Non-Executive Director X 3

The Mead Educational Trust

The Mead Educational Trust (TMET) seeks three new non-executive directors with relevant business experience to join the board. The successful individuals will help to lead and support significant development and growth within the trust.  The academies within the trust are based in areas of high deprivation and have high levels of pupils whose first language is not English. The trust benefits from having a Teaching School and a Secondary SCITT (School Centred Initial Teacher Training) programme. In September 2019 TMET will open Castle Mead Academy, a new 11-16 school, in Leicester and plans are progressing to add two city primary schools to the trust. Board meetings are moved around the trust’s academies all of which are within a 3-4 mile radius and close to the centre of Leicester. This allows the trustees to see some of the work of the academies at first hand.

About the trust

The Mead Educational Trust (TMET) was established in June 2014 to provide a local academy sponsorship solution. The trust became fully operational in November 2015 with its first two academies, one of which was a sponsored academy. The trust has now grown to seven academies all of which are based in Leicester within a 20-minute drive of the trust headquarters and each other. Two are 11-16 secondary and five are primary. On joining, the academies were: two Outstanding, three Good and two Special Measures. One of the special measures academies has now been graded ‘good’ by Ofsted and the other is awaiting its next inspection.  Whilst more work is still needed it has made definite improvements since joining the trust.

TMET is underpinned by a strong moral purpose and commitment to improving life chances for all young people. The trust builds on the long history of collaboration and system leadership through the National Support School at Rushey Mead Academy, its Teaching School and SCITT. The trust is deliberately a cross phase entity, believing that there is much to learn from each other. TMET already has a strong track record for school improvement across all its academies. In particular, Northfield House Primary Academy, which was in Special Measures when it joined TMET in 2015, was judged by Ofsted to be Good in 2018 and its high level of pupil progress placed it in the top 3% of schools in England in 2018.

The trust currently has 4,600 pupils, 622 staff and £26m total turnover.  The planned expansion will increase the trust to become ten academies with around 6,300 pupils in total. TMET has applied to open another 11-16 free school in Leicester and is currently awaiting the Department for Education decision on this. The trust has also signed a memorandum of understanding with a MAT of two secondary schools in Leicestershire County to bring more capacity to support secondary improvement.

Plans for the future

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

1. Managing coherent and sustainable growth of the trust by attracting and sponsoring more schools;
2. Developing the trust’s central team and services to ensure a highly responsive school improvement model and a value for money operational infrastructure;
3. Raising educational standards in all TMET academies.

TMET aims for further managed growth, maintaining a coherent geographical spread and ensuring the trust size still enables close collaborative working. Alongside this, the trust will develop the capacity of the central team to provide school improvement, educational support services and financial and operational functions.

Trust ethos & values

‘Together we make a positive difference’ sits at the heart of everything the trust does. There is a shared vision across the TMET with a very strong emphasis on collaboration and challenge to improve the life chances of young people in the trust.

For more information visit: https://www.tmet.uk/about-us/vision-values/

  Role summary Number of positions advertised:

3

Roles 1 to 3 – 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.

Non-executive directors will be responsible for maintaining stability and the management of a dynamic structure. The role also includes contributing to financial planning for sustainability and potential growth, and holding the CEO/CFO to account.

Person specification

The competencies required for this role include:

Essential (due to multiple roles, candidates may be accepted who possess one or more of the skills below)

 

• HR
• Legal
• Non-executive/ Trustee
• Change Management

Desirable

 

• Growth Management
• Corporate Governance
• Risk

The trust seeks two individuals with a proven track record and, where possible, relevant professional qualifications in the field of Legal/Compliance or human resources. The trust also welcomes applications from individuals who have held senior positions in the field of general business/business growth.

Applicants should have extensive and significant management experience to bring depth of knowledge, critical challenge and scrutiny to the trust board. Suitable individuals will be able to lead and support significant development and growth within the trust. A commitment to the trust’s vision and values, and willingness to work constructively and effectively with all accordance to the ‘Nolan Principles: Standard of Public Life’ is essential.

Time commitment

The trust has four full board meetings per year which are planned well in advance but don’t always have a set day. However, meetings always begin at 6p.m. and tend to last up to two hours.  The trust also has committees that oversee Learning Outcomes (e.g. student performance), Finance & Audit and Remuneration.  Committees are open to all trustees but some are specifically invited to sit on these depending on their skills and interests.  Each committee meets three times a year with the exception of the Remuneration Committee which meets once. Not all Trustees are expected to be a member of a committee. 

The trust has a Head of Governance who oversees all aspects of governance for the trust and co-ordinates the programme of training.  An induction programme will be developed to meet individual needs but there will be some statutory basic training (e.g. safeguarding) which all trustees are required to complete. In total trustees would be expected to devote 4-6 hours per month (on average) to trust matters and this would include reading papers for meeting preparation. 

Location of board meetings and trust website

www.tmet.uk

Board meetings are held at multiple locations.

Governance structure

https://www.tmet.uk/about-us/governance/

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 26^th April 2019

Interviews:    to be confirmed.