This guidance note is written for those MATs with established boards of trustees which delegate specific and significant functions to the senior leadership team and committees of the board (including local governing boards).

This guidance is a response to that challenge, setting out a roadmap for those who want to provide their board with the very best information and insight.

This guidance note is aimed at trustees (and directors) of multi-academy trusts (MAT) in England and can be adapted for any size of MAT to reflect good practice for each organisation’s needs.

This guidance note defines good practice for board-level induction, and includes a range of helpful checklists and suggestions for those creating their own induction programmes for new directors.

This paper seeks to meet the challenge of those sceptical about the real benefits of good governance and provide those new to governance in the charity sector with a better understanding of the 'virtuous circle of good governance' and how it can enable a charity to achieve its goals.

The aim of this guidance note is to assist boards in thinking about how to ensure they understand and weigh up the interests of their key stakeholders when taking strategic decisions. It identifies ten principles to guide the way boards approach these issues.