Academies in England鈥檚 biggest MAT will be made shareholders of its parent charity to 鈥済uarantee that they can always make their voice heard鈥. United Learning Trust will hand local governing body (LGB) chairs 鈥渟hare certificates鈥 giving them the right to speak and vote on binding resolutions at annual general meetings. The share will represent legal membership of charitable foundation United Learning 鈥 which is actually a company limited by shares and acts as the trust鈥檚 parent organisation. Trust CEO Sir Jon Coles (pictured) said the move would strengthen 鈥渢he voice of local governance鈥 among his 90 academies 鈥渋n national decisionmaking鈥. 鈥淚 am sometimes asked by schools joining us, 鈥榟ow do we know that the group will always work in this way 鈥 even when there is a change in the board and the executive?鈥 Sir Jon Coles 鈥淭his is our answer: by making every school a shareholder in the group, we guarantee that they can always make their voice heard.鈥 Each LGB chair who has been in the position for at least two years 鈥渨ill be given a share certificate on behalf of their school鈥 by ULT. Should the chair leave, it would be passed on to their successor. However United Learning鈥檚 board will continue to hold the majority of votes. The trust said examples of resolutions could cover anything from thanking the board for its leadership, to disagreeing with executive pay recommendations and seeking a review. The relationship between governance of schools and trusts has proved to be a tricky one. National Governance Association guidance states that LGBs form 鈥渢he bridge between the trust board and its schools鈥. But the 鈥渘ature and extent of the responsibilities delegated to the local tier will vary depending on the role given to it鈥 by trustees. A Confederation of School Trusts report last year showed trusts tend to give local governing boards duties that 鈥渂enefit from being 鈥榦n the ground鈥 and having local expertise and knowledge鈥. We are determined to retain a relationship-based, listening, responsive ethos E-ACT went public with its decision to scrap its governing bodies in favour of 鈥渁cademy ambassadorial advisory bodies鈥 in 2016. The National Governance Association said many trusts had done a similar thing and applauded the honesty over the LGB role. Meanwhile, Lift Schools rolled out 鈥渁cademy councils鈥 in 2022, overhauling the previous LGBs. The change involved guaranteeing a spot for parents, with the chain noting it was 鈥渢oo easy for school trusts to become distant and disconnected from communities鈥. Trusts walk local governing board ‘tightrope’ Academy consultant Lucia Glynn noted that LGB relations were a 鈥渢ightrope鈥 that trust chiefs must walk. 鈥淚f you fall off it and the relationship is fractious, that鈥檚 where trusts go wrong. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a really big concern [among governors during conversions] that your school will be swallowed up into some machine and that it will lose its local character.鈥 United Learning said it was unlikely that others would be able to follow its model, unless they have a similar 鈥渧ery old parent charity鈥 model. Prior to the change, Coles, the ULT chair, and the board had held a formal meeting with all LGB chairs each year to review performance. This will now 鈥渂ecome the AGM鈥, the trust said, 鈥渁dding a layer of legal formality and guaranteeing for the future that the group鈥檚 current ethos of building local views into all strategic decision-making will continue鈥. 鈥淎s a growing, national group, we are determined to retain a relationship-based, listening, responsive ethos and the things that have made us successful so far 鈥 irrespective of political, economic or other changes,鈥 Coles added. 鈥淢aking sure that we will always have to account for ourselves as a board and executive, act transparently and listen to local voices will help to make sure this is always the case.鈥 NGA CEO Emma Balchin said it was 鈥渧ery encouraging to see the trust thinking seriously about how these challenges can be overcome, and we look forward to tracking their success鈥. She added: 鈥淢aintaining cohesion and community voice is a particular challenge for MATs which span multiple geographical areas.鈥 She said other 鈥渋nnovative models鈥 adopted by MATs include some 鈥渋nviting any parents and individuals in the wider community to become members鈥, which act as 鈥済uardians of governance鈥 in trusts.