Non Executive Director x2

Weaver Trust

Weaver Trust is a newly formed multi-academy trust which specialises in the primary sector. The trust seeks to recruit up to two non-executive directors with strong experience in the field finance and/or growth management and corporate governance to help facilitate its planned growth. Board meetings are held at Barnton Community Nursery and Primary School, Barnton.  

About the trust

Weaver Trust is a young trust with high aspirations looking to promote excellence in primary education.

The hub school of the Weaver Trust, Barnton Community Nursery and Primary School, is in a complex locality, with a combination of private and social housing, leading to somewhat challenging demographics.  

The trust aims to build a thriving community of converter and sponsored primary academies, which succeeds on behalf of its children and communities. It wants to maintain a group of exceptional primary academies that is uncompromising in drive and commitment to sharing best practice, with it overarching aim being an outstanding personal success.

The trust currently comprises Barnton Community Nursery and Primary School and Grange C. P. School.

Plans for the future

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

1. To firmly establish the trust, ensuring effective and consistent practice across all areas, with policies firmly embedded.
2. To develop new models of partnership to research and influence education practice and policy.
3. To ensure growth, supported by effective succession planning - growing the next generation of educators and school leaders; ensuring recruitment and retention of the strongest workforce at all levels.
4. To form a sustainable partnership of like-minded primary schools, where strength is fostered through collegiality and the highest standards are routine.

Trust ethos & values

The trust’s vision is to engage pupils in learning, through motivational teaching and opportunities; to empower children with a tangible sense of purpose and ambition for better life chances and to achieve excellent outcomes for pupils, staff and communities.

This vision is underpinned by the values of Innovation, Responsibility and Care.

Role Summary Number of positions advertised:

2

Roles 1&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 to account. 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 during a period of growth and the management of a dynamic structure. The role also includes contributing to financial planning for sustainability and growth and holding the CEO/CFO to account.

Person specification

The competencies required for this role include:

Essential (due to multiple roles, candidates with one or more of the below will be considered)

• Corporate Governance AND
• CFO/ Finance OR
• Growth Management AND
• Legal/ Compliance

Desirable

• Change Management
• Entrepreneur/ Founder
• Risk

The trust seeks two individuals with a genuine interest in the provision of the best possible educational experiences for children within the schools’ communities and can offer their skills, knowledge and time to help the trust achieve its objectives over the ensuing period.

• Role 1: The trust seeks an individual possessing extensive and demonstrable skills in finance, preferably with a relevant qualification (ACA, ACCA), experienced in managing significant budgets and with a track record of working strategically across a large organisation. Experience in board level working is sought, as well as the ability to hold senior executives to account, challenge and scrutinise trust accounts.

• Role 2: The trust seeks a further with experience in growth management and corporate governance would be highly sought, as skills to help manage the period of change that is inherent in the expansion and development of a multi-academy trust. Additional experience in legal affairs is sought in order to provide a high level of skill and expertise, especially in relation to matters around growth.

Time commitment

6 hours per month minimum.

Location of board meetings and trust website

Barnton Community Nursery and Primary School, Townfield Lane, Barnton, CW8 4QL.

www.weavertrust.org.uk

Governance structure

https://weavertrust.co.uk/trust-information/directors/

Background on academy trusts

Academy schools, which are charities run independently of local authority control, now account for 73% of secondary schools and 30% 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 775 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, 7^th December 2018