I would like to introduce myself as the newly appointed Governance Manager for the Trust. I am very much looking forward to working with you all. It is my aim to visit as many settings as possible and attend at least one Locality Committee meeting in the next academic year.

The role of Locality Committee members is an important one. The governance accountability sits with the Trust Board, but in order for strong, evidence based decisions to be made; the views of the communities must be considered and this is the fundamental role of our Locality Committees – being the eyes and ears and voice of our communities.

Anyone over the age of 18 can volunteer to be a Locality Committee member and they do not need to be a parent. There are parent roles on the committee as well as community roles. There is no requirement for members to have an understanding of the education system, just the necessary skills, character and time to contribute.

We have vacancies on all Locality Committee boards and need YOUR help to fill these.

Could a request be included in the school newsletter? Do you speak to any parents, carers or grandparents that you think could be a valuable addition to your Academies Locality Committee? If so, please tell them to contact the Office Manager at your Academy who can give them the necessary paperwork to apply, or contact myself if they would like to have an informal chat around what the role entails. I can be contacted on p.folkard@consortiumtrust.org.uk

Thanks in advance for your help in creating a wealth of support around our Academies and helping to ensure that Community Engagement continues to be at the fore front of what we do.