SAST Governance:
Effective governance underpins all successful and strong Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs). SAST has a three-tier governance system and each layer has distinct responsibility and power set out out in a Scheme of Delegation.
SAST’s Scheme of Delegation explains how the above core responsibilities are delivered through its Members, Board of Trustees and Academy Committees.
Our priority is to support every school in providing excellent education while ensuring it remains a key part of its community.
There is a balance as to the responsibilities delegated to schools and those that are the responsibility of SAST. The focus is to continually evaluate, improve and develop through strong, effective and accountable leadership at all levels. The aim is to establish clear, simple and effective accountability including slim and streamlined governance.
There are three levels of governance:
Members:– Members appoint the Trustees to run SAST, and are the only people able to amend the Articles of Association of the SAST. There are 4 members of which 2 will be Diocese Board of Education representatives (Salisbury, and Bath and Wells) in a corporate capacity and 1 other with foundation status. Members have a strategic vision, with a range of skills such as academic/education, financial, legal, corporate business and creative/cultural.
Board of Trustees:- Trustees determine policy, and make decisions for the SAST. They are the statutory Governing Body of each School. There is capacity for 12 Trustees including 6 with foundation status. The Trustees are appointed on the basis of the skills balance required for the SAST including finance, legal, HR, project/business management, education and estates.
Local Governing Body (LGB) (previously – Academy Committees (AC):- Each school has a local Governing Body with agreed delegation to respond to the context, status, needs and resources of its school community and its connections to the wider world. The Governors will focus on teaching and learning, standards and achievement, community and safeguarding. There can be up to 12 representatives in each school and its composition reflects its previous VC, VA or community status. There will be no local level sub-committees.
December 2025 – Please note that our Academy Committees will now be known as the Local Governing Body as this is language that all our stakeholders and partners understand. In due course this change will be reflected on our website and documents, but this will take time. Thank you 🙏
Our Local Governing Body (LGB) @ Sherborne Abbey:
The Governors responsibility is to monitor and scrutinise teaching and learning, welfare, and safeguarding issues. Governors provide challenge and support to the Headteachers and Senior Leadership Team, and represent the Trust to local stakeholders – parents, students, staff and the community. Two representatives of each LGB are elected from among that school’s parents, while a further representative will be elected by the staff. The Headteacher is ex officio. The remaining representatives are appointed by the Trustees following recommendation from the LGB and Headteacher, based on skills and experience, or in our Church of England academies, the Diocese of Salisbury and the Diocese of Bath & Wells receive and consider nominations and appoint.
Ex ‘VA’ schools must have a majority of foundation representatives and ex ‘VC’ 25% of representatives must be foundation. Each AR is appointed for a term of four years, after which time, LGB representatives, with agreement from the Diocese or Trustees, may agree to renewal of further term(s).
Our Governors meet at the beginning of each full term (three times a year), plus an additional meeting in July to review published exam performance.
Our schedule for the academic year 2026 – 2027 is:
Meeting dates:
21.09.2026
01.03.2027
17.05.2027
12.07.2027
Our meetings run from 4 – 5.30pm.
| Executive Headteacher | Mr Ian Bartle |
| Head of School | Mrs Lisa Thompson |
| Trust Appointed Chair of Academy Committee RE and Collective Worship |
Rev Lesley McCreadie (RE and Collective Worship) |
| Foundation Representative | Julia Massey
Eve Lloyd Scott Bumby |
| Parent Representative Vice Chair of Academy Committee Safeguarding |
Mr Daniel Hutchings (Safeguarding) |
| Trust Appointed School Improvement | Mrs Tracy Rose (School Improvement) |
| Trust Appointed | Mr Thomas Hallett (Community) |
| Parent Representative SEND | Mrs Elaine Hurley (SEND) |
| Staff Representative | Mr Simon Garnett |
| Clerk to the Academy Committee | Mrs Caz Earley caz.earley@sast.org.uk |
The Local Governing Body’s Representatives can be contacted in writing:
c/o Rev Lesley McCreadie, Chair of Governors, at the school or by email to office@sherborneabbey.dorset.sch.uk