Trustee Treasurer

The Southover Partnership
The Southover Partnership (“Southover” or the “School”) is an independent special needs day school for pupils with social, emotional and mental health difficulties, autistic spectrum disorder and other complex needs. It is situated on three sites in the London boroughs of Brent, Barnet and Enfield. All pupils have education, health and care plans (EHCP) and are placed by a wide range of local authorities. Typically, the pupils placed at the School have significantly disrupted educational histories.
The work at Southover is underpinned by the principles of attachment theory. The School follows a small school model because we believe it delivers the best outcomes for our students. This means each school community gets to deeply know and understand its members and gives students the opportunity to be more directly involved in their own education. It allows the different school sites to serve as pupils’ primary attachment, and therefore build up a trusting relationship with others and eventually society. The aim is to deliver a truly personalised and holistic education experience for all our pupils.

Specific responsibilities

1.Provide oversight and support to the School Business Manager, together with the Chair and the Executive Headteacher.

2.Chair the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee.

3.Review and report on Southover’s financial performance to ensure the safeguarding of organisational assets and its short- and long-term viability.

4.Oversee the financial implications of strategic plans, annual budgets, risk management and financial management reports, explaining technical aspects in plain language.

5.Propose and implement an ongoing review of Southover’s financial and risk policies.

6.Ensure there is an effective external and internal audit function.

7.Act as sounding board and finance professional to the non-finance board members, while reminding each trustee of their own responsibilities in this area.