Governors are called Members. Governance of a PRU works in the same way as in a Local Authority maintained school.
Members of The Management Committee work with the senior leaders in the strategic development of the PRU. They support the Headteacher and staff as well as offering constructive challenge ensuring that the PRU achieves the very best it can for all students.
The three core functions of the Members are:
- Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction.
- Holding executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the organisation and its pupils and the performance management of staff.
- Overseeing the financial performance of the organisation and making sure its money is well spent.
- Ensuring the voices of stakeholders are heard.
The Management Committee’s focus is the future of the school for the benefit of the students.
Governance Role
As Members, a critical part of our role is to ensure we develop and maintain strong links with parents/carers, staff and students.. To support this, we can often be found in and around the PRU, attending meetings and experiencing the many different activities that take place in the PRU. We also try to attend as many PRU functions as we are able. The Management Committee last reviewed the Governance Role Descriptions on the 19th October 2023.
Please click on the links below to view Role Descriptions which gives an overview of key governance roles.
Governance Monitoring
The Management Committee will monitor in detail areas such as Finance, Personnel, Premises (which includes Health & Safety) and the Curriculum. We also ensure that legally required policies and documents are held and are available for Staff, Students, Members, Parents and Carers and any visitors to the unit when and where relevant.
Members receive a report from the Senior Leadership Team once a term which keeps us up to date with student’s academic achievements, the quality of education, staffing, attendance, special projects, PRU’s life in general and other legally required reports. We make crucial decisions about the PRU in our Management Committee meetings and ratify policies in action in the PRU.
We also ensure that we are aware of what is taking place within the ever changing world of Education and Governance. We do this by attending courses held by the Local Authority and by being affiliated to the National Governors Association and The Key.
The Management Committee have arranged three open day visits to ACE for 2023 – 2024 on the following dates:
- 8th December 2023
- 15th March 2024
- 5th July 2024
During the open days, the Management Committee will discuss the progress of the school in a particular area with the relevant staff member. This may include learning walks which involves visiting a number of curriculum areas, with the relevant staff member, to get a feel for any particular areas. This will involve talking to a range of staff members and students.
Governance Links
Through the Headteacher and Staff, we are kept informed of all aspects of PRU life. Each Member is linked to a subject and/or PRU development area. We have meetings with Leaders of Learning to discuss how the National Curriculum is being followed and adapted to meet the needs of our pupils. We meet with the Senior Leadership Team to discuss areas of development for the future. Link Members provide feedback from these meetings at the Management Committee meetings. The Management Committee last reviewed the Link Members on the 19th October 2023.
Link Members for the Management Committee are:
Safeguarding – D. Craig
SEND – D. Coppin
Health and Safety – L. Patterson
Leadership and Management – D. Connor
Quality of Education – A. Malcolm
Careers Post 16 – C. Mitcherson
Attendance – D. Craig
Governance Membership
Our focus is very much the future of ACE for the benefit of the pupils. The Management Committee last reviewed the Governance Membership on the 19th October 2023.
Daniel Connor is our elected Chair of Management Committee and he brings a wealth of educational knowledge and governance experience to our Management Committee. If you would like to contact our Chair, please email: [email protected]
Governance Structure
The Instrument of Government outlines the constitution of the Management Committee. The Local Authority considers whether it complies with the relevant legal requirements. The Instrument of Government for ACE Management Committee was updated and ratified by the Local Authority and it became effective from 1st September 2022.
The Management Committee reviews the document annually, in the autumn term, to ensure the constitution of the Management Committee remains relevant and meets the needs of the PRU’s governance. The Management Committee last reviewed the Governance Structure on the 19th October 2023.
Governance Boards and Meetings
The Management Committee meets at least six times per academic year to consider the strategic aspects impacting the PRU and the pupils.
The following Boards meet as follows:
- The Pay Board meets once per academic year, in the autumn term, to assist in setting the PRU’s Pay Policy, determine staff remuneration and review the targets for performance related pay. The Chair of the Pay Board is D. Coppin.
- The Headteacher’s Appraisal Panel meets once per academic year, in the autumn term, to set objectives for the Headteacher, appraise the performance of the Headteacher and assess their performance in the role against the Headteacher Standards and their performance objectives. The Chair of the Headteacher’s Appraisal Panel is D. Connor.
There are four Boards that meet on an adhoc basis linked to discipline and appeals for both students and staff. At ACE, these Boards rarely meet but form part of the governance structure.
Governance Terms of Reference
The Management Committee must agree the Terms of Reference for the Management Committee and its Boards annually. The Terms of Reference outlines the tasks and decision-making powers assigned to a Board. The Terms of Reference documents for ACE Management Committee were ratified on 19th October 2023.
Governance Register of Pecuniary Interests
Members are forbidden from being involved in decision making relating to the purchases by the PRU of goods and services from themselves, their relatives or any organisation in which they or those close to them have significant interest. The Governance Clerk is required to maintain a register of such interests.
A Declaration of Interests Form is completed annually by all Members to declare such interests. If interests change, a new form is completed.
At every governance meeting, Members declare as to whether they have any pecuniary interests related to the agenda items listed for the governance meeting.
Governance Attendance Register
The Management Committee keeps track of all Members who attend or are absent from Governance meetings. It is important for the development of the Management Committee that Member absence from meetings is kept to a minimum.
Governance Code of Conduct
This Member’s Code of Conduct is intended as a guide, to indicate the standards of conduct and accountability which are expected of Members, to enable them to understand their legal and ethical duties and to assist them both in carrying out those duties and in their relationship with the PRU and the Headteacher. This Code is therefore aimed at promoting effective, well informed and accountable governance. The Management Committee reviews the Member’s Code of Conduct Policy on an annual basis in the autumn term. The Member’s Code of Conduct Policy was ratified on 19th October 2023.
Managing Complaints Against Members
Management Committees are corporate boards and, as such no individual Member has any special powers, other than the Chair (and Vice Chair in the absence of the Chair) who may act in limited circumstances on behalf of the Management Committee when a delay would be detrimental to a student, parent, employee or the Pupil Referral Unit. The power that lies with the Management Committee does so corporately and decisions are reached by majority vote of those present, following discussion.
Members:
- are required to promote high standards within the Pupil Referral Unit;
- should be aware of and accept the ‘Nolan’ 7 principles of public life; and
- should adopt and sign the Code of Conduct.
Occasionally, concerns may be raised about the behaviour, conduct or actions of an individual Member/s. The Managing Complaints Against Members Policy is designed to provide a framework for dealing with such situations and to ensure that there is transparency and individuals are treated fairly. The Management Committee last reviewed and ratified the policy on 19th October 2023
Governance Allowances
These regulations within the Member Allowances Policy gives the Management Committee the discretion to pay allowances from the Pupil Referral Unit’s annual budget allocation to Members for certain allowances which they incur in carrying out their duties. ACE Management Committee has decided that they will not pay members of the Management Committee allowances for completing their governance duties. The Management Committee will review this on a regular basis. There are several examples where the Management Committee may consider payment of allowances. The Management Committee last reviewed and ratified the policy on 19th October 2023.
Executive Pay
The Management Committee can confirm that there are no school employees that receive a gross income of £100,000 or more.
Schools Financial Benchmarking Service
You can view ACE’s financial data and see how it compares with other educational establishments at schools financial benchmarking service.
ACE regularly reviews the DFE Schools Financial Benchmarking data to identify areas for development within resource management to:
- Keep improving internal operations
- Understand what is working well and what areas require development
- Adopt or improve on practices
- Reduce costs by increasing efficiency
- Focus on practices and offerings that promotes the current and future education needs for our students.
Governance Vacant Roles
ACE Management Committee currently has vacancies. If you would like to obtain further information on how you can support the PRU by joining the Management Committee, please contact our Governance Professional, Michelle Francis-Joseph at [email protected]
The Management Committee has agreed to opt out of collecting and publishing diversity data. A further reviewed will be carried out in the Autumn Term 2024.
Public Sector Duty
At ACE we are committed to promoting equality of opportunity, reducing discrimination and the promotion of community cohesion based on respect, understanding and the celebration and tolerance of difference. As a community we recognise the strengths of individuality but uphold the importance of diversity, tolerance and of respect in all aspects of our work, behaviour and relationships.
At ACE, within our local community and town and across our lives, we all have the right to feel safe, to feel appreciated and to feel listened to and we all, by our own example, through reflection of our choices and actions and through challenge when we encounter wrongdoing, have a responsibility to hold ourselves to this higher standard.
ACE is committed to making all reasonable adjustments to ensure that our buildings, curriculum and work are accessible to all under the Public Sector Equality Duty and Disability Discriminations Acts and all other relevant legislation and / or Local authority requirements.
