ARU Peterborough Board of Governors: Terms of Reference

The principal responsibilities of the ARU Peterborough Board are:

  1. To approve and monitor the mission and strategic vision of ARU Peterborough, long-term academic and business plans and key performance indicators (“KPIs”), and to ensure that these meet the interests of stakeholders and the Objects of ARU Peterborough.
  2. To promote high standards of teaching, learning and research and monitor outcomes.
  3. To delegate authority to the Principal for the academic, corporate, financial, estates and Human Resources management of ARU Peterborough. To establish and keep under regular review the policies, procedures and limits within such management functions as shall be undertaken by and under the authority of the Principal.
  4. To ensure the establishment and monitoring of systems of control and accountability, including financial and operational controls and risk assessment, and procedures for handling internal grievances, whistleblowing, and for managing conflicts of interest.
  5. To oversee the development of ARU Peterborough’s arrangements whilst operating as a subsidiary of Anglia Ruskin University supported by shared service arrangements alongside the appointment of dedicated staff.
  6. To monitor and evaluate ARU Peterborough’s progression from a start-up entity through to meeting the initial and general ongoing conditions of registration with the Office for Students (“OfS”).
  7. To ensure that processes are in place to monitor and evaluate the performance and effectiveness of ARU Peterborough against the plans and approved KPIs, which should – where possible and appropriate – be benchmarked against other comparable institutions.
  8. To establish processes to monitor and evaluate the performance and effectiveness of the Governing Body itself and any sub-committees that the Governing Body may establish.
  9. To conduct its business in accordance with best practice in higher education corporate governance, having regard to the latest edition of the Committee of University Chairs HE Code of Governance, and with the principles of public life drawn up by the Committee on Standards in Public Life.
  10. To safeguard the good name and values of ARU Peterborough and of Anglia Ruskin University generally.
  11. To appoint the Principal, and to put in place suitable arrangements for monitoring the Principal’s performance.
  12. To be the principal financial and business authority of ARU Peterborough and ensure that proper accounting records are maintained. To approve and recommend the annual budget and financial statements to ARU, and to have overall responsibility for assets, property and estate.
  13. To be the legal authority and, as such, to ensure that systems are in place for meeting all legal obligations, including those relating to equality and diversity, freedom of speech and those arising from contracts and other legal commitments made in ARU Peterborough’s name.
  14. To establish processes to monitor student experience and outcomes and to make such provision as it thinks fit for the general welfare of students.

Relationship of the ARU Peterborough Board with ARU’s main Board

In recognition of the fact that ARU Peterborough is not registered with the OfS, a number of the above responsibilities remain with ARU’s main Board until such time as OfS registration is achieved in September 2025 at the earliest. This particularly applies to points 3, 4, 11, 12, 13 & 14. However, the ARU Peterborough Board shall shadow these responsibilities as though it were fully accountable in anticipation of OfS registration and shall establish an academic board prior to OfS registration.

Last updated: 8 March 2022