The role of the Regional Assurance Board (RAB) is to ensure there is effective governance within their region, delivered through strong and effective AGBs.
An RAB Governor uses their skills and knowledge of what strong governance should look like to review the effectiveness of AGBs in the region, once the RAB and governance team identify areas for improvement, the RAB governors ensure the improvement plan is sufficient and holds to account the Trust governance team on their delivery and support of this improvement plan.
RAB actively do this by being assigned two or three AGBs from their region, being familiar with the performance of those school and through review of AGB minutes and AGB self-review data, give their views on effectiveness and improvement needed. Where needed RAB governors will also give practical support to assist the AGB in improving, through attendance at AGBs to support a particular need or mentoring new chairs or governors.
- To review the effectiveness of local academy governance and the support and guidance provided by the TSAT Governance team by analysing meeting minutes, reports and data over time
- Attend 3 meetings per year with dates provided in advance
- Monitor the actions are in place to improve local AGB performance
- Appoint AGB governors, ensuring the AGB have the skills and knowledge required to fulfil their responsibilities
- Appoint AGB Chairs, ensuring they have the skills and knowledge required to lead the AGB
- Become governors of the Interim Management Board (IMB) or AGB where required to support local governance performance
- Review the minutes of 2/3 schools’ AGB meetings ahead of each RAB considering the level of strategic challenge and attendance of governors
- When required, support AGBs in person to model strategic questioning, mentor chair, support new governors or support short terms gaps in governance knowledge
- RAB Governors are not required to complete school visits unless it is part of the improvement plan for the AGB as a modelling exercise or to support a new governor or Chair. However, where an RAB member is linked to a school they may like to complete a familiarisation visit to the school or AGB to get to know them better.