Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether schools in multi-academy trusts are required to have governing bodies.

An academy trust is run by an overarching board of trustees which is accountable and responsible for the school, or for the group of schools, in a multi-academy trust (MAT).

In a MAT, the board may choose to establish local governing bodies to oversee individual schools or clusters of schools. The trust board decides which governance functions to delegate to local governing bodies but remains accountable for all decisions made.

Although many MATs choose to have local governing bodies, they are not required to, meaning that trust boards are free to establish local governing bodies, and to delegate functions, based on their local needs and circumstances.

All academy trusts must either have at least 2 parents on their boards of trustees or, alternatively, on each established local governing body. This is to ensure that parents play an active role in the governance structures of MATs.