Non-executive director X 1

Beacon Multi-Academy Trust in Essex and London Borough of Redbridge seeks a talented non-executive director with experience in organisational change management to support the growth of the trust. Board meetings are usually held at Beal High School in Redbridge.

About the trust

Beacon Multi-Academy Trust (BMAT) is an Essex based trust made up of a diverse range of educational institutions and exciting plans for expansion in the future. In total BMAT has around 3300 students and an annual income of approximately £21m. BMAT was formed on 1 February 2014.

BMAT’s core purpose is simple: to help all students reach their full potential. BMAT celebrates the diversity of their students and has created a varied range of institutions to reflect that placed at the heart of the communities they serve. BMAT wants its pupils to live well and thrive academically and personally into adulthood. They ensure this by developing a solid foundation of skills to prepare them to play their part in society successfully and to achieve their full potential through informed choices, seizing opportunities and being able to live the life they choose. This is embodied by their approach to raise standards in education for all through high expectations inclusive practice. BMAT believes every young person deserves to have the best education possible.

The trust currently consists of four schools. The Beal High School is an outstanding secondary school that incorporates a specialist unit for autistic students. It is one of the biggest secondary schools in the country and has just expanded from eight to 12 forms of entry.  The Forest Academy is a good secondary school on the journey to outstanding (Ofsted) and is beginning to attract a larger student intake. The Trust has just amalgamated the two sixth forms at Beal and Forest to create Beal Sixth Form. The amalgamated A’ Level results in 2017-18 put the sixth joint first for progress in London Borough of Redbridge. The Business Innovation Hub Free School (BBIH) offers unique and creative occupational pathways for 14-19 year olds and the Trust is supporting the school to improve its Ofsted rating.

The North East London Teaching Alliance (NELTA) is an outstanding teaching school alliance that works with others to provide high-quality training and development to new and experienced school staff. NELTA incorporates a school-centred initial teacher training (SCITT) that trains teachers and awards Qualified Teacher Status in the same way a university would.

The trust has worked hard to overcome recent financial challenges and is looking to consolidate outstanding provision, a successful sixth form and improvements in standards at BBIH. Their ambition is to utilise its solid basis and infrastructure to grow the academies, which may, in time, include setting up nurseries, primary schools and expanding the sixth form.

Plans for the future

The key challenges for the board over the next 12-24 months are:

1. Balancing the BMAT budget with reduced income; whilst maintaining the quality of provision.
2. Future proof BMAT leadership succession planning and development.
3. Three-year growth and expansion plan to maximise income, value for money and mitigate identified risks.

In the longer term, the trust would like to:

• Expand on the Trust’s strategic objectives
• Define the key goals and performance indicators that will demonstrate its successes and the success of the academies and SCITT
• Outline financial management, growth strategy linked to business efficiency and effectiveness
• Build upon the individual academy and SCITT successes already achieved

Trust ethos & values

The trust’s mission is to raise standards in education and believe every young person deserves the best education possible. The core purpose and vision is simple: they want all students to reach their full potential; through high expectations inclusive practice; with the schools at the heart of the communities they serve.

Role summary Number of positions advertised:

1

Role 1– Trustee/Non-Executive Director

Trustees – or non-executive directors - are both charity trustees and company directors of the academy trust; the role is to hold to account the executive and senior leadership team. The board of trustees manages the business of the academy trust and may exercise all the powers of the trust. The trustees ensure compliance with the trust’s charitable objects and with company and charity law.

Person specification

The competencies required for this role include:

Essential

• Change Management
• Risk

Desirable

• Corporate Governance
• Growth Management
• Capacity to sit on the risk and finance or pay and personnel committee (maximum of six meetings a year)

The trustee will have a business background with experience in growing organisations and in M&A in order to guide the trust as it grows. 

Time commitment

Four board meetings/year (occasionally extraordinary meetings are convened)  of three hours duration.

Location of board meetings and trust website

Board meetings are held at Beal High School in Redbridge with occasional rotation at The Forest Academy. Please see www.beaconacademytrust.co.uk/

Governance structure

Please see https://www.beaconacademytrust.co.uk/bmat-trustees-and-governors-register/
 

Background on academy trusts

Academy schools, which are charities run independently of local authority control, now account for 74% of secondary schools and 31% of primaries – and their number is growing all the time.

Many of these schools are grouped together as multi-academy trusts (MATs). There are currently 832 multi academy trusts of 3+ schools. If the schools are to fulfil their potential, the trusts need non-executives (known in charity law as trustees) to bring a wide range of skills and experience to help guide strategy, ensure their ambitions can be soundly financed and keep their schools up to the mark delivering for their pupils.

“Academy boards must be ambitious for all children and young people and infused with a passion for education and a commitment to continuous school improvement that enables the best possible outcomes. Governance must be grounded in reality as defined by both high-quality objective data and a full understanding of the views and needs of pupils/students, staff, parents, carers and local communities. It should be driven by inquisitive, independent minds and through conversations focused on the key strategic issues which are conducted with humility, good judgement, resilience and determination.” 
Source: Governance Handbook, Department for Education (2017)

Trusteeship is a voluntary, unpaid role for people who have the energy and skills to make a real contribution to shaping the future of our schools. You do not need to have any specialist knowledge of education. 

Applications

Academy Ambassadors is a non-profit programme which recruits senior business leaders and professionals as volunteer non-executive directors onto the boards of multi-academy trusts. If you are interested in applying for the role please send your CV and a short expression of interest detailing which role you are applying for to academyambassadors@newschoolsnetwork.org. Please note: candidates should live within reasonable travelling distance of the trust and/or have a link with the region. For more information, please call 0207 952 8556 or visit www.academyambassadors.org.

Key dates

We strongly recommend applying as early as you can to have the best possible chance of being considered as we may change the closing date if we have received sufficient applications. Applicants should be aware of the following key dates in the recruitment process –

Deadline for applications: Friday 22^nd March