Non-Executive Director/Trustee for Barton Court Academy Trust

The Barton Court Academy Trust seeks to appoint a new non-executive Director to join an established Board of Directors

The Trust

Barton Court Academy Trust (BCAT) is a multi-academy Trust which was established in 2017.

It currently consists of two secondary schools: Barton Court Grammar School, an 11-18 years, mixed selective school in the heart of Canterbury, rated “Good” with many outstanding features by Ofsted in February 2020, and The Charles Dickens School, an 11-16 years mixed non-selective school in Broadstairs, which came out of special measures and is rated “Requires Improvement” by Ofsted in June 2019 and is a rapidly improving school.

The Trust is also opening Barton Manor Free School, an 11 – 18 years non-selective mixed school in the heart of Canterbury on the former Chaucer School site in September 2022 to Year 7.

What does a Director/Trustee do?

The role of Director/Trustee is a voluntary one, requiring a high degree of commitment and confidentiality.

It is expected that Trustees will be able to participate fully in the work of the Trust Board and where possible in the life of each school in the Trust. It is envisaged that a Trustee would need to set aside an average of 8 -10 hours a month in order to fulfil the following expectations:

• Attending 3 Director meetings and 1 AGM per year. In addition you will attend various sub-committees such as 4 Finance Meetings, 3 Quality Assurance Meetings, 3 Audit and Risk Meetings and 3 Personnel Meetings. Each meeting lasts for about 1.5 - 2 hours and takes place on a weekday evening, usually 2 meetings are held consecutively in the evening, typically from 5pm - 8pm. There will be a number of documents to review prior to the meetings.
• Undertaking 2-3 monitoring visits per academic year – these take place during the school day and provide an opportunity to develop the Link Director role: this involves building a relationship with the lead member of staff for the area you are linked with and monitoring procedures and performance relating to it.  A written report is required following each visit and help is available for new governors so that the level of information recorded is clear.
• Attending some of the Local Governing Body Meetings on a rota with other Directors.
• Attend briefings/training events run by KCC – these take place approximately 3 times a year.
• Participating in Director/Governor professional development events/training which includes, but not exclusive to: an induction programme run by the NGA, annual online training in Safeguarding, Prevent and GDPR in addition to other training events as required to fulfill the role and skill set requirements of the Board.
• Attending various school events across the year.

What skills are we looking for?

• Someone to Chair the Finance committee. Potential candidates will be experienced accountants/auditors capable of offering support, scrutiny and challenge to the Trust Finance Manager and the executive leadership team or
• Someone who can offer additional experience and expertise from outside the educational setting or an experienced educationalist at secondary Headship level or higher.
• Dealing with colleagues at all levels;
• Ability to challenge constructively and help find solutions;
• An appreciation of the value of education.

Appointment/Term of Office

Directors/Trustees are appointed for a 4 year term and we are looking for the ideal person to join us at Easter 2022 or sooner if available for induction and training.

What are the benefits of becoming a Director/Trustee?

• Professional development through a range of training courses;
• Being able to take skills back to the workplace: reading and interpreting data, understanding the curriculum and making sure resources are used effectively and efficiently are just a few of the areas involved;
• Building relationships through a network of professional local people;
• Gaining an insight into how schools operate and identifying other ways that business can become more involved;
• Knowing that you are doing something very worthwhile for your community.

If you feel the role of Director/Trustee is one that you could contribute to, then please send your CV and a brief personal statement giving information about your skills to clerk@bartoncourt.org

Deadline for applications is Friday 28 January 2022 @ 9am

The Barton Court Academy Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure application via the Disclosure & Barring Service and check against the ISA Barred List for Children.