Conflicts of Interest and Executive Pay

Register of interests

The Academy Trust Handbook 2023 details that an academy trust’s register of interests must capture relevant business and pecuniary interests of members, trustees, local governors of academies within a
MAT and senior employees, including:

directorships, partnerships and employments with businesses
trusteeships and governorships at other educational institutions and charities
for each interest: the name and nature of the business, the nature of the interest and the date the interest began

The register must identify relevant material interests from close family relationships between the academy trust’s members, trustees or local governors. It must also identify relevant material interests arising from close family relationships between those individuals and employees. ‘Close family relationships’ is defined in section 5.48 (third bullet).

Trusts should consider whether other interests should be registered. Boards of trustees should keep their register of interests up-to-date at all times.

Trusts must publish on their websites relevant business and pecuniary interests of members, trustees, local governors and accounting officers. Trusts have discretion over the publication of interests of other individual named on the register. The Charity Commission offers guidance in Manage a conflict of interest in your charity.

Board of Directors (updated September 2023)

Full name	Status	Business or pecuniary interest	Organisation	Type of interest	Date interest gained	Date interest ended
Brendan Fawcett	Foundation (Chair)	Business; Employment Business; wife works as Operations Manager	University of Northampton President Kennedy (Futures trust)	Potential (ITT provider) Potential	01.01.18 01.09.22	Ongoing Ongoing
Eleanor Barry	Foundation	None
Julie Fulea	Foundation	None	Daughter teaches with Step On To Stage ay SSPP and GS	Potential	01.09.23
Victor Bellanti	Foundation	Pecuniary	Daughter teaches at SS Peter and Paul Director Central Academies Trust Director Burbridge and Son Limited	Potential
Dean Kavanagh	Foundation	Business	CW Funding	Potential	19.05.20
Ian Jones	Co-opted	None	Director Devereaux Kelly Associates Limited
Helen Quinn CSEL/CEO Non Board member	Catholic Senior Executive Principal	Business; husband self employed; mother self employed.	Futures Trust Maureen Perry - Perry Interim Management Services Ofsted	Potential Actual Potential	01.06.21 01.09.15 Ongoing

Business Interests

A business interest is the involvement of an individual or their family members in any trade or profession, along with any direct interest they may have in any company providing goods or services to the school. For example, if a Governor runs their own building company or provides training courses for teaching staff.
When making a decision about what or what not to declare, the individual should consider how they may be challenged about their decision not to disclose information.

All members of the Governing Board, the Principal and senior/ staff who influence financial decisions, are expected to declare any business interests that they or any family member may have. . A register of the business interests should be made available in the school and there should be an annual review of this register. In addition, where a Governor or member of staff has no business interests, they should complete a form saying ‘No interests to declare’. New Governors or members of staff, influencing financial decisions, should be asked to complete a form on joining the Governing Board or school.

Pecuniary Interests
It is a common misconception that pecuniary interests are the same as business interests; however, pecuniary interest is a wider term. Pecuniary interests include personal financial interests, such as involvement in a trust fund or investment, as well as potential interests, for example, where a member of staff’s husband is applying for a vacancy in the school or where a Staff Governor is involved in the decision over the promotion of a colleague, and where they may be a potential candidate for the post made available.

Because of the nature of these interests, they cannot only be declared annually. All members of the Governing Board and all members of staff should be made aware at Governor and staff meetings of the need to declare these interests, as they arise. Declarations should be made in writing to the Principal or the Chair of the Board or Academy Committee where appropriate; these should be filed in a register of pecuniary interests.

Publication of executive pay

Under the Academies Trust Handbook, the MAC must publish on its website the number of employees whose benefits exceeded £100k, in £10k bandings, for the previous year ended 31 August. Benefits for this purpose include salary, employers’ pension contributions, other taxable benefits and termination payments.

For September 2023 to August 2024 the bandings and number of employees in each band are:

£100,001 – £110,000 1
£110,001 – £120,000 2
£130,001 – £140,000 1
£150,001 – £160,000 1

Note that prior to 21/22 Trusts/MACS were required to report excluding employer’s pension contributions.

Shared Services Team

Full name	Status	Business or Conflict of interest	Organisation	Type of interest	Date interest gained	Date interest ended
Mrs Helen Quinn	Catholic Senior Executive Principal	Business; Relationship; Husband is self employed; Relationship Mother is self employed	Anthony Quinn Photography Maureen Perry - Perry Interim Management Services	Actual Actual Potential	05.08.16 01.09.15 08.01.18	Ongoing
Mrs Terrie Kenyon	Chief Finance Officer	None declared
Mr Alex Thomas	Head of HR	None declared
Mr Tom O'Reilly	Head of Estates	None declared