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Governance : Guidance on governance : Members of the trust: appointment, removal and resignation

Members of the trust: appointment, removal and resignation

updated on 15 November 2021
Ref: 30332

Here's a run-down of the rules on appointing and removing members of academy trusts. You won't need to be involved yourself, but if you have a governance manager this will help them with any questions.

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Contents

  1. Check your articles of association
  2. Number and eligibility
  3. Appointing members
  4. Paperwork for new members
  5. Removing members
  6. Members' resignation

This article is in line with the new version of the Academy Trust Handbook (formerly known as the Academies Financial Handbook) 2021. You can read our summary of the changes here.

Check your articles of association

This article explains what the model articles of association say about members. Check your trust's own articles for the rules that apply to you, as they may differ from the model. If there isn't a rule in your articles regarding the members, it's most likely up to you to decide. 

Number and eligibility

What are the members?

Members are similar to a company's shareholders - they sit above the board of trustees in an academy trust. They have a largely hands-off role other than some key responsibilities around signing and amending the articles of association (see the Governance Handbook, pages 58 to 61 for more detail). 

The minimum requirement is 3 members. Ideally, trusts will have 5 members as

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