Management and Governance

The Caspian School of Academics Governance Policy (1) clearly defines its Governance Expectations. The School is managed through a clear structure of roles and responsibilities with oversight by the Board of Governance. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) serves as the head of the institution, with overall responsibility for financial stewardship, resource management, and institutional data governance, including compliance and reporting. The Principal, who reports to the CEO and the Board of Governance, is responsible for academic leadership and the oversight of academic provision. The Board of Governance is made up of external independent members who have appropriate knowledge and experience of higher education management including an external Chair, the CEO and the Principal as well as staff and student representatives. Each board member brings to the table a unique set of skills, talents, and abilities. Members of the Board have three-year terms of office and are not allowed to serve for more than nine years (three terms of three years) unless there is exceptional justification.

Caspian School of Academics has a clear Committee Structure, with clear terms of reference including for the Board (2), and reporting lines to support the management and oversight of provision, and compliance with statutory requirements, including those set by the Office for Students (OfS). Minutes of the Board meetings are available to internal and external stakeholder to support transparency. (3)

Committee Structure

Responsibilities of the Board of Governance

The Board of Governance approves the School’s strategy and oversees all aspects of its management, governance, and resources. Meetings are normally held three times a year, with governance arrangements informed by the Higher Education Code of Governance and the Office for Students Conditions of Registration. To support its responsibilities, the Board is assisted by the Academic Board, Audit, Internal Control and Risk Management Committee, Quality and Standards Committee, and Student Committee. In addition, the Academic Board is supported by the Assessment Boards, Admissions Committee, and Disciplinary Committee.

Standard public interest governance principles:

The Caspian School’s Board reflects the underpinning public interest principles:

Academic freedom

The School believes that the academic freedom of faculty members to teach or communicate ideas or facts (including those that are inconvenient to external political groups or to authorities) without being targeted for repression, job loss, or detriment is essential to the principles of academia (4).

Accountability

The management and staff are accountable for their decisions and actions to the Board and must submit themselves to whatever scrutiny is appropriate to their position, including the Policy and Procedure for Fit and Proper Persons checks (5).

Student engagement

The School views effective student support as a crucial part of its overall academic provision and seeks to engender a supportive learning and social environment for all its students and recognises that well planned student support arrangements make a major contribution to personal well-being and academic success (6).

Risk management

Risk management issues are considered regularly by the Board of Governance and formal discussion and review of the Corporate Risk and Assurance Register at regular intervals across the academic year facilitates the identification, assessment and ongoing monitoring of risks that are significant to the institution and its performance (7).

Value for money

The Board of Governance ensures that there are adequate and effective arrangements in place to provide transparency about value for money for students and for taxpayers (8).

Freedom of speech

The Board of Governance has approved the School Policy on Academic Freedom and its approach to collegiality. Principles of Freedom of Speech (9) are made available to staff and students at induction.

Equality, Diversity and Respect

The Board of Governance supports the School’s commitment to the principles of inclusion as set out in the Equality and Diversity Policy (10). The School does not tolerate any form of discrimination based on race, religion, ethnicity, gender, disability or age in line with the statutory requirements of equalities and human rights legislation.