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The board must have robust strategic oversight of the operations and performance of the trust including:

• holding the senior executive leader to account for improving pupil and staff performance by asking the right questions, informed by data
• having a regular cycle of meetings and appropriate processes to support business and financial planning
• managing the trust within the available resources and ensuring regularity, propriety and value for money

The board has a collective responsibility and avoids getting involved in operational matters unless the trust is in breach of a statutory duty.

To ensure and embed robust accountability, that improves educational standards and financial performance, it is essential for the board, and a committee, where it has delegated powers for education or financial data, to:

• agree a range of metrics, including both quantitative and qualitative data, to measure progress and impact
• have access to objective, high quality and timely data
• scrutinise pupil progress, attainment and financial information, comparing these with local and national benchmarks over time
• monitor and oversee school improvement and financial health
• know the questions that need to be asked of the executive leadership team
• put in place an external audit of finances and strategic priorities

Accountability in a trust also involves compliance with statutory and contractual requirements, across a range of areas, through adherence with:

• the trusts funding agreement and articles of association
• the Academy Trust Handbook
• charity and company law
• The Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations (2014) and any other applicable education, employment and health and safety legislation
• conditions and obligations imposed by funding or regulatory bodies
• keeping children safe in education, relating to safeguarding and safer recruitment
• the Equality Act 2010, including the public sector equality duty, as set out in section 149 of the Equality Act trusts must actively promote equality and diversity as public authorities
• legal dutiesin religious measures and laws where applicable, for example the Churchof England Diocesan Boards of Education Measure 2021 and Catholic Canon Law

The board is also accountable for:

• effective planning to ensure key duties, such as special educational needs and disabilities, and ensuring inclusion are undertaken effectively across the trust
• overseeing and monitoring the impact of pupil premium and other targeted funding stream conditions

Find out more about accountability from:

• statutory policies for schools and academy trusts
• the academies planning calendar
• the assurance framework for trust governance from Confederation of School Trusts.

6.2.1 Rigorous analysis of education data

An effective board will:

• have at least one person with the skills to interpret the full detail of educational performance data and ensure the board has a correct understanding of the trusts educational performance
• understand the limitations of performance data, including being clear about what the data implies
• have access to objective, high quality and timely data and know the questions that need to be asked of executive leaders
• identify issues of priority that need to be addressed and discussed
• seek explanations from executive leaders where performance is below expectations

Find out more about analysing your data from:

• Making data work: teacher workload advisory group
• Eliminating unnecessary workload associated with data management

6.2.2 Sources of education data

The executive leadership team helps the board access:

• data published by the Department for Education (DfE) and Ofsted
• management information
• information on priorities for improvement

The executive leadership team is not the only source of information the board can commission or request audit reviews from external partners.

The board:

• agrees with the senior executive leader how data will be provided this will help the board stay focused on its strategic functions, while being mindful of staff workload
• identifies ways to validate and cross-reference the data provided by the executive leadership

Find out more about understanding and analysing school performance from:

• School and college performance measures guidance and tools to help boards understand and analyse trust performance
• performance tables check your trust and other trusts performance data
• MAT performance measures statistical data release performance data (key stages 2, 4 and 5) for 