Non-Executive Director X 1

Based in Medway, Castle Trust (the Trust) seeks a non-executive director as it expands and develops to achieve its vision of a vibrant learning community, where schools actively pursue excellent outcomes for all pupils. The Trust welcomes applicants with experience in HR management. Board meetings are usually held at Chatham Historic Dockyard, Kent ME4 4TZ and occasionally at one the Trust’s schools.

About the trust

The Castle Trust is a multi-academy trust comprised of two schools.  The Trust’s vision is to create a vibrant learning community, where schools actively pursue excellent outcomes for all pupils. To this end, the Trust is currently working with both of its schools to create capacity for school improvement.

The Trust currently comprises two mainstream academies and a dedicated unit that supports children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and social, emotional and mental health needs (SEMH) provision based within Delce Academy.

Delce Academy is a larger than average all-through primary school in Rochester, Kent.  It currently has 542 pupils on roll.  Pupils come to us from a range of backgrounds, with two-thirds with white British heritage and one fifth speaking English as an additional language.  One quarter of pupils at Delce Academy come from disadvantaged backgrounds, which is a higher proportion than most schools nationally.  The number of children with SEND is also higher than the national average.  Delce Academy operates a separate specialist unit to support children with SEN and SEMH needs, which currently has 24 pupils on roll. It is currently judged ‘Requires Improvement’ by Ofsted.

In June 2015, the Trust began to support and work with Greenway Academy, a junior school in West Sussex. In March 2017, Greenway Academy was formally welcomed into the Trust.   Greenway Academy is a primary school for children aged from 7 years to 11 years.  It currently has 398 pupils on roll.  Most of the pupils at Greenway Academy are from white British backgrounds.  The proportion of children with SEND attending Greenway Academy is less than the national average.  The proportion of children from disadvantaged backgrounds is also lower than for most schools in England. The two schools now work together, sharing best practice in teaching and learning and engage in research to develop effective pedagogy. It is currently judged ‘Good’ by Ofsted.

Plans for the Future

Castle Trust’s key challenges over the next 12-24 months are as follows:

1. Create capacity for academy improvement and increasing collaboration between academies in order to share best practice in teaching and learning.
2. In the next development window, Castle Trust intends to develop a hub of 4-6 primary schools in Medway (over next 5 years).
3. The trust also intends to open another hub of 4-6 schools in West Sussex (over next 5 years).

Trust Ethos & Values

Castle Trust is committed to “Learning for All, By All, With All”. As a vibrant learning community, the trust’s schools actively pursue excellent outcomes for all pupils. The schools act as community learning hubs in which pupils and teachers learn together in environments which enrich learning opportunities beyond the school day.

Role Summary 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 for the performance of the organisation, its pupils and staff. 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. The role also includes contributing to financial planning for sustainability and growth, and holding the CEO/CFO to account for appropriate expenditure.

The competencies required for this role include:

Essential

• HR

Desirable

• Succession Planning
• Change Management
• Non-executive/Trustee

Person Specification

The Trust welcomes applicants with experience in HR management with experience in change management and/or succession planning.

Non-executive directors are expected to play a strategic role to successfully effect change and meet the trust's objectives with an eagerness to reflect and learn. Additionally, they must be able to evaluate and interpret information and data/evidence.

Time Commitment

6 hours /month minimum.

Location of Board Meetings and Trust Website

www.castletrust.co.uk

Board meetings are usually held at the Trust’s offices at The Historic Dockyard, Kent, ME4 4TZ.  Occasionally the Board may meet at or attend events at one of its academies in Rochester or in Horsham.

Governance Structure

For information regarding The Castle Trust’s governance, please refer to its website:

https://www.thecastletrust.co.uk/page/?title=How+Castle+Trust+is+governed&pid=204

(Applicants are encouraged to download the Trust’s Governance Toolkit for more information on the Trust and the governance roles within the Trust.) Background on Academy Trusts

Academy schools, which are charities run independently of local authority control, now account for 73% of secondary schools and 29% 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 760 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: 27^th March 2019

Interviews:    April 2019