Trustee at Youth Engagement Schools Trust

This is an opportunity to contribute to the community within Cheshire by becoming a trustee and Academy Ambassador at Youth Engagement Schools Trust. Board meetings are held at SK11 8JF when safe to do so.

The Academy Ambassadors programme brings the expertise of the business world onto boards at single-academy and multi-academy trusts (SATs and MATs) throughout the country to raise standards of education and improve the life chances of young people, which is critical to our social and economic success.

The opportunity

The Youth Engagement Schools (YES) Trust is comprised of The Fermaine Academy - an alternative provision school; and The Axis Academy - a special school, on the Northern and South Western sides of Congleton, Cheshire, respectively. The YES Trust also supports Cornerstone Academy, an alternative provision school, that sits in-between the two schools. The trust is also set to open a further two schools in September 2022, and is continuing to ensure the best outcomes for its current learners during this period of growth. The Fermaine Academy is currently Ofsted rated Outstanding, and the other two schools opened very recently in September 2020, and are still yet to receive their first full inspections. The trust employs 140 staff to support its 334 learners, with a budget of approx. £5m.

The YES trust is unwaveringly committed to help vulnerable dis-engaged young people re-engage with education, ultimately giving them another chance to gain valuable academic and life skills to succeed within the modern world. No child deserves to be written off or not given a chance to properly learn from less informed life choices. The trust's schools work to support its cohorts with autonomous curriculum's developing real life application of learning as well as high quality qualifications for further learning and work application. The trust specialise in the fields of alternative provision and specialist education settings and consistently looks to support with the development of these provisions through development, supporting and sponsoring both new and existing provision in these fields.

The board seeks two business leaders with board level experience in:

• Education Delivery
• Education Policy
• HR
• Change Management
• Business Management

Educational Delivery/Policy role specification: 'Someone who has worked in or with education that can sit on the education standards committee and review the outcomes and directions the schools are undertaking for our learners.'

HR/Change role specification: 'We are looking to add to our business, Finance and HR committee with individuals who are change minded and analytical to review the business operations of the trust board and its associated operations'

As a key member of the board you will support the trust in achieving the following over the next 12 - 24 months:

1. Preparing to fully reopen - Maintaining the outstanding ambitions in the schools the trust is operating following the full return to education after Covid-19.
2. Growth Management - The opening of two new free schools in September 2022 and the governance around them
3. Recruitment - Effective recruitment of all stakeholders for the new schools and where needed the established schools

What's involved?

Board governance in education is a strategic, 'eyes on, hands off' commitment which typically involves attending six board meetings per year, amounting to approximately 4 hours' commitment per month.

You will be responsible for:

• Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
• Holding executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the organisation and its pupils, and the effective and efficient performance management of staff; and
• Overseeing the financial performance of the organisation and making sure its money is well spent

As an Academy Ambassador, you will join our ambassador network which provides resources, guidance, networking events and webinars to support you in your role.

All roles are pro bono.

People from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

What next?

Please register your interest now to be considered for the role.

Please be aware the closing date may change if we have received sufficient applications.