Governance
Academies and Free Schools
Hujjat School Trust, like all Single Academy Trusts, has the legal status of a Company but is also recognised as a Charitable Trust. We have 3 layers of governance:
1. Members
Members are the custodians of the governance of the Trust. The first Members were signatories to the Memorandum of Association when the Trust was set up, and they agreed the trust’s Articles of Association. Their role is to ensure that the academy trust’s charitable objectives are being met, maintain an overview of the effectiveness of the trust structure and they can appoint/remove trustees.
Our Members:
Mustafa Mohamed, Chair
Janet Hilary
Shaheen Hirji
Mohammed-Azeem Merali
2. Trustees (Also referred to as Directors and Governors)
Trustees have the responsibilities of both company directors and charity trustees. They have a duty of compliance, ensuring all relevant laws and regulations are followed. As holders of a public office, trustees should also be aware of the Nolan principles of public life: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.
Trustees also fulfil the roles traditionally done by governors: they promote the vision, ethos and strategic direction of the school; oversee the use of resources to ensure money is well spent.; and are a critical friend to the headteacher, holding them to account for the school’s performance.
Our trustees must be autonomous in their decision-making and avoid conflicts of interest. For example, if they are connected to another organisation, their decisions as a trustee must be made independently. Our Board will include 2 Parent Trustees who will be elected in due course.
Our Trustees
Shaheen Hirji, Chair
Gwenda Caroli
John Cordara
Suquena Panjwani
Fatema Rahemani
Safia Tharoo
3. Committees
A committee is a smaller group of people who are chosen to represent the full governing board to receive information, make decisions on its behalf and act as a clear channel of communication to inform the wider work of the full board. Committees will enable the Board to remain strategic in its approach to overseeing both the educational and financial performance of the school as it grows. All work is currently undertaken by the full Board with specialist advise where appropriate, but as we grow to full capacity we will constitute the following committees. Their remit (Terms of Reference) will be published shortly.
Our Committees:
Operations & Audit
Teaching & Learning
Faith & Pastoral (including Admissions)