Academies are publicly funded, independently governed schools. Each academy has a sponsor, in this case ARK Academies, and is run by agreement with the Secretary of State for Education (DfE) on behalf of the Government. The DfE funds the full running costs of the academy.
Charter Academy is operated by ARK Academies, a charitable company incorporated to oversee the academies it sponsors.
The ARK Academies board is the legally responsible governing body which, in practice, delegates most of its functions to Charter Academy's local governing body.
Charter Academy’s local governing body can have up to 15 members, made up as follows:
- 8-10 members nominated by ARK Schools. These are usually people with a local connection who are committed to supporting educational opportunity in the area. ARK Schools periodically advertises for people who are interested in becoming governors.
- Two representatives nominated by the Portsmouth Diocesan Board of Education
- A parent representative (often the chair of the Parent Council)
- A representative nominated by Portsmouth Council
- The academy principal and two elected representatives for teaching and non teaching staff.
Governors are appointed or elected for two year terms. The initial term of the first chair and vice chair of governors will be three years, with annual election by the governing body thereafter. (Academy staff may not be chair or vice chair of the governing body).
