Appointments to Academy Boards

Academy Trusts

Academy Trusts are governed under Articles of Association and Supplemental Funding Agreements.

These documents set out how the trust or academy must operate and the governance arrangements:

• Academy Trust Handbook
• Academy Trust Governance Guidance (updated June 2025)

Appointment of Foundation Directors/Trustees appointed to Church of England Academy Trusts by the Diocese of Hereford

In accordance with each academy’s own Articles of Association, the Diocese of Hereford Educational Trust (as Corporate Member) will be responsible for appointing a number of foundation trustees/directors to the academy’s board of trustees/directors.

For all appointments and reappointments of trustees/directors by the Diocese of Hereford Educational Trust (DHET) as the Corporate Member of all Church of England Trusts (Multi-Academy Trusts and Single Academy Trust boards), an application must be submitted to the DHET board for approval prior to joining the academy’s board.

When appointing new Academy Trust Trustees/Directors or appointing for a new term of office, the following process will be followed:

• Process for Multi Academy Trust DHET Director Appointments (including new terms of office) 

Click the button to request an ACADEMY TRUST DIRECTOR APPOINTMENT FORM: 

Academy/MAT Director Appointment Request Form (DHET)

Within 5 working days of your request, we will send an email via Docusign (a safe and secure online system) asking the candidate to complete and sign our online application form. 

Once the completed form is submitted it will workflow to your academy trust to give their authorised confirmations before being submitted for consideration by the DHET.

Related attachments:

• Role Description of an Academy Foundation Member
• Role Description of an Academy Foundation Director/Trustee

Appointments and Reappointments of Members of the Local Governing Board for Church Schools in a Multi-Academy Trust in the Diocese of Hereford 

Trusts must establish local governance in the form of a Local Governing Body (LGB) for each Church of England school, in order to preserve the historic connection between the church and Church academy. The Hereford Diocesan Board of Education (HDBE) will need to approve the composition of the LGB prior to conversion and in the event that any subsequent changes are proposed following conversion.

The local governing body (LGB) is a committee of the Trust Board and has responsibilities in relation to one or more academies. Those who serve on the LGB are generally referred to as “local governors” to make it clear that their role is different to that of a governor in a maintained school. The specifics of the LGB’s responsibilities will depend on what has been delegated to it from the Trust Board in the scheme of delegation (SODA).

More information is available in our HDBE Academy Local Governing Boards Overview.  

When appointing new Academy Trust Trustees/Directors or appointing for a new term of office, the following process will be followed:

• Process for Local Governing Board Member appointments (including new terms of office) 

Click the button to request a LOCAL GOVERNING BOARD (LGB) MEMBER APPOINTMENT FORM:

Academy Local Governing Board Member Appointment Request Form (DHET)

Within 5 working days of your request, we will send an email via Docusign (a safe and secure online system) asking the candidate to complete and sign our online application form. 

Once the completed form is submitted it will workflow to your academy trust to give their authorised confirmations before being submitted for consideration by the DHET.

Deadlines for submission of completed forms for ALL types of academy governance appointments

The completed form must be completed by both the applicant and the trust to enable the DHET to consider and approve the appointment. The Board of DHET meets at least 3 times per year in addition to its AGM and there is no delegated authority.

Having a gap in a term of office or a vacancy on your academy’s board can be inconvenient and may cause difficulties that can easily be avoided. It is important therefore to ensure that applications are submitted in good time so that they can be processed and approved without leaving a gap. The following schedule of dates is intended to clarify the timescales within which applications need to be submitted and completed). A submission deadline date will confirmed when an application form is requested.
 

If you have any questions or need any help regarding the appointment of Foundation Academy Trust Directors to your academy’s board or Foundation Members to your academy's local governing board, please contact the Diocesan Education Team and we will help you with the application process.

Education Team eBulletin Training and Events