Non-executive director X 2

Wandle Learning Trust

Wandle Learning Trust is a multi-academy trust established in December 2017 that has had a successful first year and a half. Plans to expand to bring in two new primary schools are well advanced and trustees intend to expand the trust to ten schools within the next five years. The trust seeks two new non-executive directors to help guide the trust through this exciting phase of development. The trust is committed to diversity within its school cohorts and on its board; therefore would welcome applications from all parts of the community it serves. Board meetings are held in Balham and Battersea in South London.   

About the trust

The Wandle Learning Trust is a collaboration between two highly successful schools: Chestnut Grove Secondary and Chesterton Primary. These two schools and their leaders had worked together successfully for several years prior to the trust formation as they jointly lead a thriving teaching school. The trust believes that the strong partnership between primary and secondary education brings significant advantages, not least in understanding pupil development and learning from starting school to leaving school. The schools serve very diverse communities in Wandsworth and pride themselves in getting the best results for all children.

The Chesterton school community is challenging: it is in the top 20% for social deprivation with a third of this group in the top 10%; 50.6% of pupils are classed as Pupil Premium eligible as they are from families who receive means-tested benefits and 87% of pupils are from ethnic minority backgrounds and around 70% have English as a second language. Historically children at Chesterton have made substantial and sustained progress and the trust is determined to build on this success. Typically, pupils join with low educational attainment but leave the school having achieved well above national average scores. Last year Chesterton’s scores in national tests for 11-year olds were outstanding, 96% of pupils reached expected (or above) levels in all measured subjects (reading, writing and mathematics) compared to 64% nationally. The progress of all children in reading, writing and maths at the end of KS2 was significantly above average in the top 10% of schools nationally.

Chestnut Grove’s cohort is also mixed with 28% of pupils classed as disadvantaged and therefore the school is entitled to additional pupil premium funding to support them, which is in line with the national average. However, the national progress 8 measure at 0.15 is above national averages and the progress gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers is significantly less than the gap nationally. . Specialisms in art and modern foreign languages provide an essential dimension to the curriculum. The arts are a particular strength of the academy. In 2016 the school won the Accord Inclusivity award for the creative way in which it teaches controversial issues to students and promotes inclusion. Continuous Professional Development for all staff is vital to the academy’s determined drive for improvement and the school’s work has been recognised through the gold mark award from the Institute of Education for excellence in continued professional development. The school is now benefitting from a new building financed under the Priority Schools Building Programme and has approval for a new build sixth form block. It has maintained high standards of achievement and behaviour despite the challenges, which included not having any outdoor space for almost two years during the new school build.

As a forward thinking, creative organisation, the Wandle Learning Trust continually seeks development opportunities and aims to be at the forefront of educational change. It has a strong brand through the Wandle Teaching School that works with a thriving and large community of schools across south London. It has had significant success securing funding for several key national initiatives: the south west London Maths Hub; an Early Years Hub and most recently is one of three London centres to be awarded English Hub status. The trust’s agenda is ambitious, and the trust is the process of supporting governors and school leaders at two schools which intend to join during 2019.  The plan is to focus on the successful transition of the new schools in the short-term and then to bring in two further primaries within two years. The trust’s long-term ambition is to become the trusted go-to multi-academy trust in Wandsworth and neighbouring boroughs and within three years, to be a beacon of excellence for parents, pupils and the school community.

Plans for the Future

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

1. Maintaining and building on the success of the two founding schools and their models of working.
2. Continuing to develop sound back office, finance and governance structures as the trust grows.
3. Ensuring that schools joining the trust are properly supported and quickly thrive in the new organisation.

The trust has established a strong trust board with a mix of skill sets and professional expertise. The scheme of delegation is established and due diligence systems for new schools joining the trust are in place.  Governance at local school level is excellent and the trust’s aim is to maintain local governance systems while developing trust-wide accountability.

Trust ethos & values

Wandle Learning Trust’s ambition is to:

1. Create a community of outstanding schools with the highest expectations for all students by building on the outstanding models of the founding schools;
2. Continue to be a beacon of excellence in supporting the most disadvantaged pupils alongside their peers to achieve the highest academic results;
3. Lead education innovation and to be at the forefront of teaching methods that have the most impact;
4. Ensure that the model grows and develops at an ambitious but sustainable speed;
5. Building on the teaching school experience to continue to invest in staff through providing high quality professional development and the opportunity for growth;
6. Secure accountability based on transparent leadership and governance.

Role Summary Number of Positions Advertised:

2

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.

The competencies required for this role include:

Essential:

 

• HR
• Restructuring
• Succession Planning

 

 

 

 

Person specification

The trust is keen to appoint a non-executive director with a background in Human Resources and employment law, preferably with experience at a senior or director level in commercial, education or third sector human resources knowledge and experience to support the trust board’s responsibilities as employers.

 

 

Time commitment

14 hours /month minimum. 6 board meetings/year.

Role 2 – 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.

The competencies required for this role include:

Essential:

 

• Branding/Marketing

 

 

  Person specification

A non-executive director with a focus on branding, marketing and PR is required to develop strategic stakeholder, parent and community engagement, raise the profile of the MAT and manage reputational risks. Applications from senior or director level branding and marketing practitioners within manufacturing, distribution or professional services sectors would be welcome.

Time commitment

14 hours /month minimum. 6 board meetings/year.

  Location of Board Meetings and Trust Website

Board meetings will be held at: Chestnut Grove Secondary Academy, 45 Chestnut Grove, Balham, London SW12 8JZ and Chesterton Primary Academy, Dagnall St, Battersea, London SW11 5DT.

The trust’s website can be found at http://wandlelearningtrust.org.uk/  

Governance Structure

Please see the governance structure here.

Background on academy trusts

Academy schools, which are charities run independently of local authority control, now account for 71% of secondary schools and 26% 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 980 multi academy trusts of 2+ 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:  6^th August 2019

Interviews: TBC

Wandle Learning Trust

Wandle Learning Trust is a multi-academy trust established in December 2017 that has had a successful first year and a half. Plans to expand to bring in two new primary schools are well advanced and trustees intend to expand the trust to ten schools within the next five years. The trust seeks two new non-executive directors to help guide the trust through this exciting phase of development. The trust is committed to diversity within its school cohorts and on its board; therefore would welcome applications from all parts of the community it serves. Board meetings are held in Balham and Battersea in South London.   

About the trust

The Wandle Learning Trust is a collaboration between two highly successful schools: Chestnut Grove Secondary and Chesterton Primary. These two schools and their leaders had worked together successfully for several years prior to the trust formation as they jointly lead a thriving teaching school. The trust believes that the strong partnership between primary and secondary education brings significant advantages, not least in understanding pupil development and learning from starting school to leaving school. The schools serve very diverse communities in Wandsworth and pride themselves in getting the best results for all children.

The Chesterton school community is challenging: it is in the top 20% for social deprivation with a third of this group in the top 10%; 50.6% of pupils are classed as Pupil Premium eligible as they are from families who receive means-tested benefits and 87% of pupils are from ethnic minority backgrounds and around 70% have English as a second language. Historically children at Chesterton have made substantial and sustained progress and the trust is determined to build on this success. Typically, pupils join with low educational attainment but leave the school having achieved well above national average scores. Last year Chesterton’s scores in national tests for 11-year olds were outstanding, 96% of pupils reached expected (or above) levels in all measured subjects (reading, writing and mathematics) compared to 64% nationally. The progress of all children in reading, writing and maths at the end of KS2 was significantly above average in the top 10% of schools nationally.

Chestnut Grove’s cohort is also mixed with 28% of pupils classed as disadvantaged and therefore the school is entitled to additional pupil premium funding to support them, which is in line with the national average. However, the national progress 8 measure at 0.15 is above national averages and the progress gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers is significantly less than the gap nationally. . Specialisms in art and modern foreign languages provide an essential dimension to the curriculum. The arts are a particular strength of the academy. In 2016 the school won the Accord Inclusivity award for the creative way in which it teaches controversial issues to students and promotes inclusion. Continuous Professional Development for all staff is vital to the academy’s determined drive for improvement and the school’s work has been recognised through the gold mark award from the Institute of Education for excellence in continued professional development. The school is now benefitting from a new building financed under the Priority Schools Building Programme and has approval for a new build sixth form block. It has maintained high standards of achievement and behaviour despite the challenges, which included not having any outdoor space for almost two years during the new school build.

As a forward thinking, creative organisation, the Wandle Learning Trust continually seeks development opportunities and aims to be at the forefront of educational change. It has a strong brand through the Wandle Teaching School that works with a thriving and large community of schools across south London. It has had significant success securing funding for several key national initiatives: the south west London Maths Hub; an Early Years Hub and most recently is one of three London centres to be awarded English Hub status. The trust’s agenda is ambitious, and the trust is the process of supporting governors and school leaders at two schools which intend to join during 2019.  The plan is to focus on the successful transition of the new schools in the short-term and then to bring in two further primaries within two years. The trust’s long-term ambition is to become the trusted go-to multi-academy trust in Wandsworth and neighbouring boroughs and within three years, to be a beacon of excellence for parents, pupils and the school community.

Plans for the Future

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

1. Maintaining and building on the success of the two founding schools and their models of working.
2. Continuing to develop sound back office, finance and governance structures as the trust grows.
3. Ensuring that schools joining the trust are properly supported and quickly thrive in the new organisation.

The trust has established a strong trust board with a mix of skill sets and professional expertise. The scheme of delegation is established and due diligence systems for new schools joining the trust are in place.  Governance at local school level is excellent and the trust’s aim is to maintain local governance systems while developing trust-wide accountability.

Trust ethos & values

Wandle Learning Trust’s ambition is to:

1. Create a community of outstanding schools with the highest expectations for all students by building on the outstanding models of the founding schools;
2. Continue to be a beacon of excellence in supporting the most disadvantaged pupils alongside their peers to achieve the highest academic results;
3. Lead education innovation and to be at the forefront of teaching methods that have the most impact;
4. Ensure that the model grows and develops at an ambitious but sustainable speed;
5. Building on the teaching school experience to continue to invest in staff through providing high quality professional development and the opportunity for growth;
6. Secure accountability based on transparent leadership and governance.

Role Summary Number of Positions Advertised:

2

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.

The competencies required for this role include:

Essential:

 

• HR
• Restructuring
• Succession Planning

 

 

 

 

Person specification

The trust is keen to appoint a non-executive director with a background in Human Resources and employment law, preferably with experience at a senior or director level in commercial, education or third sector human resources knowledge and experience to support the trust board’s responsibilities as employers.

 

 

Time commitment

14 hours /month minimum. 6 board meetings/year.

Role 2 – 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.

The competencies required for this role include:

Essential:

 

• Branding/Marketing

 

 

  Person specification

A non-executive director with a focus on branding, marketing and PR is required to develop strategic stakeholder, parent and community engagement, raise the profile of the MAT and manage reputational risks. Applications from senior or director level branding and marketing practitioners within manufacturing, distribution or professional services sectors would be welcome.

Time commitment

14 hours /month minimum. 6 board meetings/year.

  Location of Board Meetings and Trust Website

Board meetings will be held at: Chestnut Grove Secondary Academy, 45 Chestnut Grove, Balham, London SW12 8JZ and Chesterton Primary Academy, Dagnall St, Battersea, London SW11 5DT.

The trust’s website can be found at http://wandlelearningtrust.org.uk/  

Governance Structure

Please see the governance structure here.

Background on academy trusts

Academy schools, which are charities run independently of local authority control, now account for 71% of secondary schools and 26% 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 980 multi academy trusts of 2+ 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:  6^th August 2019

Interviews: TBC