Trustee at St Christopher's CofE Secondary MAT

This is an opportunity to contribute to the community within North Devon by becoming a Foundation Trustee and Academy Ambassador at St Christopher's Secondary Multi Academy Trust. Board meetings are held at EX34 9JB 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). Academy trusts exist to improve the outcomes of young people; at the highest levels of governance, they need highly skilled individuals with a variety of experiences to hold executive leadership teams to account. Insights from a wide-range of backgrounds ensure that boards are able to make informed choices on decisions that impact the lives of children and staff.

The Academy Ambassadors Programme is funded by the Department for Education, to match senior business leaders with academy trusts looking to strengthen their boards. By working together, inspirational educationalists and talented business leaders can provide a better future for the next generation.

The opportunity

A part of Exeter Diocese, and currently a single-school Academy Trust based in Ilfracome, St Christopher's CofE (secondary) Multi Academy Trust governs an 11-18 church academy - The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy. The academy is Ofsted rated as Good, and has nearly 1000 students on roll including an expanding Sixth Form. The academy's students come from a wide geographical area stretching from Woolacombe across Exmoor to Lynton and the Somerset border.

'We serve and support our community providing a child-centred education that reflects Christian values. Respecting the dignity and potential of each individual person and sensitive to the needs of a diverse society we strive to enhance and strengthen our values of Hope, Kindness, Courage, Integrity, Trust, Respect, Responsibility and Resilience.

Important Information from Exeter Diocese:

'We have a separate company called the Exeter Diocesan Education Network (EDEN) who are the appointing authority for many of our academy trusts. We are looking to help broker potential foundation directors/trustees for our MATs in the Diocese. The individuals would need to be able to confirm that they would uphold the Christian distinctiveness of the church schools and the ethos of the Church of England throughout the education within the Trust's schools.'

The currently requirements for the foundation trustee role are

• Education Leadership, in a primary or secondary setting

Specific roles and schemes of delegation / terms of reference are different for each Trust within the Exeter Diocese. However, EDEN needs to have sight of an application form and ensure there is evidence that the individual will uphold the Christian distinctiveness of the diocese's schools.

What's involved?

Board governance in education is a strategic, 'eyes on, hands off' commitment which is anticipated to involve 3 meetings per academic year, amounting to approximately 10 hours a month of work.

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.

The Academy Ambassadors Programme is committed to supporting boards with inclusive recruitment practices, and we actively encourage applications from individuals from diverse backgrounds.

What next?

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

When you select the option to Apply you will be redirected to the Academy Ambassadors webpage where you will find a full role specification with more details of the opportunity and the trust, including details of how to apply for the position.

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