Section 172 Statement
Date 10.12.2020
Co-operative Academies Trust (Registration Number 07747126 England and Wales, DfE UID Number 2777) Statutory Reporting – Trust Section 172 Statement for Year Ended 31 August 2020
How the Board Complies with its Section 172 Duty
Promoting the success of the Trust
Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 requires the directors to act in the way they consider, in good faith, would be most likely to promote the success of the charity to achieve its charitable purposes. The Act states that in doing so, the directors should have regard, amongst other matters, to:
The likely consequence of any decision in the long term
The Trust makes all key decision through reference to its long-term strategic plan and after projecting the timing and impact of such decisions. This strategy is primarily designed around the objective to improve educational outcome for students but every decision and operational approach is regularly reviewed for its impact on all stakeholders and the need for any changes or modifications to decisions previously taken.
The interests of the company’s employees
Our employees are vital to the Trust and we regard ongoing, regular engagement with them as a top priority. We measure employee engagement through regular feedback and joint communication sessions. We address any issues raised by our employees as quickly as possible and communicate back to them what we have done. All staff are offered access to a number of well-being support services and the Trust seeks to ensure that staff welfare is actively considered and addressed.Through our health and safety policies as well as through local staff committees we also actively seek to ensure that the working environment meets due high standards of safety and security.
The need to foster the company’s business relationships with suppliers, customers, and others
Our relationships with partners and suppliers are key to our effectiveness. The Trust actively seeks to engage in service reviews with all key suppliers. These reviews are focussed on a two way relationship with the Trust based with an aim of helping one another to achieve an optimum service as efficiently as possible and according to the best value for money. Where the Trust has procured outsourced services, we seek to ensure that staff and management from that contractor are supported as an equal member of the school community and stakeholders.
The impact of the company’s operations on the community and the environment
We recognise our responsibility to care for the environment and aim to minimise our environmental impact in all our activities. As well as covering environmental issues in our school curriculum, the Trust encourages all staff and students to participate in initiatives to reduce negative environmental impacts. These include the promotion of recycling of waste and actions to maximise efficiency in energy consumption.
The desirability of the company maintaining a reputation for high standards of business conduct
Our reputation and public Trust in its constituent schools is fundamental to our future success. We use our organisational values and behaviours in our recruitment and training for our employees to ensure that we maintain high standards, and these are used in our appraisal processes. Our procurement and ethical policies and procedures ensure that our values are also part of our selection of partners and suppliers.
The need to act fairly as between members of the company
In terms of members of the academy Trust, fairness in our dealings is upheld through having a clear and well communicated strategy, and financial discipline backed by strong internal controls. We have transparent reporting at regular intervals through the year, continual access to senior management and a track record of successful growth through new school joiners which have been appropriately integrated into the Trust. We aim to be a fully inclusive organisation and we will not unfairly discriminate against our students, staff or any other member of our community and stakeholders.