Skip to content
Back
School & trust leaders

The board in action: financial governance and risk management

This session can be booked as an individual workshop or as part of the Development for MAT trustees programme.

See the full programme
Training & development
11/06/2025
18:00-20:00
Zoom
Event date
11/06/2025
Time
18:00-20:00
Location
Zoom

Responsibility for financial oversight rests with the MAT board. This session will give trustees a basic understanding of the financial cycle, the legal requirements on accountability and spend, and how risks should be managed.

At a glance

This session will cover:  

Fulfilling the fiduciary role of the trustee 
The role of the accounting officer and the chief financial officer
Delivering financial oversight, financial planning, budget setting and monitoring 
Exploring internal control, risk management and assurance processes and establishing an effective audit and risk committee  
Defining trust risks and appetite and establishing the risk register 
Management frameworks and tools

About this workshop

  • New MAT trustees or those soon to start in the trustee role 
  • Existing MAT trustees looking to check or refresh their understanding of the role 
  • Trust leaders wanting to develop their understanding of good MAT governance 

This session will develop your understanding of:

  • How finance and financial management works in MATs, the financial oversight role of the MAT board and some common challenges faced by trustees
  • How the board, its committees and key MAT staff should work together to establish a sensible finance strategy and achieve effective financial oversight, making best use of resources for pupils
  • How to set and monitor a MAT budget
  • Risk management in MATs and how the board fulfils its role
  • Led by an experienced facilitator with expertise in MAT governance, this small-group session will allow you to work with other MAT trustees to understand good governance in relation to financial oversight and risk management
  • The session will be interactive using a mixture of participant activities and facilitator-led explanation and discussion
  • It will be supported by session materials, including a Resource Toolkit to direct your next steps

about this programme

Choose your learning option

Development for MAT trustees programme

  • take the full Development for MAT trustees programme
  • book the whole programme and assign different members of your trust board to the most appropriate workshop for their governance role
  • choose your cohort and book
Book your place: Development for MAT Trustees

Individual workshops

Member price

£ 125
for each workshop
Book your place

Non-member price

£ 150
for each workshop
Book your place

Other workshops in the programme

Browse and purchase individual sessions within the Development for MAT Trustees programme.