Governance

Our Governance

Details of our Trustees (Governors) are set out below.

• Tim Craven – Chair of Trust. Tim is a Product Development Manager, at TransUnion UK. You can contact Tim C/o UTC Leeds, Sayner Road, Leeds LS10 1LA.
• Mark Goldstone. Mark is Head of Regional Policy, CBI.
• Graham Cooper. Founder and principal consultant of Systems Excellence manufacturing consultancy.
• Mitch Scott. Mitch is Head of Engineering & Automotive Technologies at Leeds City College.
• Deborah Watson. Deborah is Audit Director at Grant Thornton UK LLP.
• Darren Oakley. Darren is a Parent Governor. He is Managing Director of Total Plant Analysis Ltd.
• Hannah Wilson. Hannah is Principal at UTC Leeds.
• Roz Wyatt-Millington. Senior Lecturer in Electronic Engineering , Leeds Beckett University.
• Chloe Turner. Senior Education Worker, IntoUniversity.
• Jonathan Wright. CEO of Abstract Tech Ltd.
• Ammarah Pandor. Employed by Leeds Trinity University, a higher education provider, as a Schools and Colleges Engagement Officer.
• Craig Beech. Employed by Siemens Mobility Ltd.
• Andrew Sleigh. Professor at University of Leeds.

Members of the UTC Leeds Trust are defined in article 12 in the article of association:

• Mr. Philip Ball – appointed 09/10/14
• Mr. Graham Cooper – appointed 09/10/14
• Mr. Simon Nadin – appointed 09/10/14
• Mr. Tim Craven – appointed 01/09/19
• Professor Peter Jimack – Appointed 01/09/17

The Clerk to the Trust Board is Pam Wallis.

Members of the Trust have an overview of the governance of the UTC and can appoint and remove Members and Governors.

Our Trustees (Governors) or Members can be contacted by emailing: [email protected] or telephoning: 0113 353 0140.

Welcome from Our Chair

Welcome to UTC Leeds, as chair of governors it is my very great privilege to lead the board of trustees and ensure that we collectively:

• Provide clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction for UTC Leeds
• Hold to account the executive leadership team for the delivery of educational performance
• Oversee the financial performance of the school

UTC Leeds is unlike other schools in that it has employer and university engagement at its core, ensuring that young people who choose to attend the school will gain exposure to cutting-edge technologies, develop skills to be “ready for work” and study with like-minded individuals who are interested in the opportunities Engineering brings.

Our dedicated board of governors combines individuals from national and international engineering companies, individuals from leading Finance, Legal and Technology businesses along with extensive support from the UK’s best engineering faculty at the University of Leeds. It is essential we maintain and develop strong community and education links so we are proud to have both representatives from Leeds City College and the Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce on our board also.

As an institution, we are committed to ensuring all young people who attend UTC Leeds develop the academic and life skills needed to succeed in the world of engineering and beyond.

Tim Craven

Chair of Governors

Governing Body Role and Responsibilities

The role of the Governing Body at UTC Leeds is to help the establishment fulfil its main aim: which is to provide the best possible education for all of its students.

There are many things which governors are expected to do.  The following provides a brief outline:

• Governors have a responsibility to the Principal for setting, reviewing and monitoring many of the policies, plans and procedures within which the college operates
• The governor’s role is strategic.
• The governors’ set the aims, objectives and targets for the college
• The Principal’s role is both strategic and operational
• Governors make decisions democratically, by consensus. Governors do not have individual powers to act alone
• Governors have a duty to act fairly and without prejudice at all times
• Governors share the responsibility of appointing staff with the college and must act in the same way as any good employee
• Governors should encourage openness in all of their work for the college and should welcome enquiries from parents and the general public
• The governors monitor and evaluate the progress the college is making towards the achievement of its aims and objectives.

UTC Trust Board and Governing Body Membership and Declaration of Interests

The information on governance included here supplements that are described in the Trustees’ report. The board of Trustees has formally met 4 times during the year.

Attendance during the year at meetings of the Board of Trustees was as follows:

The Board has met regularly over the year and challenged internally to ensure effectiveness. The board had to address key challenges such as:

• Supporting the Principal in the challenge of educational recovery for our students post the global pandemic to maximise the student outcomes from such a turbulent period.
• Agreeing on appropriate resources to support the Principal and senior leadership team in driving student recruitment.
• Due diligence and detailed engagement with a Multi Academy Trust partner (Rodillian Multi Academy Trust).
• Planning for the introduction of T levels (Engineering and Digital) from Sept 2024.

The board relies upon data presented to them by Senior UTC Leadership, drawn from key systems used by many educational establishments such as SIMS and Civica.  Financial data from Civica has been subject to external audit and internal control review to gain comfort on its integrity. Student data contained within SIMS is validated in detail as part of the Census submission process.

The Finance, Audit and Risk Committee is a sub-committee of the main board of Trustees and its purpose is to ensure effective and robust financial management of the UTC as required by ESFA, OFSTED and the Audit Commission. To oversee the management of the UTC’s finances within the framework established by the Academies Financial Handbook.

Issues dealt with by the committee during the year have included the monitoring of financial performance against budget, the definition and implementation of the internal audit plan along with the approval of key contract renewals to achieve the best value for money. The implications of the global pandemic on the UTC finances were assessed, and risk management activities increased along with the planning for T levels to start in 2024.

The sub-committee has formally met 4 times during the year. The attendance board of Trustees was as follows:

The Education Standards, Achievement and Progress Committee is a sub-committee of the main board of Trustees and its purpose is to monitor and evaluate the progress the college is making towards achievement of its educational objectives.

The impacts and implications of the global pandemic were the main focus as part of rapidly changing assessment arrangements and the requirement of catching up on student education.

The sub-committee has formally met 3 times during the year. Attendance during the year at meetings of the Board of Trustees was as follows:

Review of value for money

As Accounting Officer, the Principal has the responsibility for ensuring that the UTC delivers good value in the use of public resources. The Accounting Officer understands that value for money refers to the educational and wider societal outcomes achieved in return for the taxpayer resources received.

The Accounting Officer considers how the UTC’s use of its resources has provided good value for money during each academic year, and reports to the Board of Trustees where value for money can be improved, including the use of benchmarking data where appropriate. The Accounting Officer has delivered improved value for money during the year by:

• The use of integrated curriculum financial planning to maximise the financial efficiency of the school in delivering the best curriculum within the resources available.
• Ensuring school financial efficiency through benchmarking exercises against other UTCs and other schools with similar characteristics.
• Procurement of contracts via Government approved frameworks. These national deals allowed us to secure savings in areas such as electricity costs.
• The challenge and adherence to strict budgetary controls to ensure expenditure is limited to essential items and is clearly monitored and reported to Trustees to allow effective oversight.

Information Documents:

• • Signed Accounts 2022
  • Signed Accounts 2021
  • Signed Accounts 2020
  • Signed Accounts 2019
  • Signed Accounts 2018
  • Articles of Association
  • Certificate of Incorporation
  • UTCLEEDS Terms of Reference (Responsibilities)
  • UTCLEEDS Scheme of Delegation
• UTC Leeds Funding Agreement